George L. Good passed away December 24, 2007, at his home in Dryden, N.Y., at the age of 67. Good received his bachelor’s degree at Ohio State University and his master’s and doctorate at Cornell University, where he spent his career as a faculty member in the horticulture department. He was actively involved in teaching, advising students, conducting research and providing extension services, serving as department chair and most recently as professor emeritus. He also served as director of the Cornell Pesticide Management Education Program and was an active member of the New York State Arborists’ and Nurserymen’s Associations.
GCSAA Scholarships
The Golf Course Superintendents Association of America has awarded scholarship money to 16 college students as part of the GCSAA Scholars Program administered by GCSAA’s philanthropic organization, The Environmental Institute for Golf.
First-place winner David Golembeski, New Milford, Conn., received a $6,000 scholarship as well as the Mendenhall Award. The second-place winner, William Overly, Louisburg, Kan., received a $5,000 scholarship and the MacCurrach Award. Both will also receive an all-expense-paid trip to the GCSAA Education Conference and Golf Industry Show in Orlando, Fla.
Shane Brockhoff, Carole Townsend, Chris Parsons, Ian Gallagher, Meghyn Stalcup, Gregory Caldwell, Christopher Skvir, Tyler Wenger, Jonathan Chase Webb and Nathaniel Watkin were awarded stipends ranging from $1,250 to $2,500.
Merit Winners Richard Gillispie and Jon Cancel won $500. Luis M. Casado and Roque Buendia-Perez were awarded $2,000 Ambassador Scholarships.
Project EverGreen Announces Third-Quarter Contributions
Den Gardner, executive director of Project EverGreen, released a list of those who have provided financial support for the organization’s educational activities during the period ending September 30, 2007. They include Andy Hull, the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, Grasshopper Lawns, Inc., The Professional Landcare Network, The International Society of Aboriculture, John Deere Landscapes/LESCO, Nufarm Americas, Inc., Trugreen, Paul Stolzfus and Teresa Yocca.
Some programs Project EverGreen has been involved with include Yard Enthusiasts of America, GreenCare For Troops, the Landscaped Areas Award and Because Green Matters Scholarships.
Project EverGreen is a national non-profit organization representing green industry service providers, associations, suppliers/distributors, media companies, organizations and individuals.
Companies Support GCSAA
Eagle One Golf Products, Standard Golf Co., FMC Corp., Indian Valley Industries (Sandtrapper), TYCROP and Monsanto have pledged their support of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America and its members by committing to participate in the Partner Recognition Program at the Silver level.
John Deere has committed to participate in the program at the Platinum level. The company contributed $100,000 to The Environmental Institute for Golf, and Gregg Breningmeyer, John Deere’s director of golf sales and marketing, represents the company on The Institute’s Advisory Council.
ANLA to Join OFA for Short Course
In the summer of 2008, the American Nursery and Landscape Association will join OFA—an Association of Floriculture Professionals for their annual short course, held in Columbus, Ohio. ANLA will hold their annual meeting prior to the start of the short course. ANLA will also partner with OFA on several education sessions.
Aulakh Receives IPNI Award
The International Plant Nutrition Institute has named Dr. Milkha Singh Aulakh, a senior soil chemist and professor at Punjab Agricultural University in India, as the winner of the 2007 IPNI Science Award. He will receive a special plaque and a monetary award of $5,000.
The IPNI Science Award is intended to recognize outstanding achievements in research, extension, or education, with a focus on efficient and effective management of plant nutrients.
GCSAA Awards Royal Spanish Golf Federation Scholarships
Michigan State University students Francisco Javier García Ircio, Jimena Blanco Jaschek and Juan Muñoz Puro have each won $10,000 scholarships from the Royal Spanish Golf Federation funded by The Environmental Institute for Golf.
The scholarship is a two-year grant presented to individuals from Spain pursuing a turfgrass management degree from Michigan State University. Winners are selected by the Royal Spanish Golf Federation.
Garcia Ircio earned an agronomy engineering degree from Madrid Polytechnic University’s crop science program. Blancho Jaschek earned a degree in agricultural engineering from the University of Salamanca and also took the Higher Greenkeeper Course at The Autonomous School of Business Management in Malaga, Spain. Muñoz Puro has been working at the Centro Nacional de Golf.
PLANET’S Green Industry Conference a Success
The Professional Landcare Network held its annual Green Industry Conference in Louisville, Ky., in conjunction with the GIE+EXPO. Jim Martin, president of PLANET, reported that membership is up 4.3 percent and that PLANET certification programs have grown. PLANET and its legacy associations have issued about 5,550 certification designations and the number of testing candidates has increased by 66 percent.
Martin also stated that in 2007, PLANET event participation numbers were up, with significant increases in attendance at Renewal & Remembrance at Arlington National and Historic Congressional cemeteries as well as PLANET’s Student Career Days. He also noted how pleased PLANET was with attendance at the first ever GIE+EXPO.
Ginn Selected to Advisory Council
Edward Robert “Bobby” Ginn III, chairman and CEO of Ginn Resorts, has joined The Environmental Institute for Golf’s Advisory Council as its 25th member. The council provides guidance to The Institute’s board of trustees in the areas of outreach, fundraising and strategic planning.
Ginn Resorts is a privately held resort development and management company.
Superintendents Recognized by GCSAA
Golf course superintendents Donald Hearn, H. James “Jim” Loke and Oscar Miles have been selected as recipients of the 2008 Golf Course Superintendents Association of America Distinguished Service Award.
Hearn, a 37-year GCSAA member, served on the GCSAA board of directors and was the association’s president in 1987. He has also served on the USGA Green Section Committee. Hearn is a past president of the New England GCSA and is a past member of the Massachusetts Golf Association executive committee. A superintendent at Weston (Mass.) Golf Club for 29 years, Hearn also had stints at Lexington (Mass.) Golf Club and Vesper Country Club in Tyngsboro, Mass.
Loke, superintendent for the past 15 years at Bent Creek Country Club in Lancaster, Pa., is a 36-year GCSAA member and has served on numerous committees for the association. He currently serves on the USGA Mid-Atlantic Green Section Committee and the Pennsylvania Turfgrass Council Board of Directors. He is a past president of both the Central Pennsylvania GCSA and the Northern Ohio GCSA, and has served on the Ohio Turfgrass Foundation Board of Directors.
Miles, a 45-year GCSAA member, is a retired superintendent who last worked at the Merit Club in Libertyville, Ill. He has served on various GCSAA committees and hosted 13 professional golf tournaments. A past president of the Illinois Turfgrass Foundation, Miles also served on the board for GCSAA’s Indiana chapter.
The GCSAA board of directors selects winners from nominations submitted by affiliated chapters and/or association members. First presented in 1932, the award is given to individuals who have made an outstanding, substantive and enduring contribution to the advancement of the superintendent profession.
York Inducted as IA President
Ewing Irrigation President Douglas York was inaugurated as the 2008 Irrigation Association president during the International Irrigation Show in San Diego, Calif. As president, York will concentrate on education, active membership involvement and lobbying initiatives within the association and green industry.
Synthetic Turf Council News
The Synthetic Turf Council experienced record attendance during its annual meeting. More than 100 attendees, representing 53 member companies and selected guests, were present at the forum, which focused on member education and open discussion of key issues. New board officers and members were also announced, with Joe Motz of The Motz Group in Cincinnati, Ohio, elected chairman.
Incoming officers include Vice Chairman Steve White, Secretary John Amato, Treasurer Dave Anderson, Director-at-Large Jim Dobmeier and Immediate Past Chairman Tom Peeples.
Board members include Lanny Bailey, John Giraud, Stanley Greene, Jim Petrucelli, Alastair Scott, Sabrina Thomas and John Tidwell.
Project EverGreen Announces New President and Board Members
Project EverGreen appointed Chris Kujawa of Kujawa Enterprises, Inc. as president of its board of directors. Kujawa will succeed Cindy Code of GIE Media, Inc., one of the organization’s founders, who served as president for the past two years.
Project EverGreen expanded its board of directors to include Katie Bromm, Nick Cashier, Bill Nicholson and Dale Siems. It also named current board member Kirk Hunter to its officer group; and two current board members to its executive committee—Dan Carrothers and Alan White.
Green Industry Associations Create Careers Web Site
Twenty-seven associations from across the country have united to develop a national green industry careers Web site, designed to spark interest in the variety of positions that the green industry offers.
Initiated by the Minnesota Nursery & Landscape Association and the Professional Landcare Network (PLANET), the site is expected to launch in the summer of 2008. The founding partners were joined by 25 state associations and two national association sponsors, the American Society for Horticultural Science and the American Nursery & Landscape Association.
High school students are the new Web site’s target market, but the site will also contain information for parents, teachers and guidance counselors.
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