2000 HISTORIAN REPORT
DIVISION C-5 TURFGRASS SCIENCE

Presented at the C-5 Turfgrass Science Annual Membership Meeting
Wednesday, November 8, 2000, 4:15 p.m.
Minneapolis, Minnesota

1. CONGRATULATIONS FOR NATIONAL HONORS TO C-5 MEMBERS:
   1. Dr. G.H. Snyder, University of Florida - 1999 Fellow of the Soil Science Society of America.
   2. Dr. C.M. Taliaferro, Oklahoma State University - !999 Fellow of the American Society of Agronomy
   3. Dr. N. E. Christians, Iowa State University - 1999 Fred V. Grau Turfgrass Science Award of Crop Science Society of America.
   4. Dr. D.V. Waddington, Penn State University - 2000William H. Daniel Founders Award of the Sports Turf Managers Association.
   5. Dr. T.L. Watschke, Penn State University - 2000 Presidents Award for Environmental Leadership, Golf Course Superintendents Association of America.
      

    

2. CONGRATULATIONS FOR REGIONAL HONORS TO C-5 MEMBERS:
   1. Dr. T.L. Watschke, Penn State University - 2000 Outstanding Educator Award, Northeastern Weed Society

    

3. BEST WISHES TO A RETIRING C-5 MEMBER:
   1. Richard E. Schmidt was born on 3 September, 1931 in Detroit, Michigan. Although raised in an urban setting, he became interested in agriculture production through his high school years and worked at diversified farming in western Pennsylvania. After receiving a BSc degree in Agronomy from the Pennsylvania State University in 1954 and returning from the Army military service, he completed the MSc degree under the direction of the late Professor H.B. Musser in 1958. He then continued graduate studies under the supervision of Dr. R.E.Blaser at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, receiving a PhD degree in 1965. Dr. Schmidt then accepted a faculty position in the Agronomy Department. He served in this department with research and teaching duties related to turf grass physiology and ecology, till his retirement in June 30 of 2000.
      
      Dr. Schmidt's investigations on soluble carbohydrates in plant tissue as related to respiration and photosynthesis at various temperatures led to the principle of maximizing nitrogen fertilization during cool seasons and minimizing fertilization during warm seasons to enhance temperate turfgrass tolerance to environmental stress. He has shown that foliar applications of iron on temperate grasses grown on non-calcareous soils improved nitrogen nutrition and enhanced turf growth during low and high temperature stresses. His research demonstrated that iron and biostimulant fertilization enhanced rooting of Kentucky bluegrass, resulting in decreased establishment time of sod and irrigation requirements.
      
      Research under his direction showed that applications of iron and cytokinins to bermudagrass turf aided in the retention of green color during prolonged exposure to chilling temperatures. He has documented that heavy traffic and use of certain preemergence herbicides increase winter injury of bermudagrass. Results of these studies have demonstrated that these deleterious effects are reduced with nutrition and herbicidal management as well as cultivar selection.
      
      Dr. Schmidt's pioneering research involving hormonal treatments of turfgrasses to enhance tolerances to stresses has provided new insights into plant performance and nutrition. He has demonstrated that by increasing the antioxidant concentration of turf grasses through the use of exogenous hormonal treatments, turfgrass performance improved under stress conditions from drought to high salinity as well as nematode infestation or infection of certain diseases.
      
      Although Dr. Schmidt's primary duties deal with research, he also has been responsible for turfgrass graduate and undergraduate teaching. He has designed special models for students to develop management programs for various aspects of turfgrass culture. His system was adopted for in-service training of extension personnel and turf management short courses. Dr. Schmidt has directed graduate programs of MSc and PhD students, many of whom are major contributors in the turf industry or as faculty at major universities.
      
      Dr. Schmidt is a Fellow in the Crop Science Society of America and The American Society of Agronomy. He received the 2000 Fred V. Grau Turfgrass Award at the national meetings of ASA. He has served on the Executive Board of the International Turfgrass Society and as an assistant editor for the proceedings of the third ITR conference. He has published n~erous scientific papers on his research and has presented his research at countless conferences. In addition to his teaching duties, he has chaired the northwest and southern turfgrass research groups, and has been a procedural advisor of the National Turfgrass Evaluation Committee.
      
      Dr. Schmidt has an international reputation. Upon invitation by the China Academy of Sciences, he has delivered lectures at universities as well as reviewed and advised on several research programs and seed production problems. He also has been an invited lecturer in Japan, Canada, and Finland.

    

4. SUMMARY-BY-YEAR OF DIVISION C-5 CHAIRS, ASA BOARD REPS, AND NUMBER OF C-5 TURFGRASS SCIENCE PAPER PRESENTATIONS

   Year	Elected C-5 Chair	State	Elected ASA Board Rep.	Number of Papers Presented
   1955	J.R. Watson	Minnesota		15
   1956	C.G. Wilson	Wisconsin		16
   1957	G.C. Nutter	Florida		16
   1958	W.W. Huff'ine	Oklahoma		22
   1959	H.B. Musser	Pennsylvania		17
   1960	R.E. Engel	New Jersey		11
   1961	V.B. Youngner	California	E.C. Roberts	22
   1962	R.R. Davis*	Ohio	E.C. Roberts	14
   1963	F.V. Juska	Maryland	E.C. Roberts	36
   1964	N.R. Goetze*	Oregon	W.H. Daniel	24
   1965	E.C. Roberts	Iowa	W.H. Daniel	25
   1966	J.B Beard	Michigan	W.H. Daniel	32
   1967	C.Y. Ward*	Mississippi	R.R. Davis*	34
   1968	J.A. Simmons	Ohio	R.R. Davis*	25
   1969	R.E. Schmidt	Virginia	R.R. Davis*	25
   1970	W.B. Gilbert	North Carolina	J.B Beard	33
   1971	G.C. Horn	Florida	J.B Beard	29
   1972	R.W. Miller	Ohio	J.B Beard	33
   1973	P.E. Rieke	Michigan	W.W. Huffine	41
   1974	L.M. Callahan	Tennessee	W.W. Huffine	38
   1975	J.F. Shoulders	Virginia	W.W. Huffine	40
   1976	A.E. Dudeck	Florida	K.T. Payne	31
   1977	J.H. Dunn	Missouri	K.T. Payne	32
   1978	W.R. Kneebone	Arizona	K.T. Payne	45
   1979	A.J. Powell, Jr.	Kentucky	P.E. Rieke	41
   1980	D.B. White	Minnesota	P.E. Rieke	40
   1981	A.J. Turgeon	Illinois	P.E. Rieke	44
   1982	R.W. Duell	New Jersey	J.H. Dunn	56
   1983	R.C. Shearrnan	Nebraska	J.H. Dunn	59
   1984	D.P. Martin	Ohio	J.H. Dunn	72
   1985	R.N. Carrow	Georgia	A.E. Dudeck	55
   1986	D.V. Waddington	Pennsylvania	A.E. Dudeck	62
   1987	B.J. Johnson	Georgia	A.E. Dudeck	69
   1988	T.P. Riordan	Nebraska	R.C. Shearman	81
   1989	N.E. Christians	Iowa	R.C. Shearman	107
   1990	T.L. Watschke	Pennsylvania	R.C. Shearman	115
   1991	W.A. Meyer	Oregon	R.N. Carrow	113
   1992	J.M. DiPaola	North Carolina	R.N. Carrow	102
   1993	A.M. Petrovic	New York	R.N. Carrow	84
   1994	K.J. Karnok	Georgia	N.E. Christians	101
   1995	J.V. Krans	Mississippi	N.E. Christians	114
   1996	C.S. Throssell	Indiana	N.E. Christians	97
   1997	R.J. Hull	Rhode Island	T.P. Riordan	124
   1998	G.H. Snyder	Florida	T.P. Riordan	151
   1999	L.A. Brilrnan	Oregon	T.P. Riordan	159
   2000	J.L. Nus	Kansas	J.L. Cisar	135

   *Part-time turfgrass responsibilities, along with other crops.

   Note: From 1946 to 1951 - Turfgrass research papers were presented within Section V, Special Crops, of the Crop Science Division, American Society of Agronomy. There were a total paper number of 6 in 1946, 16 in 1947, 17 in 1948, 12 in 1949, 10 in 1950, and 7 in 1951. In 1952 Division XI of the American Society of Agronomy included a session on Turfgrass Management. The year, chair, and number of papers was as follows: 1952 - R.R. Davis - 7; 1953 - M.H. Ferguson - 6; and 1954 - W.H. Daniel - 6.

   * * * * *

   Elected Society Officers from C-5:

   CSSA President	1956	G.O. Mott (first President)
   CSSA President	1960	H.B. Sprague
   CSSA President	1974	R.R. Davis
   CSSA President	1986	J.B Beard
   CSSA President	1995	R.C. Shearman
   ASA President	1914	C.V. Piper
   ASA President	1962	G.W. Burton
   ASA President	1970	R.E. Blaser
   ASA President	1990	A.A. Baltensperger

   
   
5. SUMMARY OF C-5 TURFGRASS SCIENCE MEMBERS WHO ARE RECIPIENTS OF THE FELLOW AWARD FROM ONE OF THE TRI-SOCIETIES
   (1925 TO 1997)

   Year	Recipient	State	CSSA	ASA	SSSA
   1925	C.V. Piper*	Maryland	X
   1949	G.W. Burton*	Georgia	X	X
   1951	H.R. Albrecht*	Pennsylvania	X	X
   1953	R.E. Blaser*	Virginia	X	X	X
   1955	G.O. Mott*	Indiana	X	X
   1958	D.G. Sturkie*	Alabama	X	X
   1963	W.H. Daniel	Indiana	X	X
   1966	E.C. Holt*	Texas	X	X
   1966	F.V. Juska	Maryland	X
   1967	R.R. Davis*	Ohio	X	X
   1967	K.~. Payne*	Michigan	X	X
   1968	V.B. Youngner	California	X
   1969	R.E. Engel	New Jersey	X
   1969	F.V. Grau	Maryland	X	X	X
   1969	W.W. Huffme	Oklahoma	X	X
   1969	C.Y. Ward*	Mississippi	X	X
   1971	J.B Beard	Michigan	X	X
   1971	E.C. Roberts	Iowa	X	X
   1977	J.F. Shoulders	Virginia	X	X
   1979	J.R. Watson	Minnesota	X	X
   1979	L.N. Wise*	Mississippi	X
   1980	A.A. Baltensperger*	New Mexico	X	X
   1984	C.R. Funk	New Jersey	X	X
   1986	M.H. Niehaus*	Colorado	X	X(89)
   1986	P.E. Rieke	Michigan	X
   1986	R.E. Schmidt	Virginia	X	X(97)
   1986	D.V. Waddington	Pennsylvania	X
   1988	B.J. Johnson	Georgia	X(89)	X
   1988	R.C. Shearman	Nebraska	X(89)	X
   1988	A.J. Turgeon	Pennsylvania	X	X(89)
   1991	T. L. Watschke	Pennsylvania	X(92)	X
   1992	R.R. Duncan	Georgia	X	X
   1993	R.N. Carrow	Georgia	X
   1993	W.A. Meyer	Oregon	X	X(94)
   1994	T.P. Riordan	Nebraska	X(95)	X
   1994	D.B. White	Minnesota	X
   1995	N.E. Christians	Iowa	X(97)	X
   1995	K.J. Karnok	Georgia	X	X
   1995	A.J. Powell, Jr.	Kentucky	X
   1998	G.H. Snyder	Florida	X		X(99)
   1999	C.M. Taliaferro	Oklahoma	X

   *Part-time turfgrass responsibilities, usually with other crops.

   Society Award Recipients from C-5:

   • CSSA Crop Science Research Award 1991 J.B Beard

   • CSSA Genetics and Plant Breeding Award for Industry 1991 W.A. Meyer

   • CSSA Crop Science Teaching Award 1997 K.J. Karnok

   • CSSA Fred V. Grau Turfgrass Science Award:

   1987	J.R. Watson	1993	D.V. Waddington
   1988	J.B Beard	1994	W.A. Meyer
   1989	J.J. Murray	1995	B.J. Johnson
   1990	C.R. Funk	1996	T.P. Riordan
   1991	G.W. Burton	1997	K.J. Karnok
   1992	R.C. Shearman	1998	A.J. Powell, Jr.
   		1999	N.E. Christians

   • ASA Agronomic Resident Education Award 1994 K.J. Karnok

   • ASA Agronomic Service Award 1973 W.H. Daniel, 1977 J.R. Watson

6. 2000 DIVISION C-5 TURFGRASS MEETING
   A total of 124 volunteer papers are to be presented during the 2000 C-5 Turfgrass Science sessions in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Included are 69poster papers and 55 oral papers; plus 11symposia papers.

Respectfully submitted

James B Beard

C-5 Historian