Timber, tourism and travel have become the lifestyle Donald Holecek has become accustomed to living.

Sitting among stacks of papers, books and maps detailing Michigan, the founding director of MSU Travel, Tourism and Recreation Resource Center didn't find the room to hang the 2003 Lifetime Achievement Award he received from the Travel and Tourism Research Association. The plaque is sitting at home instead, he said.

"(He is) someone who personifies the fundamental mission of Travel and Tourism Research Association," said Ruth Nadler, chairperson of the association's Board of Directors in a written statement. "All appreciate his willingness to share unselfishly his extensive knowledge and expertise."

This is the first time the association has handed out the award in four years.

The association is made up of about 1,000 international travel research and marketing professionals.

"A lot of people they've awarded I've always admired," said Holecek, also a professor in the Department of Park, Recreation and Tourism Resources. "Being able to join that club is kind of neat."

Holecek's colleagues gave the association information without letting their boss know.

Keeping the award a secret was pretty easy, said Lori Martin, research and outreach specialist for the center.

Holecek had already left for the award conference when the association called Martin to get her input. It was only a matter of planning a surprise party for his return, she said.

Martin has worked with Holecek for three years and said he has done a great job bringing attention to the field.

"He's one of the main sources for travel and tourism," she said.

But before the center opened in 1985, Holecek didn't expect he would devote his life to the cool climate of Michigan.

Holecek received his bachelor's and master's from the University of Illinois and moved to California to earn his doctorate in natural resource economics from the University of California, Berkeley.

"I've always had an interest in recreation, but I never saw myself at MSU," he said.

Curious about learning more about recreation and discovering Michigan as the playground of the Midwest, Holecek joined the MSU faculty and quickly began working with other colleagues to discuss tourism at various conferences.

"We were looking for ways to diversify the economy and create jobs," he said. "It was desperately needed for the high levels of unemployment."

And that's where the idea for the center came from. With funding from MSU's Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station and MSU Extension, the center was created as a sort of information clearing house, Holecek said.

"(The information) wasn't something the everyday person could access," he said. "We didn't have Internet."

Ever since then, the center has served as both a research and outreach outlet for Michigan, Holecek said.

"This business is made up of a lot of ma and pop shops," he said, adding the center allows these Michigan businesses access to a variety of information that normally wouldn't be possible on a small budget.

The center has tracked hotel and motel taxes, gas prices and other tourism statistics for almost 20 years, something rarely heard of, Holecek said.

"It was always 'we've got this many people traveling this year' - nothing to compare," he said. "With that you can begin to see what the future might hold."