This month GCSANC will conduct the 2nd Annual Herbert Graves Scholarship and Research Tournament. This event is named in honor Mr. Graves who passed away in 2000 and was a GCSANC member for 53 years. He was awarded an honorary GCSANC membership in 1986. It is important to understand a little about this gentleman to appreciate the way we all have benefited from his dedication to our association.

In 1917 H.V. Carter Co. was the 1st Jacobsen distributorship established and therefore it is the oldest in the country. David E. Graves, Berts’ father, purchased the company from Mr. Carter and kept the name for the company. The company has been run by the family ever since. Besides being involved in the equipment business, Mr. Graves also had some interests in other aspects of our business. In 1946 he did a presentation for GCSANC members about a 2-4D preparation called Weedicide. Mr.Graves was also involved in the early development of aerifiers with Tom Mascaro and one of the first advocates of the benefits that could be achieved through using aerification on your golf course.

In the early years of GCSANC the affiliate members did not always enjoy the active role that we see today. The organization was a superintendent group and vendor participation was often quite limited. Despite this role, certain affiliate members such as Mr. Graves often participated through presentations of various topics to the superintendents. He felt it was important to support the superintendents in any way he could. His most important goal was to be fair and honest with everybody. He expected the same in return. As I searched back through the minutes of GCSANC there were numerous mentions of participation by Mr. Graves or staff at H.V. Carter Company in GCSANC functions. In continuing the active involvement from the company, Rex Gentry was the 1st affiliate BOD member to cast a vote after the recent bylaw change giving the affiliate representatives a vote.

Mr. Graves enjoyed his many years of active involvement with GCSANC and his family was truly honored when the Scholarship and Research Tournament was named in his honor. Some of his greatest memories were of working with his friends in this organization. Over the years he looked forward the GCSAA Conference and Show and had many great moments there with his good friend Cliff Wagoner CGCS. You’ll have to talk to Cliff to get further details of those days. He never lost his love for the great industry we all work in. Let’s hope that we all can share the same passion for our industry and be active participants for over 50 years as Mr. Graves was. Hope everyone can attend the tournament and enjoy a day of camaraderie with friends. I also hope this article has offered those of us who really did not know him a little more insight into who Mr. Herbert Graves was.