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There is nothing like watching grass grow. It might bring great satisfaction, perhaps giddiness in some settings. With the return to natural grass at Reynolds Razorback Stadium this fall, it led to some great memories about the way my father, the late Orville Hen- ry, watched grass grow during my early days in Little Rock. It all clicked when I noted the specific strain of turf: Ta- homa 31. The name is not relevant. It's that it has a name. First in Meadowcliff on Westmont Circle, then later when we moved to Fair Park Boulevard, my dad had the best yards in Little Rock. He loved to watch the grass grow. It was never just plain old common Bermuda, the stuff that exists everywhere in the South. My dad had special strains of Ber- muda, begged for from golf course superintendents in Little Rock or turf specialists from as far away as Georgia. He sometimes got a new strain from the agriculture specialists at the Uni- versity of Arkansas. He'd haul it in the back of the family station wagon from anywhere. Through visits with Jack Stephens, there would be strains of azaleas in our yard to match Augusta National Golf Club. Stephens was my dad's great friend and would later become chair- man at Augusta National. My brother Butch, six years older than me, said at some point our dad actually interacted with the U.S. De- partment of Agriculture's Turf Grass Research facility in Tifton, Ga. "A contact there took him under his wing," Butch said. "We knew that dad would leave the Masters on Monday and drive four hours to Tifton. More often than not, they'd fill his trunk with samples of the newest strains. "When he'd get back to Little Rock, he'd cut the chunks into 2-inch strips with a butcher knife, and the sprigs would quickly grow in our warm wet April climate." My dad's hobby was his yard. That dovetailed nicely with his evening hours as sports editor at the Arkan- sas Gazette. He grew roses and had a famous iris bed with various strains. Through his USDA contacts, he'd have strains of both Bermuda and zoysia that had not yet hit the market. But more than anything else, he grew wonderful lawns. It was common punishment for my dad to sentence his four boys to a whole day of kneeling with a knife, cutting out crabgrass. He wanted to see the taproot of each plant. Our backyard had sections of Ber- muda 319 for play, then Bermuda 412. It was gorgeous and cared for in a grand way. Now to the good stuff: The backyard was planted with a special strain of Bermuda suitable for a putting green. Cups were actually set in it, although we never owned a mower that could cut the height low enough. He priced them but never thought it affordable. There were some great neighbor- hood football games on that "golf green." We sometimes played knee football. You could never leave your knees. It was smash-mouth stuff, but it's hard to really hit someone too hard when you are on your knees. The highlight of the Westmont Circle yard came in 1964. Everyone knows about the great Arkansas vic- tory over No. 1 Texas at Austin that was the springboard for the lone national championship for the Razorbacks. My mother, Carolyn, often traveled with my father to Arkansas games. She would have time to kill afterward as he wrote his long columns. There were several hours of writing after Arkansas won 14-13 in Austin. The Longhorns failed on a two-point conversion in the closing minutes. It was one of the great games played between two great coaches: Arkansas' Frank Broyles and Texas' Darrell Roy- al. That's the big one Frank won. Of course, the big one that Darrell won in 1969 will be 50 years old on Dec. 6. I prefer to think more about the 1964 game. That was the night I listened in the middle of the living room floor then ran outside to do what everyone else did all over Arkansas that night: jump in a car (parked or moving) and honk the horn. That was probably about the time my mom went to dinner at the Mexi- can place a few blocks away from Me- morial Stadium. After El Rancho, she came back to the stadium and sat in the bleachers where she could see the press box. As she watched my father still writing, a spectacular idea hit. 579 W Van Buren • Eureka Springs, AR 479-253-8294 50+ years and still going strong! Exercise in the comfort of your own home. no excuses. Now offering 0% financing. * * With approved credit. See store for details. Fayetteville | 479.521.3481 RogeRs | 479.633.9837 little Rock | 501.954.9837 www.ytfs.com Largest suppLier of fitness equipment in arkansas. 4 NWA College Football Preview 2019 Sunday, August 25, 2019 Growing grass can make you giddy CLAY HENRY COMMENTARY See HENRY, Page 6