Ken Bovard, Retire Professor and Community Leader, Dies at 73

BLACKSBURG, Va., Feb. 6, 2002 -- Kenly P. Bovard, retired associate professor of animal science and a respected community leader concerned with scouting and issues related to mental retardation, died Tuesday at the age of 73.

Bovard joined the faculty at Virginia Tech in 1957 as an animal breeder and geneticist. He conducted cattle breeding research as a university faculty member at a federal research station in Front Royal until 1973, when he began similar research and took up teaching duties on the university's main campus.

Among the research projects he worked on were a number involving the management of dwarfism in Hereford cattle, and projects to improve the genetic vigor of various cattle breeds.

"He had a great heart in him," said Ike Eller, a former colleague. "He was the most helpful fellow you could want to meet. He was a real joy."

Bovard's empathy for others was reflected in his participation in community activities. He was a scoutmaster for a Boy Scout troop in Front Royal for seven years, and remained active in scouting in the New River District of the Blue Ridge Council.

"Ken worked on the district committee, raising funds for scouting," said Larry Moore, professor of plant pathology, physiology and weed science and a scouting volunteer. "He received the Silver Beaver, the highest award to a volunteer in the council. He was a special person, and he will be missed."

Bovard served as president of the Warren County and the New River Valley local units and the state organization of the Association for Retarded Citizens. He served on the board of directors for Camp Virginia Jaycees in Blue Ridge, on the board for Valley Home Inc. in Radford, and on the board for the New River Valley Workshop in Radford. He also served on a number of statewide advisory commissions concerned with mental retardation and developmental disabilities.

"Ken was so deserving of recognition for all that he did," said Bob Huff, former executive director of the New River Valley Workshop. "He was such a hard worker. When he was involved in something, he was very active. He never slowed down when it came to advocating and providing services to people with disabilities."

Upon his retirement from the Virginia Tech faculty in 1988, Bovard took up duties as federal excess property manager for the Virginia Agricultural Experiment Station. The job entailed finding tools, vehicles, and other equipment being discarded by federal agencies and matching it to the needs of academic departments on campus and agricultural research and extension centers across the state. He retired from that position in 1999.

Bovard earned his bachelor's degree from Cornell University, and his master's and doctorate degrees from Iowa State University. He was named a Fellow by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and he was a member of the American Society of Animal Science, the American Genetic Association, and the Virginia Academy of Science.

He is survived by his sons, David and James, and his daughter, Kathy.