Motion pictures played a starring role in this year’s admini golf during staff appreciation week. Once again, the EEB administrative offices were transformed into a series of putting greens for an afternoon of merriment. A week of activities were planned to celebrate the efforts and dedication of the staff throughout the year.

This year, staff contributed theme ideas and voted on them. The winning golf theme was At the Movies, submitted by Jane Sullivan. The photo contest theme was Zoo, submitted by Amber Stadler.

Staff displayed photos for a contest. Stadler’s snapshot of her darling three-month-old, Cayden, surrounded by stuffed zoo animals, captured first place. Her close-up of a baby elephant won second place (who can resist babies?). There was a three-way tie for third between Bethany Christoff’s photo of  herself with cuter-than-pie son, Max, gazing into the seal tank at a nature center, her photo of three cuddling piglets, and Gail Kuhnlein’s pictures of her son, Trevor, (in younger days) at the zoo, startled by an animated baby dinosaur.

The mini golf course themes were: “Pirates of the Caribbean,” “Jurassic Park,” “Finding Nemo,” “101 Dalmations,” “Harry Potter,” “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory,” “Forrest Gump,” and “The Big Lebowski.” Staff decorate their office spaces and the classroom/laboratory services group and the Program in Biology staff lent their creativity to design several holes. Sonja Botes won popular vote for best golf hole with “Pirates of the Caribbean.”

The winning team with the lowest golf score of 24 (well under par) was Professor Diarmaid Ó Foighil and Michael Ehnis. Four golfers who teamed up presumably had the most fun on the course and captured high score: Damon Place, Liz Schold, Nancy Smith, and Priscilla Tucker (the score is top secret). There were 25 holes-in-one, which is a record for the admini golf course, according to Smith, EEB department manager.

During the week, staff played their favorite weekly email game, Tuesday Trivia. Jim Le Moine won by stumping the staff with “unlike the Road Runner, I have been caught in a Coyote trap.” The winning team for a matching trivia game was Dan Klarr and Taylor Forrest. Many staff relaxed under the stars at a stress relief program at the Planetarium at the U-M Museum of Natural History.

Special thanks to Botes for planning the golf luncheon, to Smith and Kuhnlein for planning the week’s activities, to Jason Dobkowski who helped create the matching trivia game, and to all the staff who created the entertaining golf course.

“One final thanks to all of you who work so hard every day,” said Smith “You make EEB a very special place to work.”

View a Picassa web album with more photos by clicking the image below . Photo credit: Sonja Botes.

Admini Golf