Read the full story from the University of Georgia.
You may never have heard the name Glenn Burton before, but you’ve almost certainly seen his handiwork.
In a career spanning more than six decades, most of which was spent as a professor at the University of Georgia’s Tifton campus, Burton established himself as one of the world’s most prolific agricultural scientists, and you don’t have to search long to find one of his creations.
From championship golf courses and international venues like the Olympics and the World Cup to the turf that adorns the playing surface in the University of Georgia’s Sanford Stadium, Burton created new grass varieties that have become the international standard for excellence in the sporting world.
But the scientific genius that allowed Burton to create lush green fairways on golf courses and turf capable of withstanding punishment on the gridiron also enabled him to develop new crop varieties that fed millions of hungry people during a time when the world was struggling to produce enough food for a rapidly growing population.
