Croquet was once the game of stringent rules and crisp white attire. Today, the game is making a backyard comeback, but the Keatings were decades ahead of its revival.
22 years ago, Doug Keating found an old croquet set at his brother-in-law’s house and decided to take it home. Then he had an idea. What if he invited family and friends over for an end-of-summer barbeque and charged them to play to donate to a worthy charity?
This was the start of what became a tradition of the Keating family of Plainfield, NJ hosting the annual Keating Croquet Tournament. For the first few years, the proceeds benefited several other nonprofits before switching over to Midland in 2005.
The family’s connection with Midland dates back to the 1970s when Eugene and Rita Keating, then of Dunellen, NJ, enrolled their son, and Doug’s brother, Eugene, at Midland. The yearly Midland Family Picnics and Spaghetti Dinners were some of the fondest memories the family had of Midland before their son’s tragic passing subsequent to graduation.
“The family events were so wonderful they made me want to go to The Midland School,” recalls his mother, Mrs. Rita Keating, who says the yearly Croquet Tournament keeps her son’s memory alive and brings everyone together for a cause close to their hearts. It was in Eugene’s memory that the Croquet Tournament raised on average $3,000 each year to support Midland’s programs and services, totaling more than $50,000 since its inception.
This year’s event, held on Sept. 9, was briefly interrupted by thunder and passing showers. The crowd hunkered down in the house until the storms passed and got right back out there to play once the rain stopped.
“Nothing can stop us—not even pouring rain,” says event founder and host, Mr. Doug Keating who says his wife Judith, their children, Douglas, Shaun, Gaby, and Jack, his mother, Rita along with other family and friends “go all out” for this event that starts with lunch and concludes in the wee hours of the morning. “People come from all over the county and they never want to miss it,” adds Doug.
Beyond helping to continue Midland programs and honor Midland graduate, Eugene Keating, the Keating Croquet Tournament serves as a way to mark the time and the milestones of all who attend. Couples who met through the event, now have young adult children who are not in strollers or on the water slide, but on the field with a mallet. “There’s a new generation of players now,” says Doug.
The family hopes to continue this tradition for many years to come. “It’s overwhelming that so many people come back year after year,” says Mrs. Keating. “It makes me feel that my son Eugene is remembered and loved.”
