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Latham Named USGA's Piper And Oakley Award Recipient Contact Beth Murrison FAR HILLS, N.J. (March 19, 2003) - James M. Latham of Deltona, Fla., has been honored with the United States Golf Association's Green Section's Piper and Oakley Award. The award was established in 1998 to recognize meritorious service to the USGA Green Section and the game of golf by a volunteer. Latham was actively involved on the USGA Turfgrass and Environmental Research Committee from 1995-2002. He attended numerous research monitoring visits and was able to shed some practical light on the research being considered by the committee. "I'm thrilled to be named the winner of the Piper and Oakley Award," said Latham. "I was honored to be appointed to the Turfgrass and Environmental Research Committee in the first place, and those eight years of association with the committee were a real pleasure as well as a constant source of new information." His practical insight came from his long-standing involvement in the turfgrass industry. Latham worked as USGA Green Section agronomist from1956 through 1960, and he returned for a second stint from 1984 to 1994. In between, he worked for 25 years with the Milwaukee Sewerage Commission, helping to promote one of the nation's first businesses designed to recycle waste products into landscape fertilizers. Following their retirement from the USGA in 1994, the Lathams came back to their home state, residing in White Bluff, TX, north of Whitney. Jim's wife Lois also has a long history with the Green Section, working alongside Jim as his secretary and operating the regional office during Jim's Green Section career. They recently moved to Florida to be near their daughter, Lynne, Jim's sister, Myrna, and two granddaughters. Another daughter, Kathy, and two grandsons reside in Wisconsin. Dr. Charles V. Piper and Dr. Russell A. Oakley were among the earliest scientists to conduct studies in the fields of turfgrass science and golf course management, and served as the first Chairman and co-Chairman of the USGA Green Section when it was formed in 1920. They were men of great character, keen vision and remarkable achievement, whose contributions to the improvement in early greenkeeping methods were immeasurable. The Piper and Oakley Award periodically recognizes others who have so generously contributed to the programs and activities of the USGA Green Section. For more information about the Piper and Oakley Award, please contact Jim Snow, national director of the USGA Green Section, at (908) 234-2300. |