In 1964 STRI marched into ‘Modern Times’ with a new Director leading the way. John Escritt, Chemist and also Associate Director from 1955, succeeded R B Dawson on 1st January.
A new President, His Grace the Duke of Norfolk, a steward of the Jockey Club and a past MCC President, was also appointed following the death on 17th May of Lord Brabazon of Tara.
Demand for STRI’s services was growing. Additional accommodation was secured, with two new machinery sheds and office space for staff in the St Ives Mansion. To cope with telephone enquiries two additional external telephone lines were installed in 1966, providing four outside lines with a new number, BINGLEY 5131.
An attic store was converted to house the library and a prefabricated structure became the new biology laboratory in 1968.
Despite growing demand and a price increase of 5% for advisory services, accounts in 1965, 1966 and 1972 all showed small financial deficits. “Modern Times” brought new external economic pressures including Selective Employment Tax, decimalisation in 1971 and entry into the EEC in 1973.
1966 In January 1966 Sir Bracewell Smith Bt, K.C.V.O., STRI’s Vice-President and Honorary Freeman of his home town Keighley, died.
1969 On 12th February 1969, R B Dawson passed away. Born in Northern Ireland of Yorkshire parents in 1903, he had dedicated 34 years of his life to the Institute.
Between the years 1964 and 1973 the Institute undertook a wide variety of advisory and construction work. Highlights include:-
As the advisory service expanded additional staff were recruited. Many of them still work at STRI today.
1964 Roger Evans
1967 Jeff Perris – now Director of Advisory and Consultancy Services and STRI’s longest serving member.
1969 Peter Winter
1973 Guy Shatford and Stuart Pool
1964 A clean sweep in spring 1964, as part of the trials ground was completely resoiled. Fertiliser trials and arsenate products for worm control had rendered the soil unfit, no mention is made of how the material was disposed of.
1965 Dr Noel Jackson, Biologist for 7 years, left to take the position of Assistant Professor of Plant Pathology and Entomology at the University of Rhode Island. Later in 1972 he returned on sabbatical leave to assist in developing disease resistance screening techniques for turfgrass elections.
Victor Gibeault, a graduate of Rhode Island, arrived to take up a research fellowship studying annual meadow-grass control, sponsored by Fisons.
1968 1968 constituted a watershed in the Institute’s research fortunes. A R Woolhouse was appointed as Biologist and John Shildrick as Assistant Director, filling Escritt’s former post left vacant for 4 years.
These appointments provided new impetus to STRI’s role in assessing grass varieties. Under Shildrick’s guidance the grass testing programme flourished forming the bulk of research work in the 1970’s.
1969 The first International Turfgrass Research Conference was held in July 1969 in Harrogate. 82 delegates from around the world attended and over 90 papers presented.
1971 26 trials with 200 different grass varieties were now under observation and merit assessment.
1972 STRI forms two committees to review current turfgrass seed research and assist in the development of trials.
Pressure was exerted on the Government to provide funding assistance but without initial success.
1973 Entry to the EEC on 1st January and the introduction of National Lists of Seed Varieties creates marketing restrictions based on the EEC Seed Directives. Amenity grasses required no merit testing and it was left to STRI to provide these assessments via the cultivar trials at Bingley, without any official support.
However, in the same year the Department of the environment gave NERC (The National Environment Research Council) authorisation to form a special committee that would initiate grass evaluation trials in the UK starting in 1974.
1970 STRI supported the launch of the quarterly publication – Turf-Rasen-Gazon - launched in Germany by turf specialists Professor P Boeker and Dr W Skirde.
1973 After a run of 34 years R B Dawson’s Practical Lawn Craft went out of print.
1964 Mounting shortages of trained replacement golf greenkeepers spurred the industry to set up an apprenticeship scheme in 1964.
As one of the Joint Council members STRI were asked to organise an instructional training programme for the scheme at Bingley. In 1965 28 students registered on the scheme.
1971 Training course fees at STRI were £16 per person for the week including meals and accommodation. In 1972 a total of 153 students attended six courses at Bingley.
