Director’s Corner
Tom Tracy, Ph.D. VTC Executive Director
Many Thanks
To Erik! I
first met Erik Ervin in 2001 at a Virginia Beach restaurant. He had just been hired by Virginia Tech, and Dave Chalmers was introducing him to industry professionals across the commonwealth. Nearly two decades have elapsed since that first meal at Denny’s; many other meals followed. During those years, Erik has steadily advanced, both in professional stature and as a great friend to Virginia’s turf industry. Regarding the former, many persons in this Journal have superbly commented on the important work he has done at Virginia Tech (see
pages 16–20). I will not repeat their well-deserved accolades of Erik. Instead, I will add my voice to the myriad of industry persons who have benefited from him. Many times, I have relied on Erik’s expertise, wisdom and eagerness to assist. He has always been accessible — readily taking my phone calls or emails and consistently providing great counsel and leadership. The Mid-Atlantic Turfgrass Expo is just one of the many industry endeavors that has a foundation established by Erik’s input. During the formative years
of this regional conference, Erik provided perspective and guided its development. Take a look at the 2018 program in this issue of the Journal. 2018 marks the third year of this event. Remember, all profits go to turfgrass research! I’m not out of line when I say the strength of both the VTC and Virginia’s turfgrass industry is directly attributable to Erik. I wish him the very best at the University of Delaware (photo below), and I predict we will see him again very soon as a guest at VTC events and as a speaker at future Mid-Atlantic Turfgrass Expos.
Photo by Parkpay2000 / CC BY-SA 3.0
6 | VIRGINIA TURFGRASS JOURNAL November/December 2017 www.vaturf.org