DR. JOHN (JACK) R. HALL III NAMED TPI HONORARY MEMBER


Dr. John (Jack) R. Hall III received TPI’s Honorary Member Award on February 23, during the TPI 2016 International Education Conference & Field Day in Houston, TX. Tis award is presented to an individual who has significantly improved and made a major contribution to the turfgrass industry.


Dr. Hall is professor emeritus, the retired head of the Crop & Soil/Environmental Science Department at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, VA. His career has spanned over three decades. He earned his B.S. in floriculture and ornamental horticulture in 1964, and his M.S. in 1965, both at the University of Illinois. He earned his Ph.D. in 1971 from Te Ohio State University.


Dr. Hall joined the faculty of the University of Maryland in 1971, starting his long involvement with sod producers then. He reported working with Parker Sterling at Princeton Turf Farms and with the Patton family. Dr. Hall joined the American Sod Producers Association (ASPA) in 1973 and has been an ASPA/TPI member ever since. He worked with fellow Maryland Turf Grass Association member Gus Day to coordinate the field day events during ASPA’s 1974 Summer Convention in Carrolton, MD.


He accepted a position at Virginia Tech in 1976. Dr. Hall’s interaction with sod producers continued as he worked with state associations throughout the region, including the Virginia Sod Growers Association and the Virginia Turfgrass Council. He set up research trials at Brookmeade Sod Farm, working with Louis and Ginger Brooking, and reported they’ve maintained turf plots ever since and the data generated there has been valuable not only for central Virginia, but for the entire Mid-Atlantic region.


He reported the sod industry was growing rapidly in the early 1970's and was a dominant force in getting improved varieties of turfgrass into home lawns. Te golf course and lawn care industries also were rapidly growing and the interaction between these three industries created an exponentially positive impact on turfgrass research and quality in the mid-Atlantic region. Nursery and landscape centers, lawn care operators and sod producers all benefitted when the U.S. Federal Housing Authority (FHA) included a stipulation on having an established front lawn prior to obtaining home financing. Many potential homeowners opted for an instant lawn with sod rather than working for several months to establish one from seed.


Dr. Hall recognized the importance of both industry- specific associations, as a venue for sharing information, and the broader turfgrass associations as a forum for


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bringing sod producers together with those who used their sod, enabling them to more effectively learn about—and meet— market needs.


In 1994, Dr. Hall accepted the position of department head and, though he missed hands- on field research, he likely had an even greater impact on the turfgrass industry through his interaction with state, regional and national turfgrass associations.


Dr. Jack Hall


Because of long-standing family commitments, Dr. Hall was unable to attend the 2016 TPI Conference. Louis Brooking accepted the award on his behalf and shared a few comments highlighting Dr. Hall’s leadership and dedication to the turfgrass industry.


He then shared the following statements from Dr. Hall, "I am extremely humbled to have been given the TPI Honorary Member Award and wish I could be with you all to say thank you and rekindle old friendships. My involvement with sod producers goes back to 1971 in Maryland and continued in Virginia until my retirement in 2001. I still enjoy assisting TPI in scholarship application evaluation and look forward to serving in whatever capacity is helpful.


“It was an extreme privilege to associate with the members


of your industry. Tey were natural leaders who were not afraid to step up and take state and national leadership responsibility in associations representing the interests of their industry. One thing I sensed in working with most sod producers was the sadness they felt in sending the family farm's soil down the road with the product. Many of them were farming land that had received the sweat and toil of their fathers and grandfathers, so it was not easy to part with the product containing some of the family’s energy, devotion and history.


“Thank you very much for the privilege of working with the members of the sod industry and for this humbling recognition of my contributions through the TPI Honorary Membership Award.”


TPI Turf News September/Octob2 16 ber 2016


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