SPECIAL SPEAKER AT TURF CLUB WEDNESDAY AUGUST 29

Nick Christians

August 27, 2012

We have a special speaker at the turf club meeting this Wednesday, August 29 at 6 pm in room 118 Horticulture.  He is Mark Kuhn, who worked at the Wimbledon Tennis Tournament this summer.  He will be talking about that experience and about maintaining Iowa's only grass tennis court on his farm near Charles City.  Everyone is welcome.

The information below is a press release on the event.

Iowa State University
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

8/22/12

Contacts:

Nick Christians, Horticulture, (515) 294-0036, nchris@iastate.edu

Melea Reicks Licht, Agriculture and Life Sciences Communications Service, (515) 294-8892, mreicks@iastate.edu

Owner of Iowa’s Only Grass Tennis Court to Speak at Iowa State Aug. 29 about Wimbledon Internship

AMES, Iowa – Mark Kuhn, a farmer and Iowa State University alum, will share his recent experience as a Wimbledon intern in a presentation on campus on Aug. 29.

Kuhn, of Charles City, is the owner and caretaker of Iowa’s only grass tennis court.  

He will present, “My Experience at Wimbledon” at 6 p.m. in room 118 Horticulture Hall at a meeting of Iowa State University’s Turfgrass Club.

  

Kuhn will discuss his recent internship working with the grounds staff at the All England Lawn Tennis Club. Kuhn spent eight days learning from the grounds staff prior to this year’s Wimbledon Championships. He will share pictures and behind-the-scenes stories about how the lawns of Wimbledon are prepared for championship play.

  

Kuhn and his family built Iowa's only grass tennis court in 2003, the All Iowa Lawn Tennis Club, on a cattle feedlot on their farm after consulting with Iowa State University horticulture professors Nick Christians and David Minner.  

Kuhn will discuss how he built and maintains the court, and the role the court played in his receiving an invitation to intern with the Wimbledon grounds staff.

  

Kuhn grows corn, beans and bentgrass on his family's farm near Charles City. He graduated from Iowa State University in 1973 with a degree in history. Kuhn served as a member of the Iowa House of Representatives from 1998-2010. He is currently a member of the Floyd County Board of Supervisors.

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Editor's Note: Photos of Mark Kuhn at Wimbledon and of his grass court near Charles City are available upon request. Contact Melea Reicks Licht at mreicks@iastate.edu, (515) 294-8892.  

On the Web: This and all other Iowa State University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences news releases and related photos are available at http://www.ag.iastate.edu/news/.

_______________________________________________
Iowa State University
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Communications Service
304 Curtiss Hall
Ames, IA 50011-1050
(515) 294-5616
Web: http://www.ag.iastate.edu
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/IowaStateU.AgLifeSciences
Twitter: http://twitter.com/iastate_cals

Figure 1.  Mark at Wimbledon

 Figure 2 to 4.  Pictures from Mark's tennis court in Iowa.