Marie Thorne First Female Recipient of CGSA John B. Steele Award

Mississauga, ON (excerpts)- The Canadian Golf Superintendents Association (CGSA) is pleased to announce R. Marie Thorne as CGSA’s first female John B. Steel Distinguished Service Award recipient for 2021.

The CGSA John B. Steel Award commemorates the CGSA's first President, who was also the first superintendent to be inducted into the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame. This award is presented annually to an individual, chosen by the CGSA Board of Directors, who has made an outstanding contribution to the advancement of the profession of Golf Course Superintendent. 

Marie is a well-known leader and mentor in the Canadian turfgrass industry who shared her expertise and knowledge frequently along with delivering exceptional customer service as a Senior Turf Specialist. She has been a CGSA member since 1983 and has been involved in the turfgrass industry since 1981 after graduating from the University of Guelph with a Bachelor of Science and Agriculture major in Plant Protection. Upon graduation she was one of the few women in the industry leading the way for the numbers we see today.

During her career, she gave to the industry spearheading several partnerships within the Canadian golf course management profession, supporting both CGSA and a number of regional groups across Canada.  Most importantly Marie was known as a friend to so many across Canada and everyone looked forward to catching up with her during one of the many industry events she participated in over the years.  Marie retired in April 2018 from Syngenta Canada Inc.

"Marie Thorne is well-known and respected in our profession. Her long career included many speaking engagements for CGSA along with many other associations. It was no surprise to find out that the late Gordon Witteveen who was one of Marie’s mentors contacted her after writing the book Practical Golf Course Maintenance, asking her to review a chapter about spraying for accuracy. There’s no question Marie has had a profound impact on many in our industry!” John C. Scott, AGS, CGSA President.