ROLLING MEADOWS, Ill. – D. T. Kirk Hunter, executive director of Turfgrass Producers International (TPI), reported just prior to Christmas that Doug Fender, executive director of TPI for more than 20 years, died.
Fender retired as executive director in 1984, and with his wife Sharon, founded and operated Ultimate Travel Adventures, Inc. They said that clients referred to their company as the "concierge of international group travel." Together they visited 60 countries and 45 U.S. states. Many of the trips were in conjunction with TPI.
"Doug served as a representative of the turfgrass industry providing many TPI members with the opportunity to meet with and form close relationships with fellow members around the globe," wrote TPI’s Hunter in announcing Fender’s death. "Doug will be dearly missed by TPI members and everyone he touched in the turf and green industry."
Fender earned B.S. and Master’s degrees in journalism from the University of Colorado,
Boulder, and was an Eagle Scout as a youth.
A wake was conducted for Doug Fender this past Dec. 27 in Schaumburg, Ill. A celebration of Doug’s life is planned for Jan. 20, with details to be forthcoming, reports the TPI.
