Make Plans to Attend the College
Homecoming Celebration
on September 22-23
You are invited to join the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences as it celebrates homecoming and the dedication of Latham Hall jointly with the College of Natural Resources on September 22 and 23.
The second annual “Scramble for Scholars” Golf Tournament sponsored by Farm Credit Country Mortgages will be held on September 22 at the Pete Dye River Course of Virginia Tech. Brush off your clubs and form a team to help raise money for CALS Alumni Organization scholarships. The captain’s choice tournament will begin with a shotgun start at 8:30 a.m. Awards will be presented and a light reception will be held following the completion of the tournament.
Then head back to campus Friday afternoon for the grand opening and dedication of Latham Hall, the new agriculture and natural resources research building. Building tours will be given from 1:30 p.m. until 3:45 p.m. to highlight the research activities in the building. The dedication ceremony and reception follow at 4:30 p.m. Friday evening, starting at 6:30 p.m., join the College Alumni Organization for a dinner hosted by the college at the Alphin-Stuart Livestock Teaching Arena. Bid on items in the silent auction with proceeds benefiting the college ambassadors. A number of auction items can be viewed online at www.cals.vt.edu/alumni. If you have an item you would like to donate to the auction, please contact Jamie Lucero at jlucero@vt.edu or (540) 31-9666.
On Saturday morning, beginning at 10:30 a.m., join us for a joint pregame tailgate with the College of Natural Resources at the entrance of Litton-Reaves Hall. Browse the department and college displays; enjoy a catered meal (meats, sides, desserts, and drinks included) sponsored by Smithfield Foods; First Bank and Trust company, and college student animations, and reminisce with fellow alumni from the Colleges of Agriculture and Life Sciences and Natural Resources. You might even meet the Hokie Bird! Then cheer the Hokies on to a victory over Cincinnati. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Registration ($10 adults, $5 children 12 and under) is required for the tailgate.
For complete homecoming event details and to register for all of the festivities, including the tailgate and golf tournament, go to www.alumni.vt.edu/ reunion/CALS/index. html. Any changes to the schedule can be found at this website.
We hope to see you in September! Go Hokies!
Burruss Hall Gets an America’s Anniversary Garden
Virginia Tech joined the commemoration of the nation’s 400th anniversary with an America’s Anniversary Garden™ planted on May 12. Virginia Tech President Charles W. Steger and Dean Sharron Quisenberry of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences put the finishing touches on a patriotic color-themed garden located in the front of Burruss Hall. Looking on were Mary Marchant, associate dean and director of academic programs, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences; Virginia Tech Provost Mark McNamee; Craig Nessler, associate dean and director of research, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences; and Dave Close, state master gardener coordinator. A second on-campus garden was planted at the Hahn Horticulture Garden. For more information about the America’s Anniversary Gardentm program and to see other garden projects from across the state, visit www.ext.vt.edu/americasgarden.
$5 Million Gift to Support New Research Building
Elizabeth and William Latham
Researchers and students in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences will receive critical support in their quest for new knowledge with a $5 million gift from William and Elizabeth Latham of Haymarket, Va. The Lathams’ gift creates an endowment to support academic research in the college.
Bill, a 1955 graduate of Virginia Tech in general agriculture, and Betty Latham hope their commitment to the university will inspire others to be philanthropic. “We are proud to foster the tremendous interdisciplinary research in the college; aid researchers in their work; and support students’ learning experiences, says Bill.
In recognition of this gift and the Lathams’ life-long commitment to service and philanthropy to the university, the new 85,000-square-foot research building located between Cheatham and Smyth halls will be named the William C. and Elizabeth H. Latham Agriculture and Natural Resources Building. A dedication ceremony for Latham Hall, as the building will be commonly known, is scheduled for September 22, 2006.
The endowment will provide college researchers with laboratory equipment, undergraduate research stipends, graduate student fellowships, and other forms of support that are critically needed to advance the pursuit of new knowledge and discoveries. “Latham Hall will serve as a hub of plant science research that will aid in the recruitment and retention of world-class faculty, and provide a beneficial environment to train a future workforce,” says Dean Sharron Quisenberry.
The Lathams have made several other significant contributions to Virginia Tech, including those to enhance the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the livestock-teaching arena, and to the Northern Virginia 4-H Educational Center. They have provided funds for the William C. and Elizabeth H. Latham Histopathology Laboratory in the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine Teaching Hospital, and established the William C. and Elizabeth H. Latham Scholar-in-Residence Endowment for the Virginia Center for Civil War Studies. The university has also benefited from their support to the alumni and conference center, to WVTFFM public radio, and to athletic programs and scholarships for student athletes.
For many years, Bill Latham, who served two terms on the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors, operated Waterloo Farm, a 700-acre dairy and general farm, where he and Betty raised four children. Betty Latham, a native of Radford, Va., graduated from New York University. In 1973, The Lathams founded Budget Motels, Inc., which currently owns and operates one Comfort Inn and nine Days Inns.