FEBRUARY 1951

"Being a husband is just like any other job;
it's much easier if you like your boss".
L e o J . Burke.

A STRANGER IN OUR MIDST
Pereival Updike Frostbottom attended the
National Turf Conference at Chicago, January
29 — February 2, 1951. How he managed it is a
mystery because nobody seemed to know who he
was, where he was from, or how he got into all
the meetings. Here comes Percy now. Let him
tell it in his own words. "Well, you see I am a
convention fan and a second one eyed Connolly
you might say. I have attended a good many
different types of pow wows all over this country.
One day I was looking over the magazines in the
Boston South Station when I over heard several
guys talking about a Turf Convention in Chicago.
Weil now I am an old turf man myself, in fact, I
was a pretty good jockey in my day. So I thought
here's a convention I've never attended. The next
thing I knew I was on the train headed for Chicago. In the smoker I ran into these same convention guys. Of course they didn't know who I was
and I didn't tell 'em. But it didn't take me long
to find out that these birds called themselves
Greenkeepers. Now I have heard of gatekeepers,
jailkeepers and beekeepers but I never heard of
greenkeepers before. Imagine it, these guys were
golf course grass doctors and what I know about
a golf course you can put in the vest pocket of a
humming bird. Was I taking a ride. But there
was something about their sincerity and enthusiasm for their work that intrigued me. I says,
what can I lose? Maybe I can learn something
about this new language they were talking.
Usually I could understand them but sometimes
their talk seemed to be in code. 2 4 D, P. M. A. S.,
Tat-Select, Zoysia, Ph 5, C I, C 19. This was
more than Greek to me. This was a language I'd
never heard the likes of. So I thought I would
take the buggy ride with them.
Our train engineer didn't seem to be in any
hurry and his dilly-dallying finally became the
topic of conversation with the passengers. Somebody said he had a dame in the cab with him and
was parking where ever he felt like it. At that,
time went pretty fast. These grass doctors
though, had itchy feet and no sleep in them. From
clay coach, to smoker, to club car, to smoker, to
day coach. Those good old day coaches with reclining seats where you are supposed to sleep.
You fold your legs in a granny knot, get your
body into a 45 degree angle and then try to figure
what to do with your head. Well, we got there
finally and what a frosty reception. Five below
zero and going down. Old Jack Frost was sure
feeling his oats. We didn't see him above ten at
any time. One of the first characters I met in
the Hotel Sherman was wisecracker Herb Graffis.
When he came in one morning somebody asked
him how cold it was, and he said, "Up to zero
this morning. We're having a slight heat wave."
What a guy.
When we got to the lobby I noticed somebody
beckoning from the mezzanine and pointing to a
sign that said N.G.S.A. More code stuff. That
I learned stood for National Greenkeeping Super-

intendents Association. This was the place where
they relieved you of your dough. The price was
$5.00 if you were a member of the organization
or $10.00 if you were'nt. Just about the cheapest
registration I ever heard of at a convention. But
of course, the cost never bothers me because I
don't pay "nothin anyhow".
The first scheduled event was a reunion hour
in the Bal-Tabarin Room. A swell joint with all
kinds of tricky and varied indirect lighting effects.
The drinks were on the house and that suited me.
I'm not much of a drinking man but I always go
in for the free stuff, so I tried them all. From
that time on the special lighting system didn't
seem to be working right, and I couldn't see the
speakers platform. But I understand that National President Ray Gerber presented 25 year
pins to the charter members, this being the 25th
anniversary. They were beautiful pins and quite
an honor to possess one.
The next morning the commercial exhibits were
open for inspection. Then I really had my eyes
opened. What these grass doctors have to know
about would fill one of those Encyclopedia
Americana's on display. I've seen machinery exhibits before and that's as far as it went. Machinery. These birds not only know about equipment of all types from soup to nuts but 101 things
besides. Chemicals for diseases, chemicals for
insects, chemicals for weeds, chemicals for the
soil, chemicals for the water, watering equipment,
trees, flowers and on and on. Man, there's no
end to the subjects. What do the people do on
these golf courses that requires all this preparation, eare and treatment? Do they know about
all these things that are being done? And what
do they know about the man who gets them done ?
It all seems to add up to a lot of dough and I
gather that most of it has been spent for somebodies pleasure but they kind of forgot about
paying the man who is in charge of all these
goings on.
At least that's what I gathered from the first
two speakers on the educational program, and
they are outside observers. They get around too.
Chick Evans, a former national amateur golf
champ and Herb Graffis, editor of Golfdom. Chick
said in closing, "That the greenkeeper is the heart
of the whole game of golf and the press should
pay more attention to these fellows and give them
a better break". Herb Graffis, the wit, said "An
excellent job has been done on improving greens
and fairways but a poor job on the humans who
are responsible for this improvement." O. J.
Soer and Fred Grau, both experts and national
travelers were big drawing cards because they
have the latest facts and a way of presenting
them clearly. There were many other speakers,
golf course superintendents, agronomy experts
and others, all with interesting subjects, but
somebodies going to cut me off soon if I don't
move along.
This whole thing looks like big business to me
— deep stuff — technical stuff. That's why I am

deeply impressed with the men back of it all. Their
quiet confidence, their genuineness, their modesty.
Yes, their modesty. Maybe that's it. They are
too modest. That may be keeping them in the
shadows.
Just think of it. These fellows came from all
over the country, Canada, and Honolulu to better
themselves, to see and hear the latest about equipment and methods. I caught some of their names.
There was Longtalk Mayo, and Bigboy O'SulIivan
all the way from Honolulu. Longhorn Bowman
from Texas, Prettyboy Johnson (The new National President) and Allswell Beresford — California, iNoisy Boyd — Montana, Youguess Mendalhall •— Kansas, Shakemup Dunlop and Goodlooking Smith — Ohio, Talkumup Shields —
Georgia, Baldy Weiss — Pennsylvania, One Price
— Oklahoma, Honest Face Feser Minnesota etc.
These are only a few of the 600. And then there
was the Boston bunch who gave me the buggy
ride.... Whereishe Fuller, Fadeout Malone, Allswell Mosher, Freezup Darling, Seegar Anderson
Oswall Far rant, Flyout Mitchell, and Hop a Long
Cassidy.
With all these men coming from far and wide
to your annual turf conference it looks to me as
though your educational program is the most important feature of the whole thing. No stone
should be left unturned to come up with something better and different every year. Why don't
you place more responsibility on your affiliated
associations for program ideas. Why not request
every golf course superintendents association in
the country to appoint a committee of three for
the purpose of offering at least one good idea for
your educational program. Then at your next
annual meeting give an award of merit to the
association with the best idea. Act on this now
while the convention is fresh in everyones minds.
The wind-up of the conference, the final business meeting and election of officers gave me a
tough time getting in hut I finally found an unguarded entrance. Your action on changing your
name to Golf Course Superintendents Association of America went through like greased lightening" didn't it? I can see the need of making a
change because Greenkeeper doesn't mean a thing
to the general public. Certainly, with the diversified knowledge, experience and ability you fellows must have you are deserving of a title that
everybody understands.
So you have to increase you dues? This may
displease some of the boys back home who didn't
hear the reasons hut the increased cost of everything will put you out of business if you stay in
the red. It was a wise move to lay on the table
that insurance problem until more complete information and data is available.
From my back seat I could see that you elected
a good set of officers. William Johnson, president, Malcolm McLaren, vice president, and for
directors, Frank Dinelli, John Abbott, and John
Price. By the way, to aid all officers, I recom-

mend that you add to your library a book on Parliamentary Law so that proper procedure may be
followed at all times. Well, I guess that is about
all. It was a swell time and a nice bunch of fellows to be with. Maybe I will be seeing you at
Columbus next year. Now to beat my way back
to Boston."
Signed —PERCY
So long Percy old boy. Now back to the February 5, meeting of the Greenkeepers Club of New
England held at the Hotel Bradford.
Preceding the business Meeting those present
who attended the National Turf Conference at
Chicago were asked to give their version of the
trip. Comments were made by President Mosher,
Clapper, Bill Mitchell, Cassidy, Farrant, and
Darling.
At the business meeting an application for
associate membership in the club was read from
Percy L. Clark Jr., Meadow Brook Golf Club,
Reading, Mass.
Proposed changes in the by-laws again received
a lions share of attention in discussion, debate,
hemi'ng and hawing. A final vote was taken on
the following:
Change Article III paragraph f to read (Any
member who has ceased to be employed in the
work of Greenkeeping may be dropped as a member). Favorably voted.
Change Article VII paragraph b to read (a
nominating committee of five) instead of (a nominating committee of three). Favorably voted.
Article I change the name of the club to "New
England Greenkeeping Superintendents Association". This was voted down 17 to 7.
The following changes were proposed for action
at the March meeting:
Article I change the name of the club to "New
England Golf Course Superintendents Association."
Article IV paragraph b eliminate the words
(who shall appoint three (3) members of the
Board of the Directors to investigate the applicant) .
Article VII paragraph (a) change first sentence to read, (The officers and trustees shall be
regular members of the club in good standing and
shall he elected to their various offices by vote of
the club.)
Article VIII paragraph (a) change the last
sentence to read, (It shall be his duty to pay all
bills, only when accompanied by proper voucher).
Article IX paragraph (c) eliminate the word
(special) and make a new paragraph (d) of the
last sentence.

Article X add the words (at all meeting's).
The question of changing the name of our club
again resulted in an exchange of fire from both
camps but was confined too much to sentry fire
and not enough from, the main body on an important engagement of this nature. Every individual should be requested to express his opinion
for the benefit of the whole assembly. If you are
bashful about speaking your mind take along
some super charged pills to the next meeting.
Force yourself to say what you think. Everytime you say anything at a meeting you will find
it coming easier the next time. It is to your advantage as a Greenkeeper to become accustomed
to expressing yourself in public. And there is no
better place to start than among your associates
and friends.
The proposal to change our name to "New England Golf Course Superintendents Association"
was a close vote. Too close perhaps for such a
momentous change. The editor believes that any
change in the name should be practically unanimous regardless of what name is adopted. Otherwise we should stay with our original name with
perhaps some minor change.

AMHERST TURF CONFERENCE MAR. 8 & 9
Yes, its going to be entirely different from
start to finish. A new approach to pertinent subjects. A fresh, wholesome atmosphere surrounding the entire program. You will enjoy it. You
shouldn't miss it.
Likewise our next meeting, MONDAY, MA It.
5, AT THE WALTHAM FIELD STATION with
a light lunch at 12:30.
This is going to be a QUESTION BOX SESSION. Something which has been talked about
since it was suggested by Jack Counsel! at the
October meeting. Here is an opportunity for
every member to bring his main problem before
the meeting for general discussion. Put it in
writing, by all means bring it in person. This is
your chance to obtain a valuable service for yourself and your club. Also, an occasion for you to
give something in return to your associates by
stating your experience.
We will be seeing you at Waltham and at Amherst.
H. DARLING, Editor.