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Mike Sweeney

Robert Trent Jones collection, comes to Cornell
« on: December 11, 2010, 04:55:27 PM »


I thought people might be interested in this article:

http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/Dec10/RTJones.html

Quote
The library is seeking funding to have professional archivists and student assistants go through all of the materials; the work will take up to two years to complete. A basic survey of the collection will identify categories to "get the materials into some kind of reasonable order," Engst said. "Even how to store them properly is an interesting question."

Does anyone know James Hansen?

Quote
"The Finger Lakes region remained his starting point, and [it] shaped his designs for decades ... if for no other reason than it has the perfect topography for golf," said Jones' biographer, James Hansen of Auburn University. "Trent Jones came away from the Finger Lakes with a certain aesthetic in his mind. He had a sense for what was beautiful and pleasing to the eye and how that translated to a golf course."
« Last Edit: December 11, 2010, 04:59:21 PM by Mike Sweeney »

Tom_Doak

  • Karma: +1/-1
Re: Robert Trent Jones collection, comes to Cornell
« Reply #1 on: December 11, 2010, 05:11:25 PM »
So many students have gone through the Cornell l.a. Program in the past 30 years who wanted to be golf architects ... I've got to believe they could find one or two who have the time right now to assist with this project.

Tom MacWood

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Robert Trent Jones collection, comes to Cornell
« Reply #2 on: December 11, 2010, 05:12:48 PM »
That is very interesting. I would think there could potentially be some fascinating information in there.

TEPaul

Re: Robert Trent Jones collection, comes to Cornell
« Reply #3 on: December 11, 2010, 05:57:14 PM »
"The collection was donated to Cornell in April 2009 by Jones' sons, Rees and Robert Jr., also golf course designers."


Thank God Rees and Bobby Jr agreed on this. That collection was definitely not residing in a good place before its donation to Cornell.


Mike Sweeney

Re: Robert Trent Jones collection, comes to Cornell
« Reply #4 on: December 11, 2010, 06:15:50 PM »
That is very interesting. I would think there could potentially be some fascinating information in there.

What would be most interesting to me is if there is any data/documents about Jones' thoughts about GCA as a business. Is there any question that he is the Architect that turned GCA into a business?

Tom Doak,

Any thoughts as to where your archives go? Ithaca or Hubbard Heights?  ;)
« Last Edit: December 11, 2010, 06:19:11 PM by Mike Sweeney »

Jeff_Mingay

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Robert Trent Jones collection, comes to Cornell
« Reply #5 on: December 11, 2010, 06:46:26 PM »
This is great.

Thanks for this news and link, Mike.
jeffmingay.com

Tiger_Bernhardt

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Robert Trent Jones collection, comes to Cornell
« Reply #6 on: December 11, 2010, 11:21:21 PM »
TE that is a mouthfull. I am so glad to hear this wealth of information has found its way to a happy home. I do hope it is put to great use. There is another man from NJ or maybe Florida this time of year who might dispute who was more of an obsticle to the release of this collection.

Tom_Doak

  • Karma: +1/-1
Re: Robert Trent Jones collection, comes to Cornell
« Reply #7 on: December 12, 2010, 02:52:08 AM »
That is very interesting. I would think there could potentially be some fascinating information in there.

What would be most interesting to me is if there is any data/documents about Jones' thoughts about GCA as a business. Is there any question that he is the Architect that turned GCA into a business?

Tom Doak,

Any thoughts as to where your archives go? Ithaca or Hubbard Heights?  ;)

Mike,

The course I grew up playing was Sterling Farms.  I have only played Hubbard Heights 3-4 times and didn't like it much.  Or maybe you realized that when you posted.

I really don't have too much in the way of archives since I make so many decisions on site.  I imagine that would be true of Pete Dye as well.  The one document of real value would be my scholarship application for the Dreer Award, there were some pretty good letters of support for me in there.  (I did have the sense even at 21 to ask for it back.)

Sean_A

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Robert Trent Jones collection, comes to Cornell
« Reply #8 on: December 12, 2010, 04:23:26 AM »
That is very interesting. I would think there could potentially be some fascinating information in there.

What would be most interesting to me is if there is any data/documents about Jones' thoughts about GCA as a business. Is there any question that he is the Architect that turned GCA into a business?

Tom Doak,

Any thoughts as to where your archives go? Ithaca or Hubbard Heights?  ;)

Sure RTJ Sr was in gca as a business, so were Ross and Colt.

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Phil_the_Author

Re: Robert Trent Jones collection, comes to Cornell
« Reply #9 on: December 12, 2010, 08:20:21 AM »
Sean,

You have to understand that in 1925 when Tilly is reported to have had 51 projects in progress in the United States alone that these were done as many such as Ross, Colt, Bendelow, Emmett and so many others were doing their work, as a hobby...

Mike Sweeney

Re: Robert Trent Jones collection, comes to Cornell
« Reply #10 on: December 12, 2010, 10:09:10 AM »
Quote
Sitting in Ithaca, the RTJ archives have little value to golf as they are simply hard to reach being 4 1/2 hours from NYC, Philly, Boston..... Now when they get digitized and can be shared with the R&A, the USGA and others, they will increase in value IMO. Same with your thoughts here. Now they are random thoughts, but somewhere there is an algorithm of Doak thoughts that somebody will figure out. Might be 5 years, could be 50?  

Yale took down their great web archive collection from the public for now about the Yale Golf Gourse, but that does not mean it is gone forever.

This is where the archives here are headed:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semantic_Web
« Last Edit: December 13, 2010, 10:49:06 PM by Mike Sweeney »

Tiger_Bernhardt

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Robert Trent Jones collection, comes to Cornell
« Reply #11 on: December 12, 2010, 11:35:15 PM »
I did watch the struggle between the brothers over this for a few years. Much of this would have been the bones of a great book on the life of RTJ Sr.

Mike Sweeney

Re: Robert Trent Jones collection, comes to Cornell
« Reply #12 on: December 13, 2010, 10:51:50 PM »
Quote
Phil Young,

I was thinking of Tilly more than Ross when I first wrote what I wrote as there are a number of reports that he died with little money. Obviously the depression was a big part of that but right or wrong I view Tilly (and others of his era) more as Artisans rather than a "Professional Golf Course Architect". Growing up in Philly, I heard the name RJT more than Tilly on television because he created a "Brand". Never really heard of William Flynn till GCA.com.

Tom Doak,

I think you are being a little short sighted in the digital age. Probably the greatest tangible assets of GCA.com is your 12,000+ post (plus others before you registered). Now you did not invent golf, but the Rules of Basketball just sold for $4.3 million at auction:

http://www.suntimes.com/sports/2787308-452/naismith-rules-basketball-family-football.html

Somewhere in the archives here is at the very least a good book about Tom Doak when you are dead and gone. How these types of collections are organized and structured in the future is yet to be seen, but trust me, people not related to golf are figuring out how to monetize these types of assets. The complexity will be sorting our your post (good) from my post (bad), but it will be figured out.

Sitting in Ithaca, the RTJ archives have little value to golf as they are simply hard to reach being 4 1/2 hours from NYC, Philly, Boston..... Now when they get digitized and can be shared with the R&A, the USGA and others, they will increase in value IMO. Same with your thoughts here. Now they are random thoughts, but somewhere there is an algorithm of Doak thoughts that somebody will figure out. Might be 5 years, could be 50?

Yale took down their great web archive collection from the public for now about the Yale Golf Gourse, but that does not mean it is gone forever.

Tom,

Here is potentially where your post here are headed:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semantic_Web

PCCraig

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Robert Trent Jones collection, comes to Cornell
« Reply #13 on: December 14, 2010, 09:08:07 AM »
I did watch the struggle between the brothers over this for a few years. Much of this would have been the bones of a great book on the life of RTJ Sr.

Very interesting article. I'm glad everything is in the hands of Cornell now, not just because RTJ went there, but also because they have been such a breeding ground for GCAs over the years.

And yes, this collection would be the perfect starting place for a much needed book on RTJ Snr.'s life and work.
H.P.S.

JNC Lyon

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Robert Trent Jones collection, comes to Cornell
« Reply #14 on: April 18, 2011, 09:11:28 PM »
Does anyone know what the status is on the Robert Trent Jones Cornell collection?
"That's why Oscar can't see that!" - Philip E. "Timmy" Thomas

Ronald Montesano

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Robert Trent Jones collection, comes to Cornell
« Reply #15 on: April 18, 2011, 09:16:07 PM »
I believe that the collection is located downhill, in an impossibly-shallow room, across a really wide cistern...
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Lester George

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Robert Trent Jones collection, comes to Cornell
« Reply #16 on: April 19, 2011, 09:54:36 AM »

I am glad Rees and Bobby could agree on this as well.  Maybe the start of some reckoning.  They are both good guys.

Lester

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