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Volume 10 Number 2 Summer 2001

BY TOM CAMPBELLSpring break in Costa Rica, with its miles of black

volcanic sand beaches, means perfect waves arelittered with surfer dudes from all over the globe. Thesky is clean and cloudless. Temperatures meander intothe mid-90s each day, and humidity hangs right there,too. And boy, is it cheap.

A group of Purdue students and staff from theDepartment of Forestry and Natural Resources foundaccommodations ($15 a night) that were perfectlypriced for their college crowd. Bring in a couple ofrock bands nobody has ever heard of, and you’ve gotyourself a Spring Break MTV special.

But for these six people, Costa Rica was anythingbut a beach party. They were in the heart of CentralAmerica to build 50 sets of desks and chairs forschool children. The furniture would utilizetechnology developed at Purdue to create inexpensivefurniture able to withstand Costa Rica’s relentless heatand humidity, not to mention the steady abuseprovided by elementary school students.

An advance group of three travelers — assistantprofessor Rado Gazo, graduate student HenryQuesada, and volunteer woodworker Bob Leavitt —arrived in the capital city of San Jose on March 2. Aneight-hour car ride on roads that would make amountain trail look like the Autobahn got the group tothe work site, but it had none of the lumber and few ofthe tools promised them.

The lumber, 650 board feet of gmelina (pronouncedma-LEAN-ah) wood valued at about $300, was

donated by Steve Brunner, owner of the TropicalAmerican Tree Farm in Costa Rica. The wood wasdelivered to the work site near the town of Dominicalon the Pacific coast in January so it would be dryenough to cut and shape into the desks and chairs thegroup would assemble in March.

But now the wood was harder to find than a CostaRican icicle. It had vanished.

It seems the wood lacked the properpaperwork to be where it was. And with

neither the donor nor the Purdue contingenton site to explain the wood’s purpose, the

local police did what they thought wasproper … they arrested the lumber and

hauled it off to jail (really). It tooktwo jail cells to hold all the wood

that was supposed to makedesks and chairs for needy

school children.Quesada (pronounced

KAY-sada), a CostaRican native, had spentthe better part of thepast seven monthsorganizing the details ofthe project as a majorpart of his master’sthesis about design of amanufacturing system

Woodworkers earn cheers for chairs

Continued on Page 2

photo by Eva Haviarova

for construction of school furniture.The technique uses standardized parts made with

simple tools from inexpensive wood that normallywouldn’t be satisfactory for making furniture. Thepieces fit together with round mortises and tenons,made using a deep hole saw attached to an electricmotor. The design takes advantage of the humidity,which destroys other furniture: After the desks andchairs are assembled, moisture causes the joints toswell, creating a strong, tight fit.

But instead of making school desks and chairs,Quesada spent his first day in Costa Rica making 30phone calls trying to locate the wood and expeditingits release from jail. He was unable to find thenecessary paperwork to appease the police, however,so new wood had to be purchased.

But new wood would still be wet when EvaHaviarova, manager of Purdue’s wood researchlaboratory, and undergraduates Ike Slaven and RyanBradford joined the group on March 9 to begin theirversion of Furniture Building 101, Caribbean style.

“It just made it difficult to work with,” says Leavitt.“Every time you would try to drill into it, water wouldsquirt out. Sanding all the wood took much more timethan we anticipated because of the moisture.”

So the crew was way behind schedule, even beforethey had begun. Locals, or Ticos, dropped by towatch. Gazo recognized the looks on their faces.

Chairs and desks built during spring break by a contingent from Purdue University’s Forestry and NaturalResources department will be able to stand the stress and strains applied by students like Natalie Salazar (left)and older sister Jennifer.

Mexico

CostaRica

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Credits

Letter to the Editor

Connections serves as an up-to-date medium forthe open exchange of ideas, information, opportu-nities and knowledge between Purdue University'sSchool of Agriculture and its extended family of

alumni and friends.

Purdue Agriculture Connections is published threetimes annually by the Purdue University Department ofAgricultural Communication for the Purdue AgriculturalAlumni Association. It is distributed free to more than40,000 School of Agriculture students, staff, alumni andfriends.

Send letters and editorial comments to Department ofAgricultural Communication, 1143 AGAD Building,West Lafayette, Ind. 47907-1143; (765) 494-8084.

Send questions about the association and addresschanges to the Agricultural Alumni Association,1140 AGAD Building, Room 1, West Lafayette, Ind.47907-1140; (765) 494-8593.

Donya Lester, Purdue Agricultural AlumniAssociation executive secretarydcl@agad.purdue.edu

Tom Campbell, BS’78, managing editortc@aes.purdue.edu

Christy Denault, editorMindy Jasmund, graphic designerFrank Koontz, editorMarian Sipes, production assistant

It is the policy of Purdue University that all persons shall have equalopportunity and access to the programs and facilities without regard torace, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, marital status, parentalstatus, sexual orientation, or disability. Purdue University is anAffirmative Action employer.

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“Nobody down there thought we couldaccomplish what we set out to do,” he says.“You could just see them scratch their heads andsay ‘crazy Americans, it will never work.’”

Perhaps they were crazy. A goal ofassembling 50 sets of desks and chairs in oneweek, under these circumstances, was, at theleast, ambitious. But the problems they facedbefore the first piece of wood was even cut onlystrengthened their resolve.

“It’s like playing cards,” says Slaven, ajunior. “You’ve got to do your best with thecards you are dealt.”

Says Gazo: “We used every single hour ofdaylight to work. If the sun was shining, wewere working.”

And boy, did the sun shine.“It was in the mid-90s every day,” Slaven

says. “We were all just coated with sweat andsawdust from head to toe.”

The Pacific Ocean, so close they could hear itwhenever the saws, drills and sanders were shutoff, became the world’s largest sawdust removalsystem. A saltwater bath left them feeling lessthan clean, but it was better by far than wearinga layer of sweat and sawdust.

“At the end of the day, I felt like I was wearing afur coat made of sawdust,” Slaven says.

Meanwhile, Quesada was making a valuable newfriend in Arturo Mora, owner of the only phone in theentire district and president of the local school’sparent/teacher organization. Mora was able to roundup several volunteers to help in the manufacturingprocess.

“They were great,” says Bradford, who also is ajunior. “They did a lot of the sanding. I’m not sure wecould have finished without them.”

The group did have some time to play tourist, butnot as much as planned.

“We thought we were going to work hard for fourdays and have the rest of the time to play,” saysBradford, a building construction management major.“It didn’t work out that way, though. We ended upworking most of the time, but that’s OK. After all,that’s what we were there for.”

“We reached our goal,” Gazo says with pride, “butit was like climbing Mt. Everest withoutoxygen, very difficult.”

Their hard work was rewarded with thegastronomic treasures of Costa Rica.

“We joked that we would like to eatcrocodile, snake, iguana and lobster while wewere there,” says Gazo. “Well, we got to trytwo of them.”

Fresh lobster was a treat, but the iguanawas the real surprise.

“Tastes like chicken,” says Slaven. “It wasgreat.” It’s no wonder the iguana is calledgallina de palo, or chicken of the tree.

But the real rewards came when theydelivered the finished furniture to the studentsat the Centro Educativo Baru.

“Before we could even get out of the truck,

all the kids came running out of theschool and pulled the chairs out of theback and started dragging them backinto the school. They were so excited tosee us,” says Bradford.

Adds Slaven: “Watching the kidssprint over, pick them up and drag themto the room was neat to see. They wereas happy as can be. When I was inschool and got new furniture, I couldcare less, but these kids were just sohappy. It was amazing. We weresuperheroes to them. That was a prettygood feeling.”

Maybe it would make a pretty goodMTV special after all.

Photo gallery available at: http://www.agriculture.purdue.edu/connections

Costa Rica continued from Page 1

photos by Rado Gazo

The mountain of tenons cut by Purdue junior Ike Slaven (left) produced 50 sets of desks and chairs made for schoolstudents in Costa Rica. Eva Haviarova, manager of Purdue’s wood research laboratory, sits with the proud newoccupant of new classroom furniture (right).

Wood originally donated for the project sits in a jail cell in Costa Rica(above). New furniture delivered to classrooms by Purdue graduatestudent Henry Quesada brightened not only the environment of the class,but also the eyes of the students (below left).

photo by Ryan Bradford

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BY STEVE LEERTwo School of Agriculture alumni

have been appointed to posts in the U.S.Department of Agriculture.

James R. Moseley,BS ’73, of Clarks Hill,Ind., a 1992 PurdueDistinguishedAgricultural Alumnus(DAA) and formerdirector of AgriculturalServices andRegulations in theSchool of Agriculture, has beenappointed to the second-highest positionin the USDA.

As deputy to Secretary of AgricultureAnn Veneman, Moseley will serve as anadvocate for U.S. farmers and assist informing agricultural policy.

After Moseley graduated from Purduewith a degree in horticulture, heestablished a thousand-acre grain andhog farm near Clarks Hill, an operationhe still oversees.

He served as an assistant secretary ofagriculture for natural resources — aposition now known as undersecretary ofagriculture — under President GeorgeBush from 1990 to 1992. He also servedas an adviser to William Reilly, formeradministrator of the U.S. EnvironmentalProtection Agency.

Moseley returned to Purdue in 1992,when he was named director ofAgricultural Services and Regulations.His responsibilities included representingthe School of Agriculture to the IndianaGeneral Assembly and Hoosieragricultural organizations, andadministering agricultural regulationsassigned to Purdue.

In 1997, he took part in the eight-month-long National EnvironmentalDialogue on Pork Production. As leadnegotiator for the National PorkProducers Council, Moseley workedwith federal and state environmentalofficials to develop a set ofenvironmental recommendations for thepork industry.

Purdue Dean of Agriculture VictorLechtenberg says Moseley’s wealth ofknowledge and skills will be an asset tothe USDA and American farmers.

J.B. Penn, PhD ’73, has been selectedundersecretary of agriculture for Farmand ForeignAgricultural Services.

Penn lives inMcLean, Va., and wasnamed a DAA in 2000.He is senior vicepresident of SparksCompanies Inc. and co-author of one of theleading textbooks on agricultural policy.

“J.B. is a key leader in agriculture andhas maintained close ties to academia,Purdue in particular,” says MarshallMartin, Purdue associate head ofagricultural economics who attendedgraduate school with Penn.

USDA names2 alums toD.C. posts

Three Indianaagricultural leadersreceived the Purdue AgAlumni Association’sCertificate of Distinctionduring the association’sannual fish fry.

This year’s honorees areDale Humphrey, a farmerfrom Springville, Ind.;Philip Nelson of West Lafayette, headof Purdue’s Department of FoodScience; and Robert M. Ritchie ofLafayette, professor emeritus of 4-Hyouth.

The Certificate of Distinction is thehighest honor presented by thePurdue Ag Alumni Association,recognizing individuals for service toagriculture above and beyond the callof duty.

• Humphrey, BS ’57, has been anowner and partner in a 2,000-acregrain and cattle farm in LawrenceCounty since 1959. He has providedservice and leadership to the agindustry on all levels, ranging frominvolvement on the Lawrence County4-H Fair Board to serving as presidentof the National Cattlemen’sAssociation.

• Nelson, BS ’56, PhD ’67, was

Ag Alumni honors three leadersdirector of Purdue’s FoodSciences Institute from1975 through 1983. He hasbeen head of theDepartment of FoodScience since it wasformed in 1984. UnderNelson’s guidance,undergraduate enrollmentin the department has

jumped from 60 students in 1993 to161 in 1999, with a 100 percent jobplacement rate.

• Ritchie, BS ’63, was a youtheducator and Extension director inGrant County for 15 years before hewas recruited to join the state 4-Hfaculty. Before his retirement in 1999,Ritchie generated more than $25,000in recurring scholarships forcollegebound 4-H youths.

BY STEVE TALLYFor the first time,

soybean farmers have away to fight back againsttheir No. 1 pest, thesoybean cyst nematode.

This tiny parasitic worm,often known simply asSCN, is a microscopicroundworm that infests theroots of soybeans. Theworms feed on the rootsand can cause up to a 40percent loss of yield in agrowing season.

Nationwide, the lossesfrom SCN are estimated tobe $270 million a year;losses in Indiana areestimated at $30 million to$50 million annually.

To seek an answer to thisproblem, Purdue scientistsformed a research team ofan agronomist, a nematologist, and two entomologists. Theycombined high-tech genomic techniques and years oftraditional bench science to develop a soybean gene line thatis completely resistant to nematodes. The technology wascalled CystX.

For their efforts, CystX team members received the 2001Agricultural Dean’s Team Award for outstanding researchconducted by an interdisciplinary team. Recipients of theaward are Jamal Faghihi, research nematologist in theDepartment of Entomology; Richard Vierling, adjunctassociate professor of agronomy and director of the IndianaCrop Improvement Association; Virginia Ferris, professor ofentomology; and, posthumously, John Ferris, professor ofentomology, who passed away in January 2000.

The award, which includes $10,000 to further research,was presented at a campus ceremony May 3.

CystX is a licensed and patent-protected soybean line thatcrop breeders can cross with elite, modern soybean varietiesto develop nematode-resistant soybeans. CystX technologyis available at low cost to seed companies. Some varieties arealready on the market, with many more soybean lines,including the top commercial lines, expected to includeCystX for the 2002 planting season.

Vic Lechtenberg, dean of agriculture at Purdue, says thatwhen people from different areas of expertise and differentdepartments come together to work on a problem, great

discoveries can be the result.“The Team Award is designed to encourage and reward

outstanding research, Extension, and education efforts thatwould not have happened without interdisciplinarycooperation,” Lechtenberg says. “The members of the CystXteam are to be commended for their collaborative efforts andfor an outstanding piece of science.”

To develop CystX, team members bred plants that were across of a nondomesticated soybean that is completelyresistant to nematodes and a domesticated variety thatproduces much better yields. They then used geneticmarkers to identify plants that contained the resistance geneand the desirable genes from the domesticated soybeans.The CystX line of soybeans was then crossed with otherlines through standard breeding practices.

“Strictly speaking, this isn’t old-fashioned plant breeding,because we used molecular markers to find the progenyplant line that had the resistance,” says Virginia Ferris. “Butthe breeding itself is just regular breeding, and this isn’t agenetically modified line of soybeans.”

Faghihi and John Ferris tested the CystX soybeans on 150populations of nematodes, including several highly virulentraces created in Ferris’ laboratory. “We’ve never found anypopulation that can overcome it,” Virginia Ferris says.

Purdue, the Indiana Soybean Board, and the NationalScience Foundation funded the CystX research.

CystX the name, nematodes the aim

CystX team members Jamal Faghihi, PhD’83 (top), Virginia Ferris and Rick Vierlingearned the Dean’s Team Award for their soybean cyst nematode research.

photo by Tom Campbell

RitchieNelsonHumphrey

Moseley

Penn

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BY STEVE TALLYA Purdue biochemistry professor has received the

2001 Agricultural Research Award from theuniversity’s School of Agriculture for a discovery thatmay open the door to producing new types of plasticsfrom plants.

The professor, Clint Chapple, and Knut Meyer ofDuPont and Co. have cloned a gene from the commonlaboratory plant Arabidopsis that will allow plants toproduce and store the raw materials for plastics incrops without damaging the plant’s health.

Currently, petroleum is used to make nearly allplastics. But crop plants such as corn or soybeans holdthe potential to provide the starting materials to makethe plastics we already have and to make new plasticswith never-before-seen properties, Chapple says.

A patent application, in which both Purdue andDuPont have rights, has been filed on the use of theArabidopsis gene for the production of monomers.

Plastics are produced by making chains ofcompounds derived from petroleum. Scientists callthese chains polymers, and the individual moleculesthat form the chain are called monomers.

“We have been historically limited by the numberof polymers that we can make from petroleum,”Chapple says.

“Plants are really amazing chemical factories thatproduce a mind-boggling number of interestingchemicals. We can exploit that ability by usinggenomics to identify the genes required to make thosecompounds and by using biotechnology to insert thegenes into crop plants.”

Until now, the problem has been getting plants tomake enough of these substances for the process to beeconomically viable, he says.

Fortunately, plants already have methods formaking and storing large amounts of compounds thathelp protect them from insects, disease and ultravioletradiation in sunlight. They do this by combining (or touse the scientists’ preferred term, conjugating) the

molecules with other molecules to produce compoundsthat are stored in small structures, called vacuoles,within the cells. The vacuoles isolate the compoundsfrom the rest of the biochemical processes going on inthe plant.

“We’ve now cloned a gene that produces anenzyme that is involved in conjugating thesecompounds in plants,” Chapple says.

Because plants produce such a wide variety ofnatural compounds, Chapple says new products thataren’t even being currently considered might soon bepossible.

“In the future, we may still use polyethylene tomake some plastics. But we may be able to develop

plastics with such special properties that we find newuses for them,” Chapple says. “Maybe it’s exactly theright compound to use in synthetic heart valves or inparts for jet aircraft, for example. It’s very exciting tothink about what may be possible with this research.”

Meyer says DuPont is constantly looking for newmonomers to build new plastics.

“DuPont produces nylon and many relatedproducts,” he says. “But some monomers are difficultto make from petroleum using traditional chemistry,so we’re looking at monomers produced in higherlevels in plants. Dr. Chapple’s work helps us stabilizethese monomers in plants and produce them at higherlevels.”

Biochemist Clint Chapple received a $1,000 honorarium and $5,000 in research funding as part of the 2001Agricultural Research Award. Chapple received the award May 8.

Plants could yield crop of plastic

photo by Tom Campbell

photos by Tom Campbell

A record two-day crowd ofabout 25,000 peopleparticipated in Purdue’s annualSpring Fest activities April 7-8.With a little help from spottersfrom the Department ofForestry and NaturalResources, Dorian Collins, 9,(above) learned how to climb atree. Anthony Haynes, 7, trieshis luck at cricket spitting(right). At the petting zoo,(center), David Kopp, 6, offershis arm to a millipede. Ji-YunLee, 5, (top right) keeps acautious eye on face-paintingartist JoAnne Fisher. A team ofpaleontology students put theirwits together to assemble theskeleton of a horse (far right).

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BY BETH FORBESIt was billed as “Hail to the

Chief,” but the precipitation fallinginside this years’ annual Ag AlumniAssociation Fish Fry took a more“fowl” form.

It seems you can take the fish outof Fish Fry, but you can’t take out thecorn.

In a salute to new PurdueUniversity President Martin C.Jischke — and our country’s new headof state, George W. Bush — the eventpoked fun at politics and presidents.With an impressive stage set, the frontof the armory was transformed into alikeness of Hovde Hall, complete with abald-headed eagle flying high over the podium. Charactersresembling former presidents Bill Clinton, Richard Nixon,Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan paraded around the room.

Lest President Jischke think he had a lock on his position, amock election was held, pitting “Slick Maurie Williamson”against “Frisky Jischke.” Throughout the lunch, voters werecalled to the stage to cast votes for president, in a voting booththat looked strangely like an outhouse. Surprisingly,Williamson was tallying up quite a lead.

Just when things looked bleak for the honored guest, President Jischke decidedto cast his vote. “I’m not worried at all,” he said. “I’m from Chicago.” Momentsafter entering the john — er booth — lights began to flash and his vote total startedquickly increasing. With a dramatic come-from-behind finish, Jischke waspronounced the winner by a single vote.

He was immediately whisked to the podium to take the oath of office. Earlier inthat same spot, the eagle overhead had relieved himself on treasurer Robert Ferling,causing him to give the “crappiest treasury report ever.” In order to protect PresidentJischke from such a fowl occurrence, an umbrella was found to shield the Purduechief from incoming bird droppings.

Pledging to uphold the reputation of the Ag Alumni Association, Jischke pausedjust once during the swearing in, asking, “Do I really have to preserve the ‘dignity’ ofthe Fish Fry?”

After taking his oath, Jischke took a few moments to reaffirm his support of theSchool of Agriculture. “Ag will always be one of our major focuses at Purdue,” hesaid.

Noting how Purdue has helped Indiana develop its agriculture, Jischke said theuniversity was ready to do even more for the state. “Today we would like to put ourmissions of education, research and outreach to work to help foster a new, high-technology economy in the state of Indiana,” he said. “And no university in the countryis better positioned than Purdue to play a major role in this knowledge-based economicdevelopment.”

Kicking off the lunch, Donya Lester, executive secretary of the association, surveyedthe 1,500 in attendance and announced that this was the third Ag Alumni event in the pastyear that had attracted more than 1,000 alums. The other events were the Ag Tailgate(Homecoming) and the Rose Bowl reception in Pasadena, Calif. This was the third year ina row the Fish Fry menu featured pork tenderloin furnished by Indiana Packers Corp.,Delphi, Ind.

Lester, who claims it is a rare moment when she has nothing to say, was surprised withher honorary Commissioner of Agriculture award. The presentation was to have beenmade by Lt. Gov. Joe Kernan, who missed this year’s event because his car was involvedin a minor traffic accident on the way to campus.

In addition to the Certificate of Distinction honorees, (see story on Page 3) others weresurprised with recognition of their efforts. Joan Hutsell, Purdue food stores clerk whohelped get the food donated for the event, received the Caroline Shearer Award “fordoing whatever it takes to get the job done.” And Purdue Musical Organizations headBrian Breed was made an honorary member of the Ag Alumni Association inrecognition of his contributions in support of agriculture.

View Jischke’s Fish Fry speech at: http://www.agriculture.purdue.edu/connectionsphotos by Tom Campbell

President Jischke and a pie-eyed

Dick Kohls share a laugh.

“Frisky Jischke” emerges from the voting booth with a one-vote“landslide” win over “Slick” Maurie Williamson in the mock election.

A back-handed gesture from President Jischke la

nded

pie all over would-be attacker Dick Kohls.

Dean Vic Lechtenberg presents Donya Lester anhonorary Commissioner of Agriculture award.

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Department

Notes

Agricultural CommunicationJennifer Doup, BS ’00, has joined the

department as a news writer. She hadpreviously been an agricultural reporterand broadcaster.

Agricultural EconomicsMichael E. Johnson received the

department award for outstanding PhDdissertation for 2000 for his dissertation“Adoption and Spillover of New CassavaTechnologies in West Africa:Econometric Models and HeterogeneousAgent Programming.”

Christine Welch Stair received thedepartment award for outstandingmaster’s thesis for 2000 for her thesis“An Economic Analysis of AlternativeMethods of Corn Rootworm Control:Soil Insecticides, Areawide PestManagement and Transgenics.”

Agricultural EducationElisha Priebe received an Indiana

Vocational Education PostsecondaryStudent Award for Excellence from theIndiana Commission on Vocational andTechnical Education. The award is basedon scholarship, character, leadership,employability and vocational skills.Priebe will graduate this month.

AgronomyBen Carter, BS ’72, has been

appointed assistant director of the CropDiagnostic Training Center in WestLafayette. While working on his master’sdegree, Carter will assist director GregWilloughby. Between 1,200 and 1,500people receive training each summer atthe facility and at two PurdueAgricultural Centers in northern andsouthern Indiana.

Animal SciencesProfessor Mark Diekman has received

the Faculty Citation Award fromVincennes University. Diekman, a 1968Vincennes graduate, was recognized forhis efforts in directing Purdue researchprograms in improving reproductiveefficiency in swine production and forserving as a liaison for students inagriculture transferring from Vincennesto Purdue.

Hilary Houin , a junior, and Angela

Jinks, a senior, have received the firstLOUJA Award for undergraduatestudents. Jake Krider, professoremeritus and former department head,established the $1,000 scholarship inmemory of his wife, Louise. The Kridershad established the LOUJA Awards forgraduate students in 1979.

BiochemistryBarbara Sanchez-Neri, a sophomore,

has received a $1,300 scholarship fromthe Hispanic Scholarship Fund madepossible by Bristol-Myers SquibbFoundation.

Botany and Plant PathologySteven Hallett and Kevin Gibson

have joined the staff as assistantprofessors of weed science. Hallett willresearch the biological control of weeds

BY TOM CAMPBELLJim Forney knows the task

ahead of him. The singlebiggest objective facing thenew head of Purdue’sDepartment of Biochemistryis to fill faculty positions.

“In the next three to fiveyears, based on the age of ourfaculty, we will be looking ata few retirements,” saysForney, who was appointeddepartment head in February.

“Coupled with the three openings we have rightnow, I think finding the right kind of people whowill really strengthen our department for the futureis the single biggest job ahead of me.”

Forney succeeds Mark Hermodson, who returns

to teaching and research after serving as departmenthead since 1981.

Forney, an avid runner in his spare time, joined thestaff in 1989 as an assistant professor, becameassociate professor in 1994 and professor in 1999. Hehopes to team with faculty to set and achievedepartment goals.

“The faculty must be involved in this process,because it will impact their most precious resource,how they spend their time,” Forney says.

“Departmental priorities should determine resourceallocations and influence decisions regarding newopportunities. Setting goals is the only way to gaugeprogress.”

While Forney looks to build the biochemistrydepartment from within, he also looks to furtherstrengthen its reputation by cooperating with othercampus departments.

“It’s important for me to help make sure thedepartment is interfacing with the new technologiesthat are going to be a part of biochemistry,” Forneysays.

“That may be accomplished, in part, by hiringpeople who are going to use those technologies andin part by just making sure we interact with peoplein analytical chemistry or engineering, for example,on campus, all those places that are going to bebringing new approaches to bear on biochemistry.”

Interdepartmental cooperation may be somethingthat comes naturally to Forney. His wife, Nanci, iscoordinator of student development for theKrannert School of Management. They have adaughter, Kristen, 17.

Forney can be reached at forney@purdue.edu

Biochemistry professor becomes head of department

Home heating oil using 20 percent soybean oil earned this trio of Purdue seniors the top prize of $4,800 in theseventh annual New Uses for Soybeans contest. Team members are (from left to right) Louis Cassens of WestLafayette, Matt Peter of Odon, Ind., and Rebekah Kennedy of Akron, Ohio. The blended oil would cost about 10percent less than fuel oil alone and, according to Peter, could create a potential market for more than 222million bushels of soybeans. The competition is sponsored by Purdue and the Indiana Soybean Council.

photo by Tom Campbell

Forney

Continued on Page 7

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Ross, who also serves as president of theNoblesville Senior Citizens organization, never wouldhave become a teacher had he been able to find a jobafter graduating at the top of the 1933 Pinnell HighSchool class of 15 students.

“It was the Depression,” Ross says. “I worked onthe family farm for two years. All the money I wasmaking was going right back into the farm, so Idecided to go to college. I had no money to go toschool, so I had to work the whole time I was atPurdue.

“I did everything from cutting grass to working inthe Memorial Union. In fact, I’ll bet I washed everywindow and wall in that place. And I did it all for 25-cents an hour.”

Ross also farmed while he taught, working a 110-acre farm in Clinton County where he raised corn,wheat, soybeans and clover, in addition to milking 20head of dairy cows and feeding 150 head of hogs. Acombination of bad prices, poor health and long hoursdrove him out of the farming business, but not out ofteaching.

Until his retirement in 1975, Ross taught vocationalagriculture and biology in four different Indianaschool systems, most recently serving a 16-year stintat Sheridan High School.

A substitute at the Noblesville schools for the past26 years, Ross has no immediate plans to retire. Afterall, how many teachers can boast of having theopportunity to teach their own grandchildren (Brian isa freshman) in high school?

“I tell these kids there’s no reason, what with theadvances in medical sciences, they can’t live to be 120years old,” Ross says.

“I’d like to think I can live to be 100 and teach untilI’m 90. I don’t see anything wrong with that.”

Neither does Noblesville High School principalTony Cook.

“The students really seem to enjoy having Noblearound,” says Cook.

“Some of the great experiences he has had in hislife, he shares with them on a daily basis. Many of thestudents in the high school have had Mr. Ross as asubstitute going all the way back to their elementaryschool days, through middle school, and now they arestill learning from him here at the high school level.

“So many of them have formed a bond with Mr.Ross, not only as a teacher, but as a friend, too.”

Contact Ross at: pluto@indy.net

Someone you would like to see profiled in“UNRETIRED?” Send suggestions to: Connectionseditor, 1143 Agricultural Administration Building,Room 204, West Lafayette, Ind. 47907-1143, ore-mail: tc@aes.purdue.edu.

“Unretired” continued from coverwith emphasis on the discovery anddevelopment of bioherbicides. Gibson’sresearch will be in the area of weedecology and control. Both also will teach.

Food ScienceDepartment Head Philip E. Nelson,

BS ’56, PhD ’67, has been named aFellow of the Institute of Food Scienceand Technology (United Kingdom).Founded in 1964, the institute has aworldwide membership and serves thepublic interest by furthering theapplication of science and technology toall aspects of the supply of safe,wholesome, nutritious and attractivefood.

Bruce Applegate, a food microbiologist,has joined the department as an assistantprofessor. Applegate has also received anAgricultural Research Programassistantship. Assistantships help newfaculty build their research programs byproviding support for graduate studentresearch. A primary objective of theassistantship program is to promoteresearch ideas that may be developed intoproposals for outside funding.

Professor Bruce Watkins received$99,425 as part of the 2000 TraskTechnology Innovation Awards. Watkins’research is in nutraceuticals astherapeutic agents for bone health anddiseases. The Technology InnovationAwards program is a continuation of theTrask program, established in 1974 tosupport short-term projects that willenhance the value of intellectual propertydisclosed to the Purdue ResearchFoundation. Awards in the program areup to $100,000 for a period of one year.Watkins is one of 13 principalinvestigators to receive the award in2000.

Forestry and NaturalResources

Professor Carl Eckelman and EvaHaviarova, manager of the WoodResearch Lab, were awarded theWoodworkers Helping Others Award for

creating school furniture that helpsdeveloping countries use local labor andmaterials to build inexpensive desks andchairs (see story on Page 1). The awardwas presented at the 2000 MidwestExtravaganza.

Horticulture and LandscapeArchitecture

The American Horticulture Society hasnamed Professor Jules Janick, MS ’52,PhD ’54, winner of its 2001 horticulturewriting award. Janick, the James TroopDistinguished Professor of Horticulture,has authored or co-authored nearly 100volumes covering horticultural subjects,including books, monographs, journals,reviews and various collections. He alsohas written some 20 book chapters andhundreds of scientific papers. Janick,director of the Indiana Center for NewCrops and Plant Products, holds six U.S.patents for horticultural technologies and17 plant patents.

Assistant Professor Angus Murphy isinvestigating how the plant hormoneauxin is transported within tissues andbetween cells. Auxin plays a major rolein regulating many aspects of plantgrowth and development, includingelongation, branching, fruit developmentand rooting. Murphy joined the faculty inJanuary. He was an assistant researchbiologist at the University of California,Santa Cruz.

Professor Bob Joly received the 2000Regional Food and Agricultural SciencesExcellence in College Teaching Award.Joly received the award at the annualmeeting of the National Association ofState Universities and Land GrantColleges in San Antonio, Texas.

For his work in historical preservationin Lafayette, Ind., architect and urbanplanner Kent Schuette has earned the2001 Suzanne Stafford Award, presentedby the Tippecanoe Arts Federation. Theaward, named after a former director ofthe Lafayette Museum of Art, ispresented to an outstanding localvolunteer in the arts.

photo by Tom Campbell

John Nidlinger, BS ’76, on June 4 will becomeIndiana’s executive director for the Farm ServiceAgency. The Decatur, Ind., farmer already has setsome lofty personal goals.

“I know things are going to be rather hectic in thefirst year, but I would like to try and visit everycounty office as soon as possible and meet the countycommittees within the first 12 or 14 months,” hesays.

Nidlinger, who served as agriculture liaison forSen. Richard Lugar from 1990 to 2001, will continueto operate his 2,300-acre family farm near Decatur.

He also has served on the American Farm Bureausoybean and wheat advisory committees and the

Nidlinger

Dean’s Advisory Council and theFarm Policy Group at Purdue.

The Farm Service Agencyworks to ensure the well-beingof American agriculture, theenvironment and the Americanpublic through efficient andequitable administration of farmcommodity programs, farmownership, operating and emergency loans,conservation and environmental programs,emergency and disaster assistance, domestic andinternational food assistance, and international exportcredit programs.

Nidlinger takes charge of state FSA

Amy Petersen, wants to go to Purdue to become ateacher. But she says she won’t teach as long as NobleRoss, now in his eighth decade as an educator.

Notes continued from Page 6

8

Alumni Profile:Simeon, MS ’83, PhD ’87, and Mamou Ehui, MS ’85, PhD ’89

their union.On a return trip home in 1989, the couple

celebrated their union with family members.Simeon and Mamou were celebrated (again)in a civil ceremony (Sept. 23), officiallyrecognized by the government. That waspreceded by a traditional wedding on Sept. 16,performed only after the bride has beensecluded indoors for one week, pampered andpreened by family members, as per custom.

“After all of that,” Mamou jokes, “I don’tthink it is even possible for us to get adivorce.” At least not without causing aninternational incident that would send courtclerks on two continents on a paper chase thatcould take years to unravel.

They have kept their family (daughter,Marie Danielle, 4) together by long-distancephone calls several times a week and byoccasional visits that test theirresourcefulness.

Simeon recently logged more than a fewfrequent flyer miles on a business trip to Peruby laying over in Washington on the way backto Ethiopia to spend time with Mamou.

“We seem to meet quite a bit in airports,”jokes Mamou.

But Simeon, to say the least, is resourceful.How else would you describe a man whosaved enough of his own money to buyhimself a bicycle at the age of 12?

Or secured a gift of $40,000 from Rotaryclubs in Lafayette and Carmel, Cal., to feedvictims of the border war between Ethiopiaand Eritrea?

Simeon and Mamou are now trying tofigure out how to use some of their income toestablish a scholarship program to sendpromising Africans to the United States tostudy, in much the same way they did in the’80s.

“I come from a very modest family,”Simeon admits. “If I had not gottenscholarships to go to primary and secondaryschools and the university, I would probablybe somewhere back in Ivory Coast doingalmost nothing. I was a lucky one. Being inthe position that I am, and, thank God, I amearning a decent income, I can help otherswho have not been as fortunate as myself.”

To date, Simeon has helped three studentsfurther their education in the United States, atPurdue, Cornell and Williams College.

But none of those is as important as thefirst person he helped to take advantage of theAmerican education system, his girlfriend,Mamou Kouyate.

Mamou was a year behind Simeon at theNational University of Cote d’Ivoire, studyingagricultural economics while looking for away to be reunited with him in the UnitedStates.

Simeon had already graduated with honorsfrom the same school and had spent time inCalifornia sharpening his English skills beforestarting graduate work at Purdue in 1981.

A year later, Mamou graduated and beganto look for scholarship assistance that wouldenable her to join Simeon in the United States.

But the best she could find was a FordFoundation grant to attend the University ofIllinois. Simeon and Mamou were now on thesame continent, but separated by 90 miles offarmland. Then, a meeting with matchmakerLowell Hardin, BS ’39, got them on the same

Worldly couple overcomes distance, separationBY TOM CAMPBELL

Simeon and Mamou Ehui (pronouncedEH-whey) have a marriage that distancecannot destroy. Which is a good thing.

They are separated by eight time zones and8,000 miles. Simeon, MS ’83, PhD ’87, isleader of the livestock policy analysisprogram for the International LivestockResearch Institute in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

His wife of 17 years (or 12 years, by somereckoning...but more on that later), Mamou,MS ’85, PhD ’89, is an agricultural economistwith specific interests in marketing, economicdevelopment and policy research. She worksfor the United Nations EconomicCommission for Africa in Addis Ababa,although she is currently on a 12-monthexchange with the World Bank inWashington, D.C.

That kind of separation would put a strainon any relationship. But Mamou jokes thatthey probably couldn’t get a divorce, even ifthey wanted.

Simeon and Mamou, both 43, wererecently reunited on campus to accept theirDistinguished Agricultural Alumni Awards,the first couple to be so honored by thePurdue School of Agriculture.

They began dating as undergraduatestudents at the National University of Coted’Ivoire (the French name for Ivory Coast) inAbidjan in 1978. The Ivory Coast is a countryof 16 million people speaking 60 differentlanguages located on the western edge ofAfrica.

“I knew from the beginning that we weremeant for each other,” Mamou says.

She followed him to Purdue, where theyboth pursued their postgraduate degrees. Theyshared the common dream of returning to theIvory Coast to teach and research agriculturaleconomics.

In the eyes of Judge David J. Crouse andtwo witnesses, Simeon and Mamou weremarried March 5, 1984, in the TippecanoeCounty Courthouse, just across the WabashRiver from Purdue’s West Lafayette campus.

But in their celebration (a quiet dinner ofChinese food provided by the two witnesses),the Ehuis neglected to inform the Ivory CoastEmbassy in Washington, D.C., of theirnuptials. So what Judge Crouse had done, theIvory Coast government didn’t exactly putasunder, it simply did not officially recognize

According to the Office of the Registrar,103 students representing 30 African nationsare enrolled at Purdue University. Bycomparison, Purdue’s largest contingents offoreign students hail from India (808), China(695) and South Korea (496).

Nation No. of studentsat Purdue

1. Kenya 152. Nigeria 143. Ghana 134. Ethiopia 75. Republic of S. Africa 56. Sudan 57. Cote d’Ivoire 48. Zimbabwe 49. Mali 310. Niger 311. Tanzania 3

Continued on Page 9

African enrollment

Simeon and Mamou Ehui returned to campus in April to be honored as Distinguished Ag Alumni.photo by Tom Campbell

9

1960s

1970s

1940s

campus.In the early ’80s, Hardin, professor

emeritus of agricultural economics andassistant director of Purdue’s InternationalPrograms in Agriculture, was chairman ofthe board of the Ford Foundation’sAgricultural Development Councilcouncil.

“We’ve got to do what we can to getyou two together,” Hardin told thecouple. He arranged for her grant to betransferred to Purdue, where she appliedand was accepted, working withprofessor Paul Farris to investigateapproaches for measuring the efficiencyof marketing systems in developingcountries.

“Purdue was a wonderful place forus,” Mamou says. “We really enjoyedour time there. We made so many greatfriends while we were at Purdue.”

The feeling is mutual, according toWally Tyner, head of Purdue’sDepartment of AgriculturalEconomics.

“Simeon and Mamou certainly are amulti-dimensional couple,” saysTyner. “Both are extraordinarilyaccomplished in their professionalcareer and both are extraordinarilynice people. You don’t find too manylike them.”

Mamou did get her chance toreturn to the University of the IvoryCoast as an assistant professor whenshe taught for one year. Simeon, however,did not.

Just as he was finishing his PhD in 1987 working with professor Tom Hertel, the Rockefeller Foundationoffered a fellowship that would makeSimeon the first African assigned to aninternational agricultural research center(the International Institute of TropicalAgriculture in Ibadan, Nigeria.

“It really was an offer I could notrefuse,” says Simeon, who is responsiblefor the overall policy of the researchprograms of the institute, which aims toimprove the livelihood of the poorthroughout the world by improving theiraccess to technologies involvinglivestock.

Mamou’s career has beengroundbreaking, too.

In 1995, she became the first femalespecial assistant to the executivesecretary of the United NationsEconomic Commission for Africa, apost she held for five years.

Mamou’s appointment to the WorldBank ends this month. She looksforward to returning to her job with theUnited Nations and her family inEthiopia.

“It says so much about Mamou, butreally, about both of them, that she ismaking a professional sacrifice inorder to serve the family,” says Tyner.

Their return trip to campus toaccept the Distinguished AgriculturalAlumni Awards in April was the firstsince 1999 for Simeon, although theyboth remain in contact with theSchool of Agriculture throughseveral research projects his instituteoversees.

But if all goes as planned,Simeon and Mamou will be makingregular visits to campus around2015, about the time their daughterenrolls at Purdue.

“Oh, yes, Simeon boasts,“already she is a Boilermaker.”

Occupation: Coordinator,Livestock Policy AnalysisProgram, InternationalLivestock ResearchInstitute, Ethiopia

Purdue Degrees: MS ’83, PhD ’87,Agricultural Economics

Seven books recently read:1. The Path of Love by Deepak Chopra2. Leadership Is Common Sense by HermanCain3. The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Peopleby Stephen Covey4. Making Democracy Work by Robert Putman5. Va ou ton Coeur te porte (Go Where YourHeart Leads You) by Suzanna Tamaro6. En attendant le Vote des betes sauvages(While Awaiting the Voting of the Wild Beasts)by Amadou Kourouma

7. Trust the Social Virtues and the Creation ofProsperity by Francis Fukuyama

Contact Simeon at: s.ehui@cgiar.org

Personal Profile:Simeon K. Ehui

Occupation: Agricultural

economist with the United

Nations Economic

Commission for Africa,

currently on 12-month

sabbatical with the World Bank in

Washington, D.C.

Purdue Degrees: MS ’85, PhD ’89,

Agricultural Economics

Eight musical selections that

accompanied Mamou Ehui to

Washington

1. Gala d’anniversaire en direct du palais du

peuple by Bembeya Jazz National (music from

Guinea)

2. Les 4 etoiles by Eti-Edan (Democratic

Republic of Congo)

3. Fode by Kasse Mady (Mali)

4. Ritmo African Team by Grand Kalle (Demo-

cratic Republic of Congo)

5. Demission by Rochereau (Democratic

Republic of Congo)

6. Mwassa Makossa by Manyu Digbango

(Cameroon)

7. Melle Amy by Beny Bezy (Ivory Coast)

8. Sentimientos by Surazo (Peruvian instrumen-

tal music)

Contact Mamou at: mehui@hotmail.com

Personal Profile:

Mamou K. Ehui

Edgar Hackman, BS ’47,Seymour, Ind., received the Hardee’sAmerican Heritage Award at the110th annual InternationalAssociation of Fairs and Expositionsconference in Las Vegas, Nev. Theaward recognizes the achievementsof outstanding volunteer fairmanagers. Hackman has been amember of the Jackson County FairBoard for 47 years and has served aspresident, secretary-treasurer, anddirector-at-large. Individuals from 19different states have received theaward since it originated in 1994.Hackman is the first person fromIndiana and the first person fromZone 3, which consists of Indiana,Ohio, Kentucky, Michigan andOntario, Canada, to receive theaward.

Samuel Thompson, MS ’61,PhD ’65, Rebecca, Ga., is retired fromthe University of Georgia ExtensionService. He currently works with theBoy Scouts of America as SouthwestGeorgia Council vice president.

Alan Swartz, BS ’65, BuenaVista, Colo., was co-chairman of theNational Association of Extension4-H Agents 2000 Conference inDenver and is president of ParkCounty Vision 2020 SummitToastmasters.

Robert Harris , PhD ’66, Carmel,Ind., has been named a distinguishedprofessor at the Indiana UniversitySchool of Medicine.

Edward Beste, PhD ’71, andRobert D. Williams, PhD ’72, havebeen elected Fellows of the WeedScience Society of America. Bestedirects research and Extensionactivities in vegetables, small fruitsand ornamentals for the Universityof Maryland’s Lower Eastern ShoreResearch and Education Center.Williams is a plant physiologist withthe USDA-ARS Grassland ResearchLaboratory at El Reno, Okla.

Charles Tubesing, BS ’75,Chesterland, Ohio, has been electeda Fellow in the International PlantPropagators Society, Eastern Region(North America).

Jay Branson, BS ’76, Kildeer, Ill.,has joined DraftWorldwide as asenior vice president and director ofcorporate communications.

Continued on Page 10

Couple continued from Page 8

10

1990s

1980sDeaths

Gary Hohl, BS ’77, lives inSanta Claus, Ind., with hiswife, Mary, and son, Zachary.He has maintained a lawpractice since 1980. He alsocoaches high school footballand track and field at HeritageHills High School. In his sparetime, he collects prehistoricstone artifacts and modernIndian artwork.

Thomas H. Campbell,BS ’85, is a national accountmanager for Schering-PloughAnimal Health, a division ofSchering Corp. He lives inAnnandale, N.J., with hiswife, Susan, and two children,Brigid, 7, and William, 3.

Colleen (Yake) Wessel, BS ’85, Lisle, Ill., is directorof regional education for the13-state Midwest Region atColdwell Banker Real EstateCorp. She works with Web-based training and live coursesfor more than 6,000 real estateagents, managers and brokerseach year.

Anne Legere, PhD ’86, hasbeen elected a Fellow of theWeed Science Society ofAmerica. Legere is on leavefrom the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Research Centerin Saskatoon, Saskatchewan,where her research hasfocused on the dynamics ofweed communities in cerealand small grain crops undersustainable managementpractices.

Denise Jackson, BS ’88,Hailey, Idaho, became ownerof Altitude Designs LandscapeArchitecture and LandPlanning on Jan 1, 2000. Shehas been a Master of RuralCommunity Planning sinceDecember 1995.

Jerry Rusch, BS ’88, DVM’91, Orleans, Ind., became adiplomate with the AmericanBoard of VeterinaryPractitioners Beef CattleSpecialty after successfullycompleting boardcertification.

Ken Shaver, BS ’89, and hiswife, Lori (Fischer) Shaver,BS ’91, became the proudparents of Holly Elizabeth onDec. 28, 2000. Holly is theirsecond child. They live inCrawfordsville, Ind.

Jodi Bruggenschmidt,BS ’94, Jasper, Ind., marriedCraig Beaver on April 29,2000.

Roy Johnson, BS ’95,North Vernon, Ind., is anagricultural science andbusiness instructor and FFAadvisor at Jennings CountyHigh School in North Vernon.

Robert Chapman, BS ’96,Rolla, Mo., recentlycompleted his master’s degreein rangeland ecology andmanagement at OklahomaState University. He is awildlife management biologistwith the Missouri Departmentof Conservation in Rolla.

Six hundred and forty Purdue Agriculture alumni,the largest tour group in the school’s history, traveledto Pasadena for the nation’s greatest college footballevent, the Rose Bowl.

The Ag Alumni Association and the AgDevelopment Office organized the tour that sold 500packages within 24 hours of the conclusion of thePurdue/IU football game.

“Demand was tremendous,” said Donya Lester,executive secretary of the Ag Alumni Association.“We managed to secure another 140 packages afterthe first sellout, and they sold quickly too. My onlyregret was that we finally hit the wall on the numberof available packages, so we were unable to helpthose who called later. It’s the toughest game in thecountry to get tickets for.”

The four-day tour included round-trip travel,

Developmentscores bigat Rose Bowl

Julie Wiesehan, BS ’96,married Scott Matthys, BS’96, on April 7. They reside inNew Carlisle, Ind. Scott is apartner in S&S MatthysFarms, and Julie is anagricultural banking officer atFirst Source Bank in LaPorte.

Carla (Finke) Cole,BS ’98, and her husband, Jeff,just celebrated their firstwedding anniversary and nowlive in Shelbyville, Ind. Jeff isterritory manager for DowAgrosciences, and Carla isproduct manager for USFSurfact Preparation.

Kyle B. Mandeville,BS ’99, married Jill P.DeSutter, BA ’99, on

Jan. 15, 2000, and in July theymoved to Indianapolis, whereKyle started law school inAugust at the IU School ofLaw-Indianapolis.

Leonard J. Haverkamp,BS ’40, PhD ’47, OklahomaCity, Okla., passed away Dec.17, 2000.

Donald R. Sisson, BS ’49,Franklin, Ind., passed awayOct. 9, 2000.

Frank Swanson, BS ’50,Neoga, Ill., passed awayJuly 7, 2000.

hotel, the game, the Tournament of Roses Parade,float construction, a religious service and Glee Clubperformance at the Crystal Cathedral, lunch at KnottsBerry Farm, private concerts by the Glee Club, andspectacular California sunshine. Unfortunately, it didnot include a victory for the Boilermakers, who lost tothe University of Washington, 34-24.

Even so, what stood out most for many alumni wasthe chance to renew acquaintances with classmatesand even a few faculty members whom they’d notseen for decades.

“Housing the ag folk in two nearby hotels was agreat move,” said one alumnus. “It helped us to reallycatch up with friends.” Myron Davis, director of agdevelopment, said that what struck him was theabsence of serious problems.

Davis said events of this nature are important to

Purdue Agriculture’sdevelopment efforts.

“Purdue Agriculture’s philanthropy needs areserved any time we assemble groups of alumni andfriends. Our people are reminded of what Purduedid for them, they manage to catch up on currentcampus news and needs of the school, and theycatch a vision for where the school is headed,”Davis said.

“Alumni who understand what the school isdoing and how they can play a role are likely to getinvolved as donors. My job is to inform and givethem opportunities to step forward when needsarise.”

Contact Myron Davis at: mdavis@purdue.edu.

A Bit of History

Class Notes continued from Page 9

Entomology department head J.J. Davis uses a model of a tobacco hornwormlarva for a discussion with students in this 1939 photo. Davis and the studentsare long gone, but the model is still used today in class discussions.

Development

Notes

photo from the JC. Allen Archives

11

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Let your classmates know what you are doing through Class Notes. Include births, weddings, job changes,family, and community activities, etc. Please complete this form and send it to: Debby Jakes, PurdueAgricultural Alumni Association, 1140 AGAD, Room 1, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907-1140.Please specify the complete names of any acronyms you include in your news, because some may beunfamiliar to us or to our readers. You also may e-mail your Class Notes information to Debby at:djakes@agad.purdue.edu.

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A husband and wife from westernAfrica are the first couple to receivePurdue University’s prestigiousDistinguished Agricultural AlumniAward.

Simeon K. Ehui and his wife,Mamou K. Ehui, joined six otherhonorees receiving the award fromDean of Agriculture Vic Lechtenbergin ceremonies held on campus April20 (see related story on Page 8).

The Distinguished AgriculturalAlumni Award honors mid-careergraduates of the School of Agriculturewho have made significantcontributions to their profession or tosociety.

“This year’s eight distinguishedalumni are tremendous examples ofwhat it means to be successful.Through hard work and talent, eachone has made significantcontributions to his or her field,”Lechtenberg said. “We are proud tocall them alumni and pleased to honorthem with this award.”

This year’s award winnersrepresent wide geographical andprofessional backgrounds. Honoreesare from Indiana (2), Alabama,Colorado, California and Minnesota,as well as western Africa. Therecipients:

Simeon K. Ehui, MS ’83, PhD’87, is program leader for theInternational Livestock ResearchInstitute, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia,responsible for all ILRI research inthat area of western Africa.

Mamou K. Ehui, MS ’85, PhD’89, is an agricultural economist withinterests in economic developmentand policy issues. She has served asSpecial Assistant to the ExecutiveSecretary of the United NationsEconomic Commission for Africa.

Eight named distinguished alumni

Eric A. Brown , BS ’68, is groupvice president of Hormel Foods Corp.,Austin, Minn. A decorated VietnamWar veteran, Brown oversees both thegrocery products (SPAM, DintyMoore stew, Chi-Chi’s food products),and specialty products divisions (soupstocks and gelatin desserts) of thecompany. He and two brothers are co-owners of the 5,500-acre Tip TopFarms in his hometown of BattleGround, Ind.

John S. Castrale, BS ’76, anongame wildlife biologist fromMitchell, Ind., is an expert in therestoration of raptor populations,particularly peregrine falcons and baldeagles. Castrale works for the IndianaDepartment of Natural Resources,Division of Fish and Wildlife.

McArthur Floyd , MS ’74, PhD’76, has been research director andprofessor in the School of Agriculturaland Environmental Sciences atAlabama A&M University since

Autumn eventsbring alumnitogether

Purdue’s Ag Alumni office is coordinatinga pair of don’t-miss events in September —a bus trip to the opening football game ofthe season in Cincinnati and a reunion ofinternational alumni of the School ofAgriculture during the Farm Progress Show.

The overnight bus tour to attend theBoilermakers’ opening game at Cincinnati onSunday, Sept. 2, will kick off the 2001Purdue football season in a style befitting aRose Bowl team.

The tour will leave West Lafayette onSaturday, Sept. 1, and return on Sundayevening, following the game. Total tour pricehas not been finalized, but it is expected tobe approximately $150 per person based ondouble occupancy.

For more information on itinerary andregistration procedures, e-mail Debby Jakes,djakes@agad.purdue.edu, or call the AgAlumni office at (765) 494-8593. You canalso check the Web site atwww.agriculture.purdue.edu/agalumni/for a link to tour information.

Alumni attending the Farm Progress Showin Lafayette on Sept. 25-28 also are invitedto attend special international reunionevents scheduled Sept. 22-28.

Five days of tour activities are planned forSeptember 24-28. One tour day is devoted tothe facilities of the Purdue School ofAgriculture, including the research farms inthe Lafayette area. Two tour days, Sept. 25and 26, are scheduled for visiting the FarmProgress Show. Two days will be devoted toagricultural production and processingfacilities in northwest Indiana. Forinformation about registration, costs anditinerary, contact Donya Lester, executivesecretary of the Ag Alumni Association, at(765) 494-8593 or dcl@agad.purdue.edu.

1976. Floyd oversees more than 80ongoing research projects and 60graduate students.

Larry R. Rueff , BS ’76, DVM ’79,is the founder and president of SwineVeterinary Services, Greensburg, Ind.Rueff’s customers annually produceapproximately one million hogs.

Henry L. Shands, MS ’61, PhD’63, is the director of the NationalSeed Storage Laboratory, Fort Collins,Colo. He received the USDA SuperiorService Award in 2000.

Robert W. Wotzak, BS ’77,MS ’79, since 1999, has been vicepresident of research and developmentfor ConAgra Grocery Products Co.,Fullerton, Calif. In his first ninemonths with ConAgra, Wotzakproduced $4 million in savings,moved an entire department to anothercity, realigned the research anddevelopment department with thecompany, and launched 10 newsuccessful products.

Looking Ahead

Mamou K. Ehui

Henry L. ShandsMcArthur Floyd

Eric A. Brown John S. Castrale

Robert W. WotzakLarry R. Rueff

Simeon K. Ehui

12

Non-profit OrganizationU.S. Postage

PAIDPurdue University

BY

TO

M C

AM

PB

ELL

Noblesville H

igh School senior

Am

y Petersen flips through

the pages of her physics textbook, killing those long, lastm

oments of class before the bell sounds, triggering a stam

pedethat w

ill send 1,700 students scurrying out of their classrooms.

Petersen stops at a page about

gravity, complete w

ith a graphicexplaining G

alileo’s findings atItaly’s fam

ous Leaning Tower of

Pisa.“I’ve been there,” 87-year-old

substitute teacher Noble R

oss, BS

’39, MS

’59, tells Petersen.

At his age, som

e students may

believe Ross w

as at the bottom of

the tower catching objects G

alileodropped over the edge.

While that

is not true, Ross’ 60 years as an

educator do make him

a livinghistorical reference to students inthe N

oblesville school district justnorth of Indianapolis.

“It’s neat having someone like

Mr. R

oss as a substitute. He tells

us great stories,” says Petersen,

who plans follow

ing in Ross’

footsteps by pursuing a teachingdegree this fall at P

urdue.R

oss’ remarkable teaching

career, which began in 1939, recently drew

a comm

endationfrom

Indiana Gov. F

rank O’B

annon.“I am

impressed by your dedication to helping students

reach their full potential,” O’B

annon wrote in a letter to R

oss.“O

n behalf of the citizens of Indiana, thank you, Noble, for

Continued on P

age 7

• CystX team ally to soybean farmers Page 3

• Plants could yield crop of plastic Page 4

What’s inside:

photo provided

Simeon Ehui boasts that his daughter, Marie Danielle, 4, alreadyis a Boilermaker. Read about the distinguished alumnus on Page 8.

Living history, and teaching it, tooall that you have done and continue to do to help our childrenachieve their dream

s. Your students, and the S

tate of Indiana, arelucky to have you.”

His teaching style relies on his storytelling ability

, as he mixes

his lifetime of teaching, travel, learning and living into evenly

distributed doses of history, com

mon sense and subject m

atter.

“His stories aren’t just about w

hat he’s teaching, but about his

life experiences, too. T

hat’s what m

akes him so special,” says

Petersen.

photo by Tom C

ampbell

No

ble

Ro

ss, 87

, stays a

ctive a

s a su

bstitu

te te

ach

er in

No

ble

sville, In

d.