2004 ATG Honoree - Dr Joseph Troll

Dedication of the Joseph Troll Research and Education Center Building

By James B. Conant, CGCS

Welcome, Lonnie, Joe, honored guests, friends and alumni.  This is a truly wonderful day! On behalf of the GCSANE, GCMACC and the NERTF

I wish to sincerely thank every one who made this long awaited day possible. During this campaign, while talking with 100’s of alumni from coast to coast I sensed the sprit of accomplishment and pride associated with this school.

I am honored to offer a few thoughts on this special occasion as we dedicate this facility in honor of my friend and mentor, Dr. Joseph Troll.

In the classroom, Joe often spoke of the importance of commitment and teamwork to create a successful career. Joe impressed me with his dedication to his work. I never forgot that image.

Today is a special tribute to the power of teamwork, the synergy of people working together to benefit the University of Massachusetts / Stockbridge School Turf Management Program.  This new facility stands as a symbol of that success.

Today is a permanent reminder of how fortunate we feel as alumni, that our life’s path connected with this special man. How grateful we are that this wonderful school was here and available to us, to have a starting place for a professional career in the green industry.

So, as we stand here today and we reflect on the many years of Joe’s commitment of excellence to this prestigious school and to the golf course management and lawn care industries. I am reminded of these words.

“We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.”

Thank you Joe for all you have given to us. We are honored to have been able to give this special day to you. Thank you very much.

Doctor Joseph Troll

“No Average Joe”

It was a warm September morning on the southwest lawn of Stockbridge Hall. Gathered around in a collective huddle with fellow students I heard our Professor pause, then bending over requesting assistance in identifying a plant within the community of grasses present. It was my first day at the University and I was about to gain a valuable lesson if I were going to continue my studies at this institution of higher learning… A student up at the front of the group blurted out, “that’s Poa”. With immediacy, Dr. Troll responded to the collective mass starring deep to the rear of the group, “You know gentlemen, twenty five cents and hanging in the rear will only get you a cup of coffee”… “I suggest if you want to learn something you better get up front”… Enough said.

Deep in the bowels of Stockbridge Hall amongst the catacombs of research laboratories was Dr. Troll’s office, an extension to his formal classroom setting two stories above. Like something out of a Mickey Spillane novel, the doorway with its wainscoting frame and frosted widow pane embossed with gold leaf lettering, “Dr. Troll, Turf”, greeted all who entered. His office was a most welcome place for is students. Doc, coming off as a no-nonsense guy, pretty much black and white when it came to issues of principal, was warm and approachable to his students, almost the antithesis of his classroom demeanor, peering over his reading glasses as if he could read your darkest thoughts... Joe had an open door policy, welcomed to visit at any time. However, his classroom was an area of business where lectures were given, notes taken, and above all, you had better be prepared for that day’s lesson, his time was valuable and he required that his students respect their time as well. He provided guidance and an ear to your concerns, in addition to giving advice and snippets of wisdom beyond our years. The office was the “doorway to our future”…

Prof Dickinson was a legendary figure who established the country’s very first college-level course in turfgrass management and science at the University of Massachusetts (Mass Aggie, Mass State); Dr. Troll on the other hand is a “Legend in his own time”. He took the virtues bestowed upon him back in 1957 and transcended their value for the hundreds of students who came under his tutelage. Doc championed the attitudes and resources necessary to be successful, not only in the profession of golf course stewardship, but in life as well. First and foremost Dr. Troll was a researcher and educator which has been well documented, but his profound affect on the industry was his commitment to human resourcing; the emphasis in getting his students who had completed their studies into the field of Golf Course Management. “To diversify ones knowledge, cut the apron strings, and get out into the world to expand your knowledge base by exploring opportunities beyond your backyard” was Joe’s philosophy.

When I heard that the New Jersey Golf Course Superintendents Association Distinguish Service Award was being presented to Dr. Troll, I could not think of a more deserved person to receive such honor. His legacy extends deep within the fabric of our profession through the careers launched by his steadfast beliefs in getting his students into the field of Golf Course Management. No other person has impacted the “Personnel landscape” of New Jersey Golf Courses more than Dr. Troll. His profound impact was felt by networking a placement program to promote the positioning of students with the opportunity to manage golf courses. For over three decades his impact has been felt by his students who have had careers and still have careers on New Jersey Golf Courses. To name a few; Steve Finamore, Bill Spence, Dick LaFlamme, Mike Minor, Eric Cadenelli, Jack Martin, Larry Dodge, Jeff Allen, Skip Cameron, Jan Kasyjanski, Sherwood Moore, Dave Heroian, Bruce Peeples, Rick Christian, Greg Nicoll, Steve Malikowski, Pete Coste, Steve Curry, Tom Grimac, Bob Dwyer, Bruce Cadenelli, Dick Bator, Harry Stafford, Doug Larson, Bob Tosh, Bill Murray, Bob Mathews, Charlie Cross, Steve Cadenelli, Matt Clement, Steve McNamara, Kevin Osgood, John O’Keefe, Gary Stedman, Phil Scott, Pete Pedrazzi, yours truly, and many more.

“I owe a debt of gratitude to Dr. Troll, I am where I am today because of him, I wish my children had someone like him to guide them on their professional pursuits”- Steve Finamore, Alpine Country Club, Demarest NJ.

I was in his office one day while working on the Turf Bulletin, and Doc inquired: “Spence, you ever heard of Mon-Mouth County”? With a smile I replied, yes, that’s where I’m from in New Jersey… “Well Bill they’re looking for a Superintendent”… That opportunity provided my first Superintendent’s job- Bill Spence, The Country Club, Brookline MA.

"He has been committed to excellence in every aspect, in teaching, research, and in guiding his students," said Dave Sylvester, a sales rep from Bayer Environmental Science and a class of ‘75 graduate of the Turf Program. "If it weren't for Dr. Troll, I wouldn't have enjoyed the career that I have."

It was my first day of class sitting next to Teddy Maddox who’s now in Vermont and I can remember ever so clearly Dr. Troll saying: “I don’t care what you do in any of your other classes, but if you ever miss any one of my eight o’clock classes you’ll never get a job in this country, cause your Grandfather only dies once”… (Insinuating that you’ve got one excused absence...) – Steve Malikowski, Ponderlodge Golf Club, Villas, NJ.

Joe Troll grew up in Paterson New Jersey, the son of a Chemist. It’s quite apparent that Joe got off to a pretty good start in his career, inheriting some prime DNA to pursue a career in the field of Science. Dr. Troll joined the department of plant and soil sciences at UMass as an instructor in 1957 and was promoted to professor in 1959. He was responsible for teaching undergraduate and graduate courses, conducting an eight-week winter school for turf grass managers, and teaching courses in a two-year program at the Stockbridge School, where he was chosen as Outstanding Professor of the Year on three occasions. Dr. Troll was recognized in 1983 by the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America with its Distinguished Service Award. In 1991, Dr. Troll received the USGA Greens Section award in recognition for his distinguish service to golf through work with Turfgrass.

“He touched people’s lives throughout their careers. His influence on his students was not limited to the two or four years they were at school. He would involve himself unselfishly through out the careers of his students. He would be instrumental in placing his students in golf course positions throughout the nation. His far reaching contacts made it possible to run a job referral service and many of his students eventually occupied the most prestigious positions in the industry”- J. Barrie Robertson

We in the business have been so fortunate to have known this man; he has been a mentor to me and so many others. He strived to get you to think outside the box, that there were no “cookbook answers” out there and that one needed to expose themselves to the unanticipated changes one was about to have thrown at them. There was an excitement in his eyes when conversing about the business of managing turf, as if in an alter life, he too would like to drive the bus, to be a Superintendent experiencing the constant trials and tribulations in maintaining high quality turf on golf courses. He loved the game of golf and like most of us was frustrated that he couldn’t improve his handicap beyond his skill level. In the basement of Stockbridge Hall I recall seeing him donned in his white lab coat, doing research, reading his papers, and I wondered at times while observing him at his work just how approachable he was when it came to our life’s pursuits. Dr. Troll has impacted my life in ways that I have yet to discover. Like many of us who studied under him I pass on those virtues to my protégées. He continues to have a profound effect through his disciples of turf management. Joe is a powerful figure for all who have come to know him.

Dave Pease, MCPS Golf Courses, NJ