Continuing Education comes in many forms

The off-season is filled with education opportunities. Usually I attend the conference put on by the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America which rotates between a few cities. This year it was held in Orlando and for some reason i could not get myself interested in Orlando again. I have been to the GIS, golf industry show as it is now called 17 or 18 times and at least three in Orlando. Anyway there are many one day seminars as well as a regional convention of which I am now  Board member representing my local association the Golf Course Superintendents Association of Cape Cod, but more on that later. Earlier in the winter I attended a seminar at Wachusett Golf Club in West Boylston, MA and Wed this week Kevin and I made a trip to Gillette Stadium where the Patriots call home. One of our main suppliers hosts a number of manufacturers (10 this year) and gives them 35 minutes each to tell us what's new in their line or what worked the best last season. It is fast paced and very informative. The venue is a lot of fun as well. We took advantage of being off the "Rock" and decided to tour a bit of Patriot Place. Of course I did not think to take any pictures until Kev and I were outside heading into the Hall of Fame:


Kevin and Mark Santos. Mark is the son of long time Pat's Radio announcer Gil Santos.



Three, but room for many more Lombardi Trophies!!!

doing what I was told.



Only Employee Robert Kraft Calls "Mr"

  This gentleman was our first docent in the Hall. Very helpfull, informative and enthusiastic. We later learned from Mark Santos that Bob Kraft calls this guy Mr whatever his name is, sorry for forgetting. He has been employed with the Patriots for 23 years. He is 89 yrs young. On our way out we ran into him again and I asked if he was "that" guy. He just smiled. I asked him what he did for a living as I remembered Mark mentioned Grain. He told me he drove a submarine for 14 yrs in WW2 and Korea then went into the grain business locally then internationally. I was trying to take a picture of the SuperBowl rings behind him close up and he stopped me and took off his ring and told me how to pose and took my picture. I thanked him for his Military service and he said "aint no big thing, got a bunch of Bronze Stars back home can't get a cup of coffee with em" I told him if it was not for him and many like him we could all be speaking german right now to which he just smiled. A smile by the way that had a single bottom tooth from what I could tell. Classic. We should have given him 45 minutes in the seminar to educate us on a few things!

Gillette