Farewell, Friends

He was impressed with her style, friendliness, knowledge of her products, insight into soil science, and passion for turf management.

 

Little could he imagine that one day he would recommend her to succeed him, then enjoy a 10-year working relationship and develop a friendship that will last a lifetime.

 

We’re getting ahead of ourselves, though.

 

Robert initially joined the Collegiate Family in 1993 and worked as grounds supervisor until he departed for Christchurch in 2001. After four years of managing the physical plant team at the school’s scenic 125-acre site along the Rappahannock River, he returned to Collegiate and assumed his previous duties.

 

With campus expansion came a restructuring of duties, and Robert was promoted to the job of assistant director of facilities.

 

Who would replace him as grounds supervisor?

 

Easy.

 

“I knew Allison from the past and recommended her,” Robert said. “She was sharp as a tack. This was a logical place for her. We interviewed her and hired her.”

 

She jumped at the chance.

 

“It was an answer to a prayer,” said the Cape Charles native and Virginia Tech graduate. “I was ready for a change. I’d gone straight from college to sales. I’d written programs. I knew what I was supposed to do on paper, but I’d never gotten my hands dirty. This was my opportunity.”

 

The rest, you might say, is history.

 

Collegiate’s grounds and landscaping are spectacular. Two years ago, the Charlie Blair Field on the Robins Campus won the Sports Turf Manager Association Schools and Parks Soccer Field of the Year award. It’s important to remember all of Collegiate’s athletic fields are as good as the prize-winner. The school could nominate only one.

 

“A lot of places think, Oh, it’s grass. It’ll grow. We don’t have to do anything extra to it,” said Allison, who with her staff of six has maintained 105 acres of grounds and athletic fields. “Collegiate has really embraced the athletic facilities and the landscape. It wouldn’t be what it is without the school recognizing that having nice outdoors space also affects learning. We’ve come a long way in 10 years.”

 

Robert has proudly watched.

 

“Facilities are important to Collegiate,” he said. “They provide the resources to take care of them. There’s a lot more landscaping than 10 years ago. There’s a lot more turf. Allison’s probably forgotten more about turf management than I ever knew. She’s easy to work with. She’s right on budget. And her crew respects her.”

 

Allison just smiled at the compliment.

 

“Robert’s my buddy,” she said. “Starting as a young female coming into a male-dominated physical plant was huge for me. He had the position, so he knew where I was coming from. He always had my back. That’s what you want in any boss.”

 

Our conversation occurred Thursday in Robert’s office in the West Gym on the North Mooreland Road campus. The purpose was to allow Allison and Robert a moment to offer some final thoughts on their time at Collegiate.

 

You see, later this week, Allison will move to the University of Richmond where she will become landscape manager. She’ll oversee a staff of 25 charged with the care of 350 acres. She didn’t seek the job. The folks at UR recognized her work and sought her.

 

And when the calendar year ends, Robert will retire after 20 years, eight months at Collegiate.

 

What will he do to occupy his time?

 

“Anything I want,” he said with a laugh. “Take it easy. Travel. My wife (Susan) and I are going to take a trip across the country. Take our time. Southern route going west. Northern route coming back. Probably take about a month. We don’t have an agenda. See where the road takes us.”

 

I asked Allison and Robert to put into words as best they could how they’d like to be remembered.

 

“That’s a tough one,” Robert said. “I just hope people…”

 

His words caught momentarily in his throat.

 

“We’re behind the scenes type people,” Allison said as she stepped in for him. “Being behind the scenes…you don’t want…”

 

“We don’t want the spotlight,” Robert said. “We just want people to realize we’ve always done the best we could do.”

 

“Both of us are that way,” Allison added. “We put our heart and soul into the grounds and facilities. If there’s a moment for shining glory, we’re in the back of the room. We don’t want to be on stage.”

 

Anything else? I asked.

 

“Yes,” Allison said. “When I went to tell Robert that I was leaving, he told me he was happy for me. It was a big decision for me. He said he would have been mad if I didn’t make that decision because it would be a step up in the career.”

 

She paused. She wiped the tears from her eyes. She smiled again.

 

“I said, ‘Robert, it’s been a good ride,’” she continued. “He said, ‘Allison, it’s been a good ride.’ That was really hard. We have such a good friendship. Yes, it has been a very good ride.”

        -- Weldon Bradshaw