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PRESIDENT's message |
The endurance of values
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A little more than a year ago, the GCSAA Board of Directors began the process of identifying and stating in a formal fashion the values of the association. I have to admit that I wasn't really sure what to expect from this exercise.
It started out with trying to find just a few words that could explain the basic beliefs that superintendents hold in common, beliefs that held true 80 years ago when the association was founded, are still held today and that will continue to be held 80 years from now.
We explored the history of GCSAA. It got me started reading letters, articles and speeches by Col. John Morley, our first president. If you have been reading my messages this year you know how deeply this has touched me (please see "Messages from the past" in the October GCM).
John Morley was a man of vision, heart and character. My skill in writing pales when compared with his ability to put into words what he was thinking and feeling. He wrote the following in 1926: "This association will be founded on justice, faithful brotherhood, and generous benevolence."
In our discussions about GCSAA's values, the board was unsure as to which words could adequately express Morley's convictions in today's vernacular. We asked committees, GCSAA chapter leaders and industry representatives for help in committing these thoughts and beliefs to paper. Eventually we decided that our values were too important and too complex to convey with just a few key words. Below you will find the outcome of our year-long journey to describe the core values of GCSAA and its members.
GCSAA values:
- The persistent pursuit of excellence that drives golf course superintendents to excel in meeting the continual challenges posed by nature, economics and the game of golf.
- The integrity of character that embodies the highest standards of ethical and professional conduct.
- The strong kindred spirit and camaraderie, born of a love of the outdoors and the game of golf, which unite golf course superintendents across nations and generations.
- The compassionate benevolence that compels golf course superintendents to give of their time, skills and resources to serve their colleagues and communities.
You may reasonably ask why it's so important to identify the association's values. However, if you consider the values as a companion to GCSAA's mission and vision statements you will see cohesive documents that, taken together, enunciate what matters most to us as members.
As I was so properly corrected once by former GCSAA President Dennis D. Lyon, CGCS, we are not an organization, but rather an association of members. GCSAA is us and we are GCSAA. There's no question that when we were first organized in 1926 our founding members believed that what they were doing was in the best interest of the game of golf and their profession. Col. Morley said that the association's purpose was to "build up the highest type of character, and stand as the champion advocate and auxiliary of the best interest of golfdom."
I would like to think that our founding members would be proud of what they started, and I know that we as members of this great association are grateful for the firm foundation they laid.
Merry Christmas and happy holidays to all.
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October 2006 |