John Singleton, who spent 37 years with The Toro Company, died April 25 at age 89. Singleton was the recipient of the ASGCA Donald Ross Award in 2005 and was a friend to scores of men and women in the golf industry.
Toro released a statement saying:
John touched many lives, and for those of us fortunate to spend time with him, we will be forever grateful. John had the uncanny ability to make us feel good about ourselves and our stake in life, as he always maintained a positive outlook, despite the circumstances.
John, a former irrigation contractor, joined Toro in 1967. John was hired to utilize his knowledge and hands-on experience to help Toro make inroads in the highly competitive golf course market. John’s experience, bold approach and relentless drive helped Toro earn contracts with some of the premier golf courses in the world and by 1972 Toro had become the most widely used automatic equipment in golf course irrigation.
Always the consummate professional, John was comfortable in any environment, including construction sites, maintenance buildings and corporate boardrooms, as he loved representing Toro. During his 37 plus years at Toro, John developed relationships with hundreds of golf course architects, builders, consultants and superintendents and many became lifelong friends.
John was a humble and compassionate person, and cared deeply for our industry. John never lost sight of his small town, Irish Catholic upbringing, as he lived a frugal life. John’s success was measured by the significant contributions he made to those in need in his community.
We will forever be indebted to John and his legacy.