EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S TURF

What a great party it was! TPI’s 50th Anniversary Celebration was just that – A CELEBRATION!

TPI’s 2017 International Education Conference & Field Day in Tampa, Florida, proved to be all it was hyped-up to be: celebratory, nostalgic, informative, educational, and fun-filled.

In addition to an outstanding education program and great presentations, (the videos of which will be posted soon on TPI’s Turfgrass Educational Center), TPI also honored several individuals for their contribution to the association and the turfgrass industry.

Among those honored during the 50th Anniversary Banquet on Wednesday evening were: Dr. Clint Waltz, University of Georgia and Dr. William Meyer, Rutgers University, who were the proud recipients of TPI’s Turfgrass Educator Award of Excellence. Michelle Williams, SiteOne Landscape Supply and a long time TPI member who was deeply moved upon learning she was the proud recipient of TPI’s Distinguished Service Award; Ken Ensor, inventor of the Donkey Forklift and founder of Quality Corporation who was the recipient of the Innovator of the Year Award, and Ray Weekley of Chantilly Turf Farm who received TPI’s Honorary Member Award. President Linda Bradley honored Bob Weerts of Blue Valley Sod with the President’s Leadership Award in recognition of Bob’s steadfast commitment, dedication and contribution to TPI for more than three decades.

Te award winners weren’t the only ones in a celebratory mood, so too were the well over 600 in attendance who found the overall conference and Field Day at SMR Farms beyond everyone’s highest expectations.

A video presentation reflecting the 50-year history of ASPA/TPI captured the spirit of the association. Another surprise was a huge mosaic banner comprised of over 2000 historic images that revealed the new TPI logo. Te excitement of a live auction, a great raffle, numerous optional activities and the showcasing of antique equipment on Field Day were all part of an unforgettable conference.

I could say a great deal more about TPI’s Fabulous 50th Celebration in Tampa, but space is limited. We will be covering the entire conference in much more detail in the next issue of Turf News, in the TPI E-Newsletter, and we will be posting plenty of photos on Facebook.

4 TPI Turf News March/April 2017 Sandy Reynolds

What I would like to do at this time is take a moment to acknowledge the many volunteers who worked behind the scenes to make our 50th Anniversary the outstanding event that it was. A tip of the hat and a sincere thank you to our 50th Anniversary committee chairs and their support teams. Tanks to Hank Kerfoot who chaired the Fundraising Committee; Jason Nugent who oversaw the Marketing Committee; Michelle Williams of the Decorating Committee and Linda Bradley who volunteered her time to chair the entire 50th Anniversary Committee. We also want to express our sincere thanks to the more than twenty other individuals who dedicated their time and energy to make this historic event especially memorable.

And finally, a big thank you to all our TPI members, both past and present, without whom we couldn’t have celebrated a memorable 50 years.

Until next time,

…a big thank you to all our TPI

members, both past and present, without whom we couldn’t have celebrated a memorable 50 years.