Thirteen honored in GCSAA Scholars Program

The Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) has awarded scholarships to 13 college students as part of the GCSAA Scholars Program, funded and administered by GCSAA’s philanthropic organization, The Environmental Institute for Golf.

John S. Parvin, White Lake Township, Mich., is the first place winner in the competition. He receives a $6,000 scholarship and is honored as the Mendenhall Award Winner. Parvin is a student at Michigan State University.

The second place winner, Fernando Expòsito Muñoz, Jaen, Spain, receives a $5,000 award and is designated as the recipient of the Allan MacCurrach Award. The MacCurrach Award is funded by the PGA Tour. Expòsito Muñoz receives an additional $2,500 award by earning the Ambassador Award. He is an international student at Michigan State University.

Both Parvin and Exposito Munoz also will each receive an all-expense-paid trip to the 2014 Golf Industry Show in Orlando (Feb. 1-6).
Other recipients include:

• Dalton T. Wayman, Knoxville, Tenn., University of Tennessee, $2,500
• Cody Stewart, Ventura, Calif., California Polytechnic State University, $2,000
• Teddy Norman, Concord, Mass., University of Massachusetts-Amherst, $1,500
• Paul M. Jacobs III, Woodhaven, Mich., Michigan State University, $1,500
• Thomas Jacobs, East Lansing, Mich., Michigan State University, $750
• Brian P. Hogan, Clinton, Md., Institute of Applied Agriculture, $750
• Eric Lewellen, Palmdale, Calif., California Polytechnic State University, $500
• Gordon M. Porter, Crestview, Fla., Florida Gateway College, $500
• James Morgan, Orlando, Fla., Florida Gateway College, $500
• Jacob S. Fawaz, East Lansing, Mich., Michigan State University, $500
• Cory A. Yurisic, Knoxville, Tenn., University of Tennessee, $500

The GCSAA Scholars Program, funded by the Environmental Institute for Golf’s Robert Trent Jones Endowment, was developed to recognize outstanding students planning careers in golf course management. Winners were selected to receive scholarship awards based on the final ranking in a competition judged by GCSAA’s Scholarship Committee. Factors considered were academic achievement, potential to become a leading professional, employment history, extracurricular activities, and recommendations from a superintendent with whom the student has worked and a current academic advisor.

Applicants must be enrolled in a recognized undergraduate program in a major field related to golf/turf management and be a GCSAA member. Undergraduate applicants must have successfully completed at least 24 credit hours or the equivalent of one year of full-time study in an appropriate major.

The Mendenhall Award is given in memory of the late Chet Mendenhall, a pioneer in the golf course management industry. A native of Kingman, Kan., Mendenhall’s upbringing on an Oklahoma farm served him well. His career in working with the land began in 1920 as an employee of the Wichita (Kan.) Parks and Forestry Department, where he designed and built his first course despite having no previous experience with the game.