Standing in the middle of the "O" at midfield at Ohio Stadium is an unlikely place to find a hockey guy from New Jersey. But for Tim Moraghan, that moment from the late 1990s stands as a symbol of his appreciation for a longstanding regional turfgrass that likely never would have materialized if not for the urging of Keith Happ, a longtime friend, colleague, OSU alum and Buckeyes fan.
Whether it was his expertise on all things agronomic, his desire to help educate superintendents through his position as a USGA agronomist or his love for his alma mater, Happ always was willing to share his opinions to the benefit of others."There was no topic of discussion, from Buckeye football to Pythium crown root rot, which he wasn't confident in his response or referenced (the) latest data from research," said James Campion, CGCS at NCR Country Club in Kettering, Ohio.
And he called on all of those traits to help kick start a long relationship between Moraghan and the Ohio Turfgrass Foundation Conference and Show, who has taught on several occasions since.
"He invited me to the Ohio Turf show, and while I was there he took me to the middle of the O at the football stadium, the statue of Woody Hayes, all that stuff. It was a pretty cool day," said Moraghan, director of championship agronomy with the USGA for 21 years before beginning his own consulting firm Aspire Golf in 2007. "He got me started going to the Ohio Turf show, and I've taught there almost every year since. It's one of the great regional shows, and I would never have gone if it wasn't for Keith."
OTF and Ohio State will have to search elsewhere for an ambassador to take over the role filled by Happ, who died Oct. 28 after a bout with cancer. He was 58. A memorial service will be held from 2-5:30 p.m. Nov. 2 at Scioto Country Club in Upper Arlington, Ohio.
A native of Chardon, Ohio, graduated summa cum laude from Ohio State and was a former golf course superintendent at Legend Lake Golf Club in Chardon before joining the USGA Green Section as an agronomist in the Mid-Atlantic region in 1993.
He worked for many years alongside Darin Bevard in the USGA's Mid-Atlantic region under legendary director Stanley Zontek, who died three years ago.
"For sure, Stan, Keith and I had a very special relationship, and that is what I will miss the most," Bevard said. "We always worked as a team within our region. Stan insisted that we all have relationships throughout the region which made it possible for us to visit courses in any part of the mid-Atlantic. There was never an issue with Keith or Stan providing input at a course that I worked with, or vice versa. Before Stan's passing in 2012, we represented 75 years of course consulting experience between the three of us. Stan, Keith and I were a team that worked together to promote the USGA Green Section, but really to support golf course maintenance operations in every way that we could."
Happ eventually opened a regional USGA office in Pittsburgh in 2000 to better serve courses on the western edge of the district, namely Oakmont Country Club, site of many recent USGA events, including the U.S. Open, U.S. Women's Open and the U.S. Amateur
"He was my USGA agronomist for the past 15-16 years here at Oakmont. More importantly, he was also a great personal friend," said Oakmont superintendent John Zimmers. "Keith and I hosted the 2003 Amateur, 2007 U.S. Open, and the 2010 U.S. Women's Open. He also worked with me in the early stages regarding the upcoming 2016 U.S. Open. He was a great person and was absolutely the best at representing the USGA and his chosen profession."
Happ was named director of the Green Section's north-central region in 2013 and a year later was named director of the Central Region after realignment reduced the number of regions nationwide from eight to four. Bob Vavrek took over the position earlier this year from the ailing Happ.
Jason Mahl of Moraine Country Club near Dayton had been looking forward to calling on Happ's expertise during a recent restoration project.
"Keith was a breath of fresh air with new ideas and always thought outside the box when trying to solve a problem," Mahl said. "He would always call and check in to make sure things were going ok and was always willing to help in anyway he could. He was very instrumental in helping me solve the challenges I faced at Moraine. I was really looking forward to having his helping hand during this year's renovation project; I know he was looking forward to it as well. There were many days I could have used his advice and support during this year's golf course renovation, I really missed having him by my side."
Colleagues, friends, superintendents and those in academia who worked with Happ all noted his quiet, yet confident persona. Those same qualities helped provide a calming effect on those who needed it most.
"We worked together the year prior to and after the 2013 USGA Women's State Team Championship," Campion said. "He always had this way of listening to our plan and seamlessly providing his guidance and expertise. In the end, you knew your plan just got better. He had a very calming and direct presence."
Cale Bigelow, Ph.D., of Purdue University agreed that Happ brought calm to an industry that desperately needs one.
"A great husband, father, friend and outstanding USGA Green Section staff member, in that order. I always admired his work ethic, dedication and ability to balance things," Bigelow said. "I admired his high standards and that he was the consummate professional. More importantly, Keith was a much-needed steady ship in the sometimes-volatile golf turf world we navigate. You never saw him becoming too excitable or too frustrated."
Happ also was the consummate educator who remained dedicated not only to today's golf course superintendents, but tomorrow's as well.
"He would help our assistants prepare for interviews and serve as a reference," said Chad Mark of The Kirtland Country Club in Willoughby, Ohio. "But I will remember him more for the personal conversations we had about family and life in general."
Oakmont's Zimmers shared a similar relationship with Happ. So did his assistants.
"Keith was always willing to take a call, answer questions, and was constantly checking to see if there was anything he could do to help in any way," Zimmers said. "Keith went as far as keeping in touch with my past assistants even when they were not working in his region. Words really do not do enough justice to explain my feelings for Keith. Simply put, it would be a better world if we all had a little more of Keith in us. My team and I hope to honor him in some way for the 2016 U.S. Open."
Survivors include wife Mary Beth and sons Ian and Chris, and he is pictured on the front page with his family at a Notre Dame football game. The family requests that donations be made to the Urban Zen Integrative Therapy Program Fund at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.