so wittily laughter is sure to follow. He laughs at himself often and invites others to join in. His quirky email messages are legendary.

In recognition of the uplifting and humorous newsletters he wrote for Army and Navy personnel serving abroad, Jim was presented with a flag from the United States Armed Forces flown in his honor on September 11, 2007, at Ali Al Salem AB Kuwait.

Jim’s wife Kathy is Geri Hannah’s sister. Jim and Geri were co-workers for seven years. For over a year, Kathy worked with them part-time. Geri reports, “Jim is the ultimate professional, treating everyone the same as co-workers in the office; as family at home. Jim can be intense, too. He cups his hand on his chin and you know something is coming. He says what he thinks, the good and the bad, but whatever it is, it’s going to be honest.”

Learning from Jim Kathy calls Jim a natural born teacher. Observing him in action can be more enlightening than a college classroom dissertation on communications.

When Jim set up video interviews, every participant had something they contributed included—he never lost an interviewee. Tat took prior planning and a well-defined strategy. Jim asked basic questions and typically had 12 or 13 ready. Te questions he chose to ask varied, based on the responses of the participant. He’d explain the procedures to be followed, make sure the mic was fitted properly and the individual was ready. Ten he’d cue the videographer and ask the person to state their name, company and title. His first question would require a complete statement; the second would be open-ended. He’d move to additional questions when needed.

Jim says, “If they had a run-on sentence or stumbled or whatever when recording, I’d say the lead-in statement and have them repeat it and then complete the thought. At some point, I’d get a useable sound bite.”

Jim didn’t write speeches for an occasion; he wrote a speech for a specific person to deliver. He was extremely sensitive to that person, trying to write the way they talked. Often, he’d set up the speech with a forced cadence, based on the individual’s normal speech pattern, and insert the breaks where they should pause. He’d ask them to practice the presentation by reading it aloud, preferably in front of a mirror. “I wanted every person at a podium and on mic to do their best.”

All of these accomplishments are the culmination of that first step: Jim Novak got on the bus.

Suz Trusty is co-editor of Turf News. All photos courtesy of Turfgrass Producers International (TPI).

TPI Turf News July/August 2017

Jim always enjoyed meeting up with everyone at the conferences. Here he is with 2009-2010, President Chip Lain and VP, Claus Zander.

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What Others Say:

Typical of the humble, modest guy he is, Jim gets a bit uncomfortable when others praise him. He reports the remarks he has received, in writing and by phone, have been so truly thoughtful and complimentary, it almost seems like “an obituary, but you’re around to hear it.” Excerpts of just a few of those comments follow.

Sandy Reynolds says, “I don’t think people know how much Jim cares about the people; how he takes everything to heart and considers in every move that he makes what is best for the individual, the membership and the association as a whole. That true passion and caring drive every single thing he does.”

Geri Hannah says, “Jim is a great teacher. He makes you think. He always wants to do things right. It’s not that it’s wrong; it’s that it can get better. That’s what he does; he makes you better at what you do. And he does it in a way that feels encouraging.”

Dr. James B Beard, International Sports Turf Institute, wrote, “Congratulations on a notable and successful career as Communications Manager for TPI. Your writings to offer counter position to that of the anti- turf activists have been outstanding and a true leader for the industry.”

Dr. Jack Hall, Professor Emeritus Virginia Tech University, wrote, “Thank you for all the sacrifices you and yours made to educate and promote the sod industry and its product over the years. Your communicative expertise will be sorely missed by the whole turfgrass industry.”

“You are one of ‘The Greats.’ Thank you for your friendship, advice, looking out for me—all these things and more I’m going to miss. Especially your sense of humor,” wrote Nancy Aerni, TMI.

“… thank you for the years of participation and great writing.” Carole Stewart, Home Improvement Time, Inc.