Best Wishes for a Well-Deserved Retirement, Dean Graves!
It’s hard to believe that it’s been nearly 30 years ago when I first met Dean Graves. While he was Golf Course Superintendent at Bethesda Country Club preparing for the MAZDA LPGA Championship in late March of 1991, I was hired as a part-time employee to help to work on the golf course maintenance staff while searching for a job in my original field of study. It was amazing because my idea of part-time and Dean’s idea was not quite the same. That summer I averaged about 60 hours per week, just a few more hours than anticipated, but I loved it. I started working at Bethesda Country Club on April 1, 1991 alongside another new employee, Doug. He was a 6-foot plus tall, strong looking guy contrasting my 5-foot 8 inch, 160 pound frame. I found out a few years later that the maintenance staff started a “pool” on who would last longer, Doug or myself. I found out after Doug moved on, that most of the staff had their money on Doug, although Dean has never told me who he had bet on in that pool, I do know that he bet on me in the Golf Course Management profession, and that strong support that he gave me holds true for all of his assistants past and present, as well as the support he gives to the Golf Course Management Profession, his friends, his family, 6
and everything that he does. Dean had one of his good ‘talks” with me shortly after my first summer with BCC convincing me to attend the Institute of Applied Agriculture to pursue a career in Golf Course Management. The decision was easy, and that’s how it all began. His support was constant through my years at the IAA, always giving me the opportunity to learn and take on new responsibilities while working full-time and attending school. Although some of the “talks” that Dean and I had weren’t as good as the first, they all were for the best, and I learned something from each. Dean’s support of my career continued throughout our working relationship at BCC, even after the time he moved on to Chevy Chase Club. Our relationship evolved from a strictly working relationship to one that involved both our love for the game of golf and of the outdoors. Teaming up in our regular golf match against Tom Lipscomb and Scott Reeside or playing in association events with Harry Fridley, Mike Gilmore and Rick Fritz were some of the most memorable. Weekends at the “Cabin” fishing, having a few Manhattans, eating like kings and playing cards into the wee hours of the morning have been priceless. I won’t go into our canoe trip on the Rappahannock, but maybe we can convince Dean to tell everyone that story on May 14th at Caddies. Most importantly, I would like to thank Dean for all that he has done for me, as well as, all that he has done for our local and national superintendent associations, and for the great industry that we all love. Congratulations Dean on an outstanding career! — Mark Kingora Dean has left a marked positive contribution to the profession of golf course superintendents not just in his own back yard of the Mid Atlantic - but also on a national level based on his efforts to influence our sport and profession leveraging his proximity to Washington, DC. The occasion of Dean’s retirement from the Chevy Chase Club where he has been the Golf Course Manager for many years - caused me to reflect on what Dean has done – not just for me – but for the Golf Course
Industry as a whole. Dean is a key figure working with Federal, State and Local government agency relations through his service to the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GSCAA) and the Mid Atlantic Association of Golf Course Superintendents (MAAGCS). By way of example Dean represented the GCSAA with the State of Maryland on crafting water, drought and nutrient management policies that have significant and lasting impact. Most recently Dean has been actively involved in fighting attempts to pass a pesticide ban in Montgomery County, Maryland. Further, he is deeply committed to supporting and expanding Audubon Sanctuary Programs and other environmental activities through mentoring of turfgrass students, his fellow Golf Course Superintendents, Assistants, staff and golfers. It’s also not surprising given Dean’s understanding the importance of education and communication, that he spearheaded conducting tours of local golf courses to Directors from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in order to help garner a better effective awareness of what is involved in the daily management of golf courses. Activities such as these have helped dissuade the often pervasive but unfounded negative points of view while replacing it with one of environmental responsibility, custodianship, and stewardship of Golf Course Superintendents. Dean continues to host an annual local superintendent’s roundtable gathering. Now on its 20th year, the event fosters a deep sense of collaboration and enables sharing of new and innovative techniques, products, working practices, etc. Dean has been a mentor, coach, and a friend to countless Superintendents, Assistants, Interns and Staff throughout the years - to both those that have worked with him but also always offering assistance when asked to all that he comes to know. I had the pleasure to work with Dean as an Assistant Golf Course Manager at Bethesda Country Club from 1996 through 1999. That time working with Dean served as a springboard to launch my own career as a private club Golf Course
Mid-Atlantic Association of Golf Course Superintendents