Stanley Zontek, director of the USGA Green Section’s Mid-Atlantic Region, passed away August 28 after suffering a heart attack. He was 63.
Zontek was the USGA’s longest-tenured employee, joining the organization in 1971 after graduating from Penn State University. He was a world-renowned turfgrass expert who shared his extensive knowledge for 41 years through articles, speeches and course visits.
“We have lost both a great friend and an influential voice in the game. Stanley Zontek will be missed tremendously by those of us at the USGA who knew him best and by the thousands of lives he touched outside the organization,” wrote USGA Executive Director Mike Davis.