Penn State’s internationally renowned turfgrass science program hopes to put down roots at The Arboretum at Penn State. Thirty-five acres within the proposed arboretum have been set aside for the Center for Turfgrass Science, which will include a main teaching and research building, research plots, the Mascaro-Steiniger Turfgrass Museum, and a maintenance building.

This early power mower—a Lawn Do-All—is one of the many exhibits at the Mascaro-Steiniger Turfgrass Museum.

The new center will feature first-class research facilities and innovatively designed indoor/outdoor teaching laboratories. It also will provide a centralized location for outreach activities such as conferences and workshops for industry professionals. An estimated $10 million will be needed to finance the new center, and fund-raising is in progress.

“Our three current facilities were built piecemeal over the years,” says George Hamilton, senior lecturer in turfgrass science and facilities coordinator for the program. “They are scattered on and around the University Park campus, making it difficult to operate efficiently.” Also, the proposed construction of a new roadway north of campus may jeopardize the main facility, the Valentine Turfgrass Research Center on North University Drive. “The Valentine Center is continually in peril from development,” says Hamilton.

Another facility that will benefit from the new center is the Mascaro-Steiniger Turfgrass Museum, which features rare and one-of-a-kind turf equipment dating back to the early 1900s. Highlights include 1920s and 1930s turf tractors, the first triplex greens mower, several turf rollers, and a wheelbarrow seeder. Of interest to homeowners is one of the first power lawnmowers, called a Lawn-Do-All. Golf enthusiasts can enjoy benches and a pin from the Merion Golf Club.

Plans are now being made to move the collection to a prominent location in the proposed Center for Turfgrass Science. The 40,000-square-foot museum will provide more space for displays, feature a climate-controlled room for viewing historical documents, and be equipped with extensive video support for selected museum pieces.

The museum is named after two leaders in the turfgrass industry, Thomas Mascaro and Eberhard Steiniger. Mascaro was president of West Point Products, a turfgrass equipment manufacturer, for 55 years. In 1986, he co-founded Turf-Tec International, a company that designs diagnostic turfgrass instruments for golf course superintendents. Steiniger established the world-renowned Pine Valley Golf Club in New Jersey and was superintendent of the club for 57 years.

Steiniger and Mascaro collaborated on inventing and testing more than 20 pieces of turfgrass equipment. These inventions, including the first turf cultivator, feature prominently in the museum’s collection.

College turfgrass science graduates serve as turfgrass specialists in countries around the world. Graduates have been golf course superintendents at Pebble Beach, Oakmont, Augusta, and Merion golf courses, and field managers for noted college and professional athletic stadiums. In addition, Penn State-bred grass varieties are used widely in the industry. For more information about the turfgrass science program, see http://turf.cas.psu.edu/ on the Web.

—Stacy Tibbetts