During the fifty some years of business experience we have certainly encountered our share of larger-than-life personalities – who left a lasting impression. This is the first of a series of anecdotal musings recalling some of these people.
Patrick “Pat” DiPietro was one-of-a-kind… charismatic, confident, passionate, creative and multi-talented. A true Renaissance Man. A lifelong resident of Lynnfield and graduate of Lynnfield High School and U Mass/Stockbridge, Pat earned a degree in agronomy (turf science)… But, he could have had a masters, or doctorate in most any field he was THAT smart and driven. A walking encyclopedia, Pat had a thirst for knowledge and could converse comfortably with most anyone on any level about virtually any subject.
Pat’s first love was turf management and his forte was golf course design and care. Contour Environmental Development Corp., his company, did just that, and it was in this arena that Pat left all The Reed boys with the most enduring marks. Throughout the mid to late 70’s we worked alongside Pat on many landscaping projects. We provided the labor, Pat brought all the equipment and the expertise. He was enormously creative and talented and we were the beneficiaries of his sharing his knowledge and skills and enthusiasm – it was all very infectious. He schooled us on how to make work fun!
“IN THE BROWN”
REFINING THE SEED BED WITH PAT IN THE MID 70s
There was NOTHING Pat could not do. In the landscape realm, he was THE BEST equipment operator, designer, grader and “seed bed preparer.” Pat taught us to be appreciative of the beauty of a well-graded turf grass area “in the brown” as he would say (topsoil spread and graded.) His exemplary attention to detail made quite a long lasting impression on us. To this day whenever we do this work we often recall Pat’s exhilaration in getting the grades so right that “we can roll marbles on it!” In addition to his landscaping skills, Pat was also a skilled sign designer and wood carver. It should also be mentioned that being gregarious and extroverted he had a gift for “selling himself” he knew how to “hustle” work – and in so doing, Pat was never opposed to “stretching the boundaries of propriety.”
It has been some 40 years but we’ll never forget one such “hustled job.” One fine spring Sunday morning (we typically did our “joint” projects on the weekends) we set out for a Newton, MA site to do a “cleanup and rehab” on a residential property. The point person for this escapade was an “attorney/overseer” acquaintance of Pat… the “sheeney lawyer” as Pat called him (think shady) would be paying us.
So here we all are at eight AM in a high end residential district with trucks, backhoe and equipment, etc. clogging up the street… chainsaws, noise and all the commotion… didn’t take long for two Newton patrol cars to show up… We’ve got a couple of large trucks AND a trailer with (very dodgy) “OR” plates, no one other than Pat with a Class 1 operator’s license, stuff everywhere… big trouble – for MOST people. Pat spoke to the officers, then returned with a big grin – “OK boys, back to work!” We never knew what he said (or offered) he just had a knack for getting out of such jams!
We could not have done all the landscaping and turf construction on our own properties without Pat’s help during this period. Nor, could we have made it through “The Blizzard of ‘78” without the use of Pat’s tractor loader. We had a great relationship. During the mid-80’s we drifted apart, but all the principles we learned from Pat we have practiced for years, and the adventures we had will stay with us forever.
