Alumni Update
Alumni Organization Honors Alumni and Faculty Members
The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Alumni Organization recognized several individuals for their contributions to the college and the alumni organization during a banquet held in their honor at the Inn at Virginia Tech and Skelton Conference Center on Oct. 12. For a complete listing of all alumni recognized, visit www.cals.vt.edu/alumni/awardrecipients/.
Hall of Fame
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| Richard Crowder |
Richard Crowder (Ag Econ ‘60, M.S. ‘62) of Alexandria, Va., was inducted into Virginia Tech’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Hall of Fame, which honors those individuals who exemplify career accomplishment and service to the college and university.
Ambassador Crowder currently serves as a special advisor for the Office of the United States Trade Representative. Most recently, he served as the USTR’s chief agriculture negotiator, where he was responsible for directing all U.S. agricultural trade negotiations worldwide.
“Dr. Crowder is an outstanding alumni ambassador for the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, and Virginia Tech,” said Kevin Boyle, professor and head of the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics. “He has used the education he received at Virginia Tech to launch an outstanding career as a corporate leader and a public servant to agricultural industries.”
Crowder has more than 30 years experience in the food, agriculture, and international trade sectors. Before joining the USTR, he was president of the American Seed Trade Association, and served in high-level executive positions at DEKALB Genetics Corporation, Armour Swift-Eckrich, and the Pillsbury Company. He also served as undersecretary of international affairs and commodity programs for the U.S. Department of Agriculture from 1989-1992, where he played leadership roles in negotiating on agricultural issues in the Uruguay Round of the GATT and managing the 1990 Farm Bill.
In 1999, Crowder established the “George T. and Estelle M. Crowder Scholarship Fund” in honor of his parents. The fund annually provides approximately $1,000 in scholarships for undergraduate students majoring in agricultural and applied economics. He also returns to campus periodically to present guest lectures to undergraduate and graduate classes.
Outstanding Recent Alumnus
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| Shane Horsley |
Shane Horsley (APSC ‘99, M.S. ‘01) of Virginia Beach, Va., received the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Recent Alumnus Award. Each year the Virginia Tech Alumni Association honors one recent alum from each academic college who has graduated within the past ten years.
“Shane represents the very best and richly deserves recognition from the college for his interest and support of Virginia and U.S. agriculture,” said Dan Eversole, associate professor of animal and poultry sciences.
As an undergraduate student, Horsley served as a teaching assistant for Introduction to Animal and Poultry Science Laboratory and Livestock Evaluation. He was a member of the livestock judging team and served as an ambassador for the Department of Animal and Poultry Sciences. While he was a graduate student, Horsley also served as a coach of Virginia Tech’s Intercollegiate Livestock Judging Team.
Upon graduation, Horsley went to work for Smithfield Beef Group, a subsidiary of Smithfield Foods in Green Bay, Wis., where he has held several positions including field representative, manager of production systems, and manager of contracting and producer relations. He currently serves as a cattle-feeding analyst in Smithfield, Va.
Horsley continues to be actively involved in alumni activities and is an avid supporter of Virginia Tech. He frequently attends alumni events and served as a showmanship judge for the Block and Bridle Club’s Annual Little International Livestock Show in 2006.
Outstanding Faculty Service Award
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| John Hess |
John Hess, professor emeritus in the Department of Biochemistry, received the Outstanding Faculty Service Award for his outstanding service and dedication to the college’s alumni. During his tenure as interim associate dean and director of academic programs for the college, Hess provided leadership and support to the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Alumni Organization as an ex-officio member of its board of directors.
Prior to his post as interim associate dean, Hess served as the head of the Department of Biochemistry for six years. He taught a wide range of courses at Virginia Tech, advised undergraduate and graduate students, and received significant awards for his research from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the National Institutes of Health. Hess retired last year after a 39-year career at Virginia Tech.
Outstanding Alumni Leadership Award
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| Robert Pitman |
Robert Pitman (AGE ‘70, M.S. ‘72) of Kilmarnock, Va., received the Outstanding Alumni Leadership Award for his long-standing leadership and service to the college’s alumni organization. Pitman is the superintendent of the Eastern Virginia Agricultural Research and Extension Center in Warsaw, Va., and served as president of the alumni organization during the 2005-06 year. As past president, he continues to serve as a member-at-large.
Pitman’s colleagues describe him as thoughtful and detail-oriented and say that he brings a great deal of leadership experience to the table. He was not only part of the planning committee for the Agriculture Quad print project to raise funds for scholarships but also chair of the scholarship committee. During his term as president, the organization’s Scramble for Scholars golf tournament successfully raised more than $7,000 for scholarships.
Outstanding Ambassador Award
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| Ashleigh Waddle |
Ashleigh Waddle (APSC ‘07) of Saltville, Va., was the recipient of the Outstanding Ambassador Award. Waddle was a college ambassador for three years, serving as president of the ambassadors in the 2005-06 academic year. Her contributions and leadership during this time extended beyond the college to reach the university and the local community.
Waddle was a member of the Student Alumni Associates, an official affiliate of the Virginia Tech Alumni Association. This group assists with various alumni programs and aims to better orient undergraduate students to the alumni association’s programs. As a national collegiate agriculture ambassador with the Collegiate Future Farmers of America, she also gave presentations to interested parties about the agriculture industry. Waddle served as coordinator of the student track at the National Agriculture Alumni and Development Association annual conference. She was an orientation leader, a member of the Dairy Club and Alpha Chi Omega, and a volunteer with Southwest Virginia Big Brothers Big Sisters and Team in Training.
Latham Awarded Virginia Tech’s Top Accolade
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| William Latham is presented the William H. Ruffner Medal during the university’s commencement ceremony. |
Entrepreneur, philanthropist, and college alumnus William C. Latham (AG ‘55) received the 2007 William H. Ruffner Medal, the university’s most prestigious honor. The Ruffner Medal is awarded annually to recognize individuals who have performed notable and distinguished service to the university.
Latham has served Virginia Tech and the college for more than 50 years. Virginia governors Charles Robb and James Gilmore appointed Latham to two terms on the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors where he served as vice rector. He is an active member of the William Preston Society, has served on the National Leadership Campaign Committee for the Alumni and Conference Center, and has participated in prominent leadership roles in Virginia Tech’s two prior capital campaigns.
Latham continues his tradition of service today. He and his wife, Betty, currently serve as co-chairs for the college’s campaign steering committee. The Latham family’s generosity to Virginia Tech is evident in scholarships, research, and the agriculture research building, which bears the Latham name.
Summer Around the Drillfield
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| Participants isolate their own DNA from cells taken from inside their mouths. The DNA is then captured in glass vials to hang from a necklace. |
The colleges of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Natural Resources, and Veterinary Medicine co-hosted the Virginia Tech Alumni Association’s Summer Around the Drillfield event on July 5-7. Several college faculty members and graduate students graciously donated their time to showcase their laboratories, research, and knowledge on topics related to global health to the 37 attendees. The program provided participants with a glimpse into the world of food safety, obesity, biological control of invasive forest pests, physiological ecology and wildlife ecotoxicology, using autonomous aircraft to track plant pathogens, and the control of avian influenza, to name just a few of the topics. The event provided an opportunity to illustrate to alumni the collaborative research efforts going on across the university.
$8,000 Raised for Scholarships
On a foggy August morning, 78 golfers teed off at the Third Annual CALS Alumni Organization Scramble for Scholars Golf Tournament. The tournament, sponsored by Farm Credit Country Mortgages, was held at the Pete Dye River Course of Virginia Tech as part of the college’s homecoming festivities. The numbers of players and sponsorships have continued to increase each year of the tournament. This year, nearly $8,000 was raised for student scholarships. The monies will be distributed among multiple undergraduate recipients in the college next fall and to college memorial funds established in memory of victims of April 16.
Many thanks go out to our sponsors:
Platinum Sponsor
Farm Credit Country Mortgages
Gold Sponsor
Helena Chemical Company
Maroon Sponsors
First Systems Resources, Inc.
Monsanto
Perdue Farms
Nutrient PLUS
Virginia Farm Bureau
Orange Sponsors
Burleson Enterprises, Inc.
Cotton Plains Farm
Farmers Service Co.
FastSigns
First Bank and Trust Company
Glenmary Farm, LLC
New Peoples Bank
Syngenta Crop Protection
Virginia Poultry Federation
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| The New Peoples Bank golf team of Honaker, Va., topped the tournament. Team members included Tim Arrington, Bill Fleenor, Tom Allen, and Tim Jessee. |
Old Guard Reunion
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The college hosted an alumni breakfast for Old Guard members during their annual reunion on May 17 at The Inn at Virginia Tech and Skelton Conference Center. Alumni who graduated from the university 50 or more years ago qualify as Old Guard members.
More than 58 alumni and their spouses attended the annual event. Mary Marchant, associate dean of academic programs, provided an update on the departments, current major research initiatives, and undergraduate student enrollment in the college. In addition to the college breakfast, participants received updates from various university programs, toured Lane Stadium, and attended the Old Guard banquet.
Alumni Gather at College Homecoming Festivities
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| Alumni got to putt for apples during the homecoming tailgate festivities. The putting green was provided by The Department of Crop and Soil Environmental Sciences. |
The college kicked off homecoming with an alumni dinner on August 31. Fifty-five alumni, students, faculty members, and friends of the college attended the dinner at Owens Banquet Hall. Attendees bid on silent auction items with funds benefiting the College Ambassadors. The $1,084 raised will help send members of the organization to the National Agriculture Ambassadors Conference in Raleigh, N.C., in January.
Nearly 200 alumni, faculty and staff members, students, and friends of the college were in attendance for the pregame tailgate that included a meal, a visit from the HokieBird, and department and college displays. New to the tailgate this year were a remote broadcast from PSK 107.9 FM and Scotty’s TV with large-screen televisions and video gaming. The college pregame tailgates continue to have the generous sponsorship of Smithfield Foods and First Bank and Trust Company.