Oral history interview with Chris Fay, 2017

Scott Hinshaw: Today is Tuesday, November 21, 2017, and my name is Scott Hinshaw. I am in the Alumni House with Chris Fay, Assistant Director of Grounds at UNCG, to conduct an oral history interview for the UNCG Institutional Memory Collection. Good morning.

Chris Fay: Good morning.

Scott Hinshaw: I'd like to start the interview by asking you about your background. Can you please tell me when and where you were born?

Chris Fay: Yes. I was born in Jamaica, New York. I was raised in Garden City in Nassau County, a beautiful community with lots of large trees and beautiful landscapes.

Scott Hinshaw: Okay. And can you tell me about your family and your home life? What did your parents do?

Chris Fay: Yes. My dad worked for Equitable Life Insurance in New York City, and commuted on a train every morning to work. And my mom was a housewife. And unfortunately I lost my dad when I was 12. And when my dad passed away when I was 12, I started mowing lawns on Long Island. So it was kind of where I started my career, is just mowing lawns in a residential neighborhood.

Scott Hinshaw: Yep. And can you tell me what high school you went to?

Chris Fay: Yes. I went to Garden City High School and graduated in 1977.

Scott Hinshaw: Okay. And where did you go to college?

Chris Fay: I went to the State University of New York, SUNY, at Farmingdale. And I studied Ornamental Horticulture with a concentration in Nursery Management, which was to grow plants.

Scott Hinshaw: And what were your plans after graduation?

Chris Fay: Well, after graduation I went up into the Connecticut area to work at a nursery. I stayed up there for about six months. I was engaged. My wife also is from New York. And her dad had gotten transferred down here to Greensboro. So, being in love I decided to follow her to Greensboro after the job in Connecticut. And that's pretty much how my career, shortly after that, began at UNCG.

Scott Hinshaw: Okay. And so, how did you find out about that first job at UNCG?

Chris Fay: There was an advertisement in the Greensboro News and Record for a groundskeeper. And I remember looking at the ad. And it was going to be working on the grounds. I was a little bit familiar with the campus, because when I visited prior, in I think it was 1978, I got an opportunity to come on campus. My wife's an alumni here. And in between classes I would meet her for lunch or walk the campus. And I remember just seeing how beautiful the campus was, as far as a lot of large, beautiful trees, big open spaces. Little did I know a year later I'd be working on the grounds crew here.

Scott Hinshaw: Yep. And can you tell me about your first impressions of UNCG? Either that first time you visited or when you first started working.

Chris Fay: Little different than the school I went to. I went to an agricultural school for horticulture. But just like I said, it was beautiful. Large trees. I 00:03:00believe when I first started there was about 8000 students attending here at UNCG.

Scott Hinshaw: Okay. And can you describe the campus when you first arrived here? How did it look? I know you said it had a lot of trees. But it's very different than it is now.

Chris Fay: Yeah. Back in the early 80s, I don't feel like there was as much emphasis on keeping the grounds really as beautiful as they are today. Things started changing in the mid-80s. And I started out as I mentioned earlier, as a groundskeeper. And then I became a maintenance mechanic. I implemented a program to repair equipment and maintain equipment. A couple years after that I became a supervisor, and my responsibilities was the turf management program, including the athletic fields.

Scott Hinshaw: Okay. So you've already started talking a little bit about the jobs that you've had here. Do you want to give us a brief outline?

Chris Fay: Yeah. When I became superintendent was April of 1988, I'm sorry, in 00:04:001988. And my responsibilities was the grounds maintenance and landscaping of the campus, as well as the athletic fields, golf course, and the sanitation operation.

Scott Hinshaw: Okay. Tell me about some of your favorite projects that were completed under your supervision.

Chris Fay: All the projects, whether small or large, highly motivated me to continue to do more. I would interact with my staff as well as students, faculty, administrators, and own personal ideas I came up with, to just continually try to improve the appearance of the campus.

Chris Fay: You'd asked me earlier about my impression of the campus. When I first came, there was no annual flower beds. There was not a very good variety 00:05:00of perennial plants. And even the plant material, it wasn't as diverse as it became under my supervision. I was always trying to seek out something that would be different to make us really stand out here at UNCG.

Chris Fay: So, I would come up here on weekends and tour the campus by myself when it was quiet, and have a pad and pencil and write down some ideas, and then try to figure out how we could implement them.

Scott Hinshaw: All right. Tell us about some of your favorite projects, things that we talked about when we walked around when you gave me a tour, the EUC lawn.

Chris Fay: Yes. The EUC lawn, when I came to work here at UNCG, Sterling Street actually went right through where the lawn area is now. And after the expansion of the Elliott Student Center, the front area, the lawn area became actually a 00:06:00gravel parking lot. So it went from houses, residential homes to a gravel parking lot, and served for years.

Chris Fay: But it was kind of an open part of the campus that really need to be addressed. So, the University, with the expansion, went ahead and made a lawn area out there, but didn't take a lot of time to really prepare and get the soil conditions correct, and really pick the right variety. Just a lot of construction happening very quickly.

Chris Fay: So an administrator asked one day to go do a tour. And we barely left the Mossman Building, and he said, "Chris, can you do something about this lawn?" And I told him, "I'll have a number for you at the beginning of the week." So I put together a number and actually studied it, and had determined that we really need to make it more like a golf course setting, or a sports field, which has really high quality turf that could withstand a lot of traffic and a lot of activities.

Chris Fay: So, we went ahead, during the summer months, we went ahead and added 00:07:00topsoil to the area, regraded the entire area. And we sprigged it in Bermuda grass. And sprigging is an interesting process, where it's just the dry zones of grass. It almost looks dead when you first plant it. And you have to water it and take a lot of care and fertilizer to get it up and running.

Chris Fay: And one of the things that just amazed me is after I got the grass established and growing, I can remember folks coming to the parking garage, and they were headed to Elliott Center. And they would stop and they would take their camera out and start taking pictures of that area. And I really felt like, boy I made the right decision there.

Chris Fay: And since then it's been used for so many great activities. The homecoming activities and spring activities. And students, I see them out there, from throwing a football or a Frisbee to flying a kite or just letting their dog run. So it's just a great, great project. And I'm very proud of it.

Scott Hinshaw: Yeah, it's a beautiful area. The athletic fields?

Chris Fay: Yeah, the athletic fields, back in the 80s my entire staff worked out from Oakland Avenue. And the sports division, things were changing pretty quickly, as far as the number of sports being played and the space needed for these sports. So they started developing different projects. We have a practice golf course out in that area. And they decided to go ahead and build a soccer stadium.

Chris Fay: And during the soccer stadium renovation they approached me about the pitch of the field. In other words, it was built more like a football field, but it really needed to be a flat surface. But drainage was extremely important.

Chris Fay: So, being very supported from the University, they really were great about sending me to conferences, I was a member of the Sports Turf Managers Association, the North Carolina Turf Grass Counsel, Professional Grounds Management Society. So I had networking across the country. And I found out about a gentleman over in England that had developed a drainage system using the 00:09:00existing soil.

Chris Fay: So, we regraded the field to a flat condition and actually inserted sand slits on the field that would make the field playable within hours after a heavy rain. Added sprigging to that field as well, and had it ready to play in September, I believe it was September 6th of 1991. And we started the project in June. So I was under the gun. It was a pretty stressful summer, but we got the job done. And we had new irrigation put in. And it was a really enjoyable experience to be sitting in the stands at that first game when the players started playing. It was just awesome.

Scott Hinshaw: Yeah. And the Campus Ministries Pond?

Chris Fay: Yeah. Campus Ministries is interesting. The building is actually owned by the Associated Joint Ministries, and it's built on University land. And so, it's pretty much private dollars. And they approached me. We'd done 00:10:00something landscaping for them on the front of the facility. And they were very pleased and happy with what we had done to attract students so that they could come use those services.

Chris Fay: And they asked me about the small courtyard behind the Associated Joint Ministries, which is a very small space. It's probably not even 50 feet wide. And I studied the area for a bit and went back and gave a presentation to the Associated Joint Ministries Board, asking for funding to build a small pond back there. So, they were all for it. And it's just a great place to sit and relax. A private space.

Chris Fay: One of the other things I added back at that project is a granite bench. I mentioned earlier about teak benches on campus. Well, granite benches were actually made by saving the granite curbing off of different roadways that were removed during construction projects, Jefferson Street in particular, when 00:11:00they built the baseball field. So it's kind of a neat thing that we developed that and in-house built these benches.

Scott Hinshaw: Mm-hmm (affirmative). And also another way to recycle.

Chris Fay: And another way to recycle.

Scott Hinshaw: Okay, great.

Scott Hinshaw: So, tell me about the people you worked with. And this could be your employees and working with contractors, if there are any like that. And explain what was necessary to complete most projects.

Chris Fay: Well, in regards to my employees, when I first started it was primarily American, white and African-American. And as time changed, the campus and the labor market became a lot more diverse as far as population, even in Greensboro. People were moving into this area because they knew it was a great place to be.

Chris Fay: And I was very fortunate that over my career I hired folks that were from all over the world, not just the United States. I had some guys that were 00:12:00Montagnards from Vietnam, to guys from Mexico. Had folks that were from Michigan, just about, it seems like, every state. A guy that was from Lumberton, an American Indian. So I had a really good, strong group. It made us very strong and we had a lot of respect for each other.

Chris Fay: Working with contractors was always a challenge because there was always deadlines with projects. And I felt strongly that we wanted to make sure we got the best finished product that we could get, because we were going to be maintaining it. So, I spent a lot of time, and I was very fortunate to be involved with the Facilities Management Group, where I would be involved with these decisions and making sure that the contractor fulfilled his responsibility on projects, using the best quality plants, and making sure he did what was in 00:13:00the contract.

Chris Fay: So I'm very proud of that. And it was frustrating at times. But it was well worth the effort.

Scott Hinshaw: Mm-hmm (affirmative). Can you talk a little bit about your management style?

Chris Fay: My management style, I like giving credit to people who came forward with ideas and worked hard. And at times I had to discipline people. But I tried to do that just one-on-one, and motivate them. And I guess since I started out as a laborer or a groundskeeper, I had a high level of respect for these folks, because it's tough work. It's not easy. You have to continually strive to figure out a way to motive folks.

Chris Fay: And what I did find is that by creating projects beyond the regular day-to-day, routine maintenance of mowing grass, pulling weeds, picking up litter, that the projects were a great way to pull the team together and make something special happen. And they would feel very good about it.

Scott Hinshaw: Now, how were you able to fund campus beautification projects, given the constraints of state funding at the public university?

Chris Fay: Well, that's a great question. Back in the 80s, right after I became Superintendent, was the title at that time, of Grounds, there was a repair and renovations projects that the university administration would look at every year. And they were historically to repair roofs, repaint buildings, upgrade steam heating systems, things of that sort.

Chris Fay: And my boss challenged me at the time with developing repair and renovation projects as they related to the campus. A good example was, there were trashcans out on the campus. And they were just 50 gallon drums. So, aesthetically that was not the most pleasing thing. So we developed a program to implement nice receptacles that would be out for the students to use.

Chris Fay: And also we had stumps on campus and trees that were failing. And we went ahead and put together a complete presentation for the administration to look at, with dollars of funding these. And I was very fortunate. That started around '88 or '89, and continued the whole time I was at UNCG.

Chris Fay: And then at year end I would always have projects on board in case there was some funding left over. And it took a lot of time to spend with the administration. They were very interested in what I was doing, and my ideas, and were very supportive. They would actually tour the campus with me, and we would discuss potential areas that could be improved. And then I was the guy that needed to make sure it got done. So it was a lot of fun.

Scott Hinshaw: Great. So, in what ways did you incorporate sustainability into your projects? And why is it important to you?

Chris Fay: Well, sustainability, that was the big buzz word that started in the late 80s into '90. And recycling actually was the start of it. The campus basically just threw away all of its trash. We didn't do anything sustainable, as far as separating the materials. And the students were really pushing for a position to be developed. And it was. And that individual reported to me. So we started doing a waste analysis of what was going in the trash.

Chris Fay: And at the same time, it worked out really well because the City of Greensboro was also looking at the way they were going to handle the trash in Greensboro. And they went ahead and worked with us to start a co-mingled project where materials were separated into one bin, such as plastic and newspaper and aluminum. And that was collected separately. And then it would go to the 00:17:00co-mingled site and separated again and sent out for recycling.

Chris Fay: But other areas of grounds, there was different types of turf that you could use that were more sustainable, requiring less water usage, less fertilizer, and less maintenance. So we started implementing that on our sports fields, but also on the campus itself.

Scott Hinshaw: Mm-hmm (affirmative). During your time here, was that when the University went to sourcing ground water as opposed to irrigating with city water?

Chris Fay: Yes. In the mid-90s we had some really severe droughts in Greensboro, almost to the point that the University had to close down its water features on campus. And we had to limit the use of water, as far as our sports fields in particular, because there was many, many acres of sports fields.

Chris Fay: So, the University embarked on drilling some wells on campus, and I was involved in that, to water the sports fields, and also supply water to water 00:18:00tanks that we would take out and water our summer annuals, which require water almost every day.

Scott Hinshaw: Okay, great. And how have you worked to save trees on campus?

Chris Fay: Trees are one of the biggest things I'm extremely proud of. During the construction, which, so much was happening at UNCG, and when a bulldozer pulls up on site and starts going around some of your trees, you've got to be so sensitive to the root systems. So, once again I was very fortunate to work with my boss and administrators to develop a tree protection plan which would allow to be incorporated in new construction or renovation that barriers would actually be put up with signage to make sure that soil wasn't piled around the roots, or roots weren't cut beyond a certain area of the drip line. That would help preserve the trees and keep them alive and healthy.

Scott Hinshaw: Can you tell me about some of the tours you've given of campus over the years? I know we talked at length about the Alumni Reunion Weekend.

Chris Fay: Part of my job was constantly looking at the campus and making sure things were neat and clean. And I started using a golf cart to get around the campus. And as I would tour the campus by myself, I started sometimes giving tours to students, on their way to classes, I could tell they were running late. So they would get on the golf cart and I would ask them how they felt about the campus.

Chris Fay: But the Alumni Weekend was one of the most exciting times for me, because people were coming back to campus that may not have been here in 20-something years. So, there were some major changes in the campus, which I got to see every day.

Chris Fay: But a couple of examples would be, I would be riding campus and I would see some people just standing, looking around like they had almost never 00:20:00seen the campus before. And I would approach them and ask them if they were interesting in me giving them a ride to maybe the dorm that they lived in while they were here at UNCG, or some of the new buildings, as well as some of the buildings where they had classes. So it was really exciting to see how the campus changed and how excited they were.

Chris Fay: And not all my tours were on golf carts. I actually, one year, was approached by the alumni group that put on Alumni Weekend. And they asked if I would be interested in giving a tour of some of the gardens on campus, and could I set this up. And we were looking at maybe a dozen people and have a couple golf carts and take them on out. Well, it became from a couple of golf carts to a couple of buses. And so, one of my staff took one group in one bus and I took one group in the other, and we toured the campus and actually went out and 00:21:00stopped at places and explained what was going on and how things changed. It was this buzzing the whole time the bus was going. And people were real excited.

Chris Fay: And it was funny, the morning that this big tour was happening, I woke up and I was like, "Gosh, I wonder if they get to go to Yum Yum's. Will they have time to go to Yum Yum's? I said, maybe I should contact my friend who actually runs Yum Yum's." And we were able to go ahead and get some ice cream and serve it to them at the end of the tour. And boy, that was a big hit. They absolutely loved it. My friend even gave me a Yum Yum's hat to put on. So, it just brought back great memories. And that's what excites people, is memories and changes, and the beauty of the campus.

Scott Hinshaw: That's awesome. UNCG has received many awards for its beauty while you were here. Tell me about some of those awards. And I've got some listed here if you ...

Chris Fay: Sure. The first one we applied for is Tree Campus USA. And it's a 00:22:00mirror of the same program for Tree City USA, which Greensboro already had. And there was a committee that we worked with to develop a tree program standards of how we deal with trees in regards to maintenance and care. And you also had to have in place a program where you did education with students, which I absolutely loved.

Chris Fay: So, every year we would go ahead and do some tree plantings with students helping, and educate them on how to properly plant a tree and care for trees. We also had to do a tree inventory of campus. And also show the amount of dollars that were spent to care for our trees.

Chris Fay: And what's really exciting about that particular program, it's ongoing. You have to reapply every year. And up to this year we've been getting it every year since then.

Scott Hinshaw: Is there one project or award of which you are most proud?

Chris Fay: All the projects were fun, but probably the Green Star Award with Professional Grounds Management Society.

Scott Hinshaw: Okay. Do you want to say anything at all about the Gladys Strawn Bullard Service Award that you received in 2013?

Chris Fay: Yeah. I was very honored to receive that too. It's based on leadership and commitment to the University. And I cannot stress enough how it was such a great opportunity for me to start as a grounds worker, work my way up to managing the campus grounds and landscape and sports fields. So, I'm very honored to have received that award.

Scott Hinshaw: And what was your favorite part of the job?

Chris Fay: Probably the interaction with students and faculty and staff and alumni. It was just amazing, the comments that I received from these folks, that I could pass on to my folks that were out there every day doing this tough work. 00:24:00So, that was really enjoyable.

Chris Fay: And just seeing trees that I've planted, and landscapes that were renovated, and see when they've matured and how beautiful they are.

Scott Hinshaw: Okay. I'd like to talk about Chancellor Sullivan for a bit. How well did you know Chancellor Sullivan?

Chris Fay: Well, Chancellor Sullivan, it's really kind of interesting, the first time I met Dr. Sullivan, she was about to be interviewed on News Two, early, at six AM in the morning. And I had my staff come in extra early that morning to make sure the grounds looked nice. It was out in front of the dining hall.

Chris Fay: I waited for an opportunity, and I noticed that she was going to be going on the news shortly. And I had a minute to go up and introduce myself. And when I introduced myself to Pat Sullivan, she looked me right in the eye and said, "Oh, Chris Fay, I've heard your name and I really love your curb appeal." And I said to myself, "Wow, this is going to be a great ride." And it was.

Chris Fay: She had a very high interest in how the landscape was done at UNCG, and maintained. And in the period of time that she served as chancellor, sent me well over a dozen thank you's for different projects and things that I did, which I just felt like was my job. But she really did appreciate. And it meant a lot to me.

Chris Fay: Over the years there were some projects that she had interest in. One in particular was implementing a program where students could sit out and relax on benches. And so, it trickled on down to me, to the point that she wanted to walk the campus and talk about this. So we did. We walked the campus and I had a map and we started looking at areas where these benches could be placed, that students would use them, and community visitors would use them and enjoy the landscape, based on where they were at. So, we did a walking tour of the campus. And it was a beautiful fall day. And Dr. Sullivan and I and some of the 00:26:00administrators went out and we started walking the campus. And she had that New York walk. And I do too. So, she didn't waste any time. She was very business-like, but very focused on where this campus was going. And so, that was kind of a neat project to work with Dr. Sullivan on.

Chris Fay: And also Foust Park. She had a passion for trees. She was originally a biologist. So, she contacted us at one point wanting to know, "Do we have a map of all the trees in Foust Park?" And so, we went ahead and identified all the trees in the park and sent that plan up to her. And now we have trees labeled in the park for folks to walk and see and learn about trees of the campus. And it's great variety. It's a great place to look and learn trees.

Scott Hinshaw: Can you tell me about her dogwood in Foust Park?

Chris Fay: Yes. After Pat Sullivan died ... and it was so heartbreaking when she got sick and passed away. She got so much accomplished on the campus, it's just absolutely stunning. And Charles Sullivan I became pretty close to, because I 00:27:00was responsible not only for the campus, but for the up-keeping and landscaping at their house. So, I would go over and check the grounds and make sure the contractor was doing everything they were supposed to. So, Charles and I got pretty close.

Chris Fay: And after she passed away, Charles said that he would like to get a dogwood tree and plant it in honor or Dr. Sullivan. And I said, "That'd be great, Charles." So, after several conversations, I found a Kousa dogwood, which actually blooms right around graduation. And that was one of Pat Sullivan's most enjoyable moments as chancellor. Every year graduation meant so much to her. In my case, making sure the grounds looked good, but also making it beautiful for the students.

Chris Fay: So, we went ahead and selected a tree. And it came out of Liberty, North Carolina, from a local vendor. And after I selected the tree, Charles said 00:28:00he was going to purchase a plaque and put a plaque at the tree. And I said that would be great.

Chris Fay: And then he asked me, he said, "Chris, would it be all right if I sprinkle some of her ashes around the tree?" And I said, "Charles, of course. It would be fine." And it was a very small ceremony with myself and some other folks that worked directly with the Chancellor at their residence in particular, and a priest. And Charles sprinkled the ashes around the tree and read a little poem that he had written. So it was very, very nice. And I'll never forget it.

Scott Hinshaw: Yeah. That's fantastic. So, you're now retired. So, tell us what you've been doing since your retirement.

Chris Fay: Well, I still work part-time. I have a business that I maintain commercial properties here in Greensboro. And I work for some great folks that let me pretty much have the run of it. So I'm always improving their properties.

Chris Fay: And also I'm doing a lot of work around my house. I recently became a grandfather. I'm very excited about that. I have a little grandson. We just got 00:29:00back from Hawaii.

Chris Fay: And some projects I'm doing at my house is, I'm building a fire pit currently. And I recently put up a greenhouse. I'm going to start growing vegetables. And I have chickens.

Chris Fay: And I also have a tortoise as a pet, Lucky, Lucky 95, I rescued from a lady ... Actually she rescued this tortoise walking along I-95, up in northern Virginia, and was finding a better home for Lucky, down in the more southern climate. He's a Sulcata. And he's actually from the deserts of Africa. And he needs warm climate. And he's 18 inches wide, 24 inches long, and 62 pounds. And he's kind of a cool animal to have.

Chris Fay: And I've done some traveling. Like I said earlier, I've been to Hawaii. Spending more time with my wife and kids. And just enjoying getting out, and for a change, smelling the flowers instead of planting flowers.

Scott Hinshaw: Yeah. Sounds great. Now, do you still visit UNCG to check out your legacy?

Chris Fay: Yeah, I do come by. I'm very fortunate. After my retirement a faculty 00:30:00member went ahead and raised some funding to plant a tree on campus. And I really enjoy going to see my legacy maple, which is planted over by Eberhart.

Chris Fay: And I also just enjoy bike riding and still interacting with students. I get on a bicycle, I ride through campus, and I get to see things I planted many years ago, that are now large trees and very mature, beautiful landscapes. From the sports fields involved in, to the front of Elliott Center, which is a beautiful lawn area for entertainment. So, I get to still see all that. And I enjoy just coming through and taking a look to see what's going on.

Scott Hinshaw: Great. Well, tell me how UNCG has affected your life and what it means to you.

Chris Fay: It's almost like a dream. It's not very usual that you start a career at 21 or 22 and it's pretty much your whole career. And in this case, it was for 00:31:00me. I had a few other jobs before. But the impact to be part of the complete transformation of this campus from an 8,000 student campus to almost 19,000 when I retired is just incredible. The amount of construction and change and renovation, I don't think there's a part of the campus that didn't change while I was here. And to be part of that and feel really appreciated for what I got to do. So, it was just outstanding.

Scott Hinshaw: That's great. I don't have any more formal questions for you. Is there anything else that you would like to add to the interview?

Chris Fay: No. I feel like we covered, like they say, a lot of real estate. So, anyway, I've enjoyed it, Scott. And I really am honored to be selected to do this interview. And it means so much to me. Thank you.

Scott Hinshaw: We're glad to have you here. And we're so glad to have you talk to us.

Chris Fay: Thanks.