Green be the grass you walk on
Seems like I’ve been writing more than my share of these posts lately, but I actually traded with someone to get this slot.
It has been a privilege for me to work with Greg Endres for all of my career (so far) with NDSU Extension. I don’t remember much about my first couple of weeks, but now that I look back, I find files that remind me that I jumped right into registrations and other preparations for a Crop Management Field School, which took place soon after I started. There were old files and templates to help me, but again, thinking back, it was Greg’s considered approach to…well, *everything* that has been a hallmark of working with him.
I’m sure I don’t know the half of it. Greg may be soft-spoken, but what he says carries great weight in the industry. Ask the people who attend his workshops and presentations. Consistently, the vast majority say they learned something new or will use the information they learned to make positive changes in their operation. That’s crop consultants, Extension agents, and farmers; for the most part, independent people who are hard to impress!
I don’t think it ever occurred to Greg to coast through a presentation. Greg reworked his slides for each group, making them more concise and understandable. He always reviewed his notes before speaking to a group (yes, even after 40 years) and added new data as soon as it were available.
After every event, large or small, Greg asked his colleagues for feedback, and started planning for the next year’s session. If a survey were part of the package, he reviewed the scores carefully and read every comment. Knowing how crushing poor reviews can be, he sometimes debated how to relay bad news to guest speakers but usually added subtle suggestions for improvement. Greg mentored new Extension agents before there was an official program, because it was the right thing to do.
With a full-time Extension appointment, he could have worked off someone else’s research data, but Greg wrote grants, designed plots, traveled off station and came in on weekends (and at wake-the-birds-up hours) to apply treatments in between wind, rain, and speaking engagements. Greg took the notes, planned the breakfast and supper tours with cooperating agents, and supervised harvests.
The walls of Greg’s office are covered with awards. He didn’t just attend conferences, he designed and presented posters (and brought home awards), chaired committees, and collaborated with colleagues from across the nation.
NDSU Extension empowers North Dakotans to improve their lives and communities through science-based education. Greg did exactly that. And for his life’s work, we should all be grateful.
Congratulations, Greg, on an outstanding career. From all of us at the Carrington REC, this is our heartfelt wish to you:
May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
The rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.
Linda Schuster
Linda.Schuster@ndsu.edu
Administrative Assistant
