Supporters of Oklahoma State University Agriculture gathered June 27 to celebrate the grand opening of the Lionel K. Bentley Turfgrass Center.

“The Turfgrass Center represents a major step forward for OSU’s turfgrass research, teaching and Extension programs,” said Jayson Lusk, vice president and dean of OSU Agriculture. “It provides a centralized space where faculty, students and industry partners can come together to collaborate, learn and advance the science of turfgrass management.”

The Turfgrass Center, located on a 100-acre facility, north of The Botanic Garden at OSU, is named in honor of the late Lionel Bentley of Washington, Oklahoma. The new center will specialize in ornamental and recreational turfgrass research, creating adaptive turfgrasses and developing eco-friendly pest management solutions.

Bentley graduated from OSU in 1970 with a bachelor’s degree in agronomy with a focus on turf management. In 1984, he retired from the City of Norman as director of the Parks and Recreation Department to pursue Bentley Turf Farms, a full-service turf establishment and erosion-control company.

Bentley was known as a turfgrass sod pioneer in Oklahoma, offering customers U-3 bermudagrass, Tifway bermudagrass and his own Gracemont bermudagrass. He developed his turf-type tall fescue sod and was among the first in the state to offer Meyer Zoysia and El Toro Zoysia.

Bentley’s wife, Lou, made the gift in memory of her husband. Her gift directly supports The Code Calls, OSU’s $2 billion comprehensive fundraising campaign. The center embodies one of the campaign’s core pillars – powering progress – and will drive turfgrass innovation and solve real-world problems in the industry.

Lou Bentley said it was rewarding to observe her husband’s passion for turfgrass, including his ongoing research and experimentation, as well as his continued association with the OSU turfgrass program.

“I wanted to honor Lionel with something of a permanent nature – an honor that would stand up to the incredible person he was, and that his name and life would be honored, but not forgotten, and that exemplified his love for his life’s work,” she said. “Lionel K. Bentley Turfgrass Center – A dream come true.”

The Turfgrass Center’s modern facilities will support faculty and students and serve as a welcoming environment for workshops, field days and industry collaboration. It will directly support the research and discovery that ensure Oklahoma remains at the forefront of turfgrass innovation.

The OSU Landscape Services design team worked closely with project stakeholders to create the donor recognition display and landscape spaces. Sustainability and long-term maintenance were important considerations throughout the design process, said Nick Ouellette, OSU Landscape design manager.

The donor recognition monuments were fabricated from locally sourced stone, and the decorative rock mulch used throughout the installation aligns with OSU’s landscape standards.

This project also provided a valuable learning opportunity, as an OSU landscape architecture student intern played a significant role in developing design concepts and renderings, Ouellette said.

“The Lionel K. Bentley Turfgrass Center is an excellent example of collaboration between donors, researchers, students, university leadership and campus operations,” Ouellette said. “Beyond recognizing a transformational gift, the project highlights OSU’s commitment to hands-on learning, innovative research and creating spaces that inspire future generations of students and industry professionals.”

The facility marks a significant milestone for the OSU Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture as it continues to expand opportunities in turfgrass education and research, said Justin Quetone Moss, head of the department.

“It is especially meaningful that this center is named in honor of Lionel K. Bentley, a leader whose career embodied the values we strive to instill in our students,” Moss said. “We are honored to recognize his legacy through this facility.”

The turfgrass industry contributes more than $40 billion per year to the U.S. economy and $1 billion per year to the Oklahoma economy. OSU turfgrass scientists have contributed 11 turfgrass varieties used on golf greens and fairways, residential yards, sports fields and in commercial production.

OSU’s latest turfgrass variety, Endarra 81, is the most drought-resistant grass to date. It also has longer-lasting color and strong resistance to leaf spot. After more than a decade of progress, Endarra 81 is currently grown at sod farms in five states and is expected to become more widely available to homeowners in 2027.

Additionally, two OSU faculty members recently received federal funding for new turfgrass-related research projects, bringing more than $1 million in research funding to the program.

Used at some of the most recognized sporting events, OSU turfgrass varieties have appeared at the Olympics, the Kentucky Derby, the PGA Championship, the World Cup, the Super Bowl and professional baseball and football stadiums.

OSU Agriculture is dedicated to improving the quality of life of Oklahomans through science-based information and education. It is comprised of the Ferguson College of Agriculture and two state agencies: OSU Ag Research and OSU Extension.

Story By: Baylee Smith | baylee.r.smith@okstate.edu