New scholarship honors UConn's "Dr. Dirt"

What better honoree for a new scholarship to help students pursue a degree in turfgrass studies than someone known as Dr. Dirt?

A new scholarship to help undergraduate students in the University of Connecticut turf program is named in honor of the late William Dest, Ph.D. A former UConn student, researcher and professor, Dest died last spring at age 91.

The William and Anne Dest Scholarship will provide between $1,200 to $1,500 to one student each year.

Dest was nearly 40 years old, was a Korean War veteran and already was working as a golf course superintendent at Wethersfield Country Club when he showed up at UConn as an undergraduate in 1967. After graduating with a bachelor's degree in plant science, he earned a master’s in agronomy and  was named as a research associate. He eventually earned a doctorate in 1980 at Rutgers.

During his career, Dest's research centered around turfgrass fertilizer programs, putting green speeds and improving conditions on athletic field.

Recipients of the Dest award will be chosen by faculty members in UConn's' Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture.