Biosystems & Ag Engineering
How Does Your
Department Grow?

From a 1950s focus on farm machinery (now “machine systems automated engineering”), the Department of Biosystems and Engineering (BAE) has expanded to include bioenvironmental engineering, thermal environmental engineering, and food and bioprocess engineering.

Impressive, right? But what does it all mean? It means that researchers are working on tractors that can drive themselves; machines that will pinpoint the section of your field that needs more nitrogen than the rest and apply it only there; and ways to fuel motor vehicles that will not harm the environment.

It also means that today’s BAE is working on the future, looking ahead based on a solid foundation of people, programs, and partnerships.

From early leaders like Blaine Parker, through such framers as John Walker, Joe Ross, Linus Walton, and now Larry Turner, student enrollment has increased and become more diverse, multi-cultural, and academically superior to similar programs around the United States. All this hasn’t happened by itself.

Build, and They Will Come

A great facility does not necessarily a great department make. But the modern and relatively new building that houses BAE has definitely played a part in the growing strength of the department.

Turner said that before 1990, BAE facilities were fairly antiquated. The new building has brought a dramatic increase in national recognition and the ability to do many things not possible before.

Walton echoes that attitude. “When we moved in 1990, our enrollment started to blossom because our facilities are state-of-the art and as good as there are in the country,” said Walton, who is now associate dean for administration for the College of Agriculture. “The building is 11 years old, and it’s still state-of-the-art. I think that’s a tribute to our engineers who worked with the architects, to have one they felt would be the best for a long time.”

The building was named this spring after retired dean Charles E. Barnhart, who led the UK College of Agriculture for 19 years and played a vital role in securing funding and providing administrative guidance for the building’s construction.

Walton said he doubts there’s ever been a building built on the UK campus where the faculty had such involvement as BAE engineers did, noting that similar departments around the country come to UK to tour the C.E. Barnhart Building before starting construction at their own institution.

Something to Brag About

If a department’s success can be tied to the quality of students it attracts, BAE has nothing to worry about. The department’s most significant bragging rights stem from five National Science Foundation Fellows choosing the department for graduate study.

And Turner and Walton don’t mind exercising those bragging rights.

“We are the only department of biosystems and agricultural engineering, or similar program, in the United States to receive such an honor,” Turner said. “Having these brilliant graduate students in our program is a tribute to the faculty and students of the department, as well as to the College and to UK.”

“I’m proud to say I’ve had every one of them [NSF Fellows] in class,” Walton said. “I’ve enjoyed them immensely.”

In 2000, BAE added 25 undergraduate students with an average ACT composite score of more than 27, proving the department is attracting top academic talent.

Each year student members of the American Society of Agricultural Engineers enter a design competition for which they design and build a quarter-scale pulling tractor, roughly the size of a lawn tractor, and take it to a national meeting. Each tractor costs more than $10,000 to build.

“It allows students to see their design and analyze it in terms of engineering components, the economy, the manufacturer, and the efficiency of the materials used to construct the project,” said Scott Shearer, associate professor in BAE and agricultural engineer. “Then they get to go into the shop and actually fabricate the tractor. They get their hands dirty to see what it takes to manufacture their project.”

The national competition includes a written and oral component as well as a tractor pull to actually put the tractor to work, all judged by professional engineers.

“Employers love students who have the experience of being involved in a project from start to finish — putting it together, testing it, prototyping it, and doing all the things they’ll be doing as engineers when they graduate and work in industry,” said Turner.

Behind Every Great Student . . .

Turner attributes much of the department’s academic successes to the impact of a great faculty and staff, many of whom are recognized nationally and internationally.

Case in point: Don Colliver, who recently became the first president-elect of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers to come from the agricultural engineering discipline.

“He developed design data for ASHRAE that all engineers use for designing heating and cooling loads throughout the world,” said Walton. “With 63,000 members, ASHRAE is one of the largest engineering organizations. That’s a feather in his cap.”

It’s not out of the ordinary for BAE faculty to be nationally recognized for their teaching and research. For example, in 2000 alone, Dwayne Edwards, professor, received the ASAE New Holland Young Researcher Award; Sue Nokes, associate professor, received the ASAE A.W. Farrall Young Educator Award as well as the UK Chancellor’s Outstanding Teacher Award for non-tenured faculty; and Tim Stombaugh, assistant Extension professor, received an ASAE award for a paper titled “Guidance Control of Agricultural Vehicles at High Field Speeds.”

Turner doesn’t take credit for assembling the group of accolade-collecting faculty. “It’s people like Blaine Parker, John Walker, Joe Ross, and Linus Walton who made this department what it is today. They recruited great people, and these awards showcase that,” he said.

Research and Outreach —A Strong Past,
Promising Future

Cutting-edge technology and research have been the hallmark of BAE. UK agricultural engineers were the ones who developed the first pasture renovator, the SEDCAD model for erosion control, and several tobacco production aids.

“We also had some success in tobacco research,” Walton recalled, somewhat tongue-in-cheek. “A team of Extension specialists and researchers from agronomy and BAE worked with farmers and industry cooperatives to develop baling of burley as a viable system. That is a breakthrough that saves a nickel a pound on the tobacco a farmer strips out there.” Even in today’s market of reduced poundages, that translates to $10 million annually.

Walton also said UK developed the methodology for curing tobacco outside under plastic without ever having to go to the barn, a system used all over the burley belt now.

According to Turner, the department traditionally has been strong in agriculturally related areas, like soil and water. Department faculty remain strong in programs in mine reclamation and similar subjects.

Precision agriculture is a research area in which BAE has taken center stage. Scott Shearer leads a College-wide group of researchers, working across such disciplines as BAE, agronomy, ag economics, and several others.

“Precision ag is something a lot of people around the country have thought is only for big farms, but that’s not the case; it has a lot to do with smaller farms as well,” Turner said. “Across the world there’s more and more interest in GIS (geographic information systems), GPS (global positioning systems), farm-to-table tracking — and it’s not only for economics but also for avoiding environmental problems.”

Precision agriculture affords a number of advantages that can save time and money. For starters, it can help the farmer minimize inputs and minimize chemical applications. It can optimize application of chemicals and fertilizers for spots just where it’s needed, as well as pinpoint the best land for certain crops.

The Ag Weather Center has turned into a major outreach effort for BAE. The Internet-based service provides ag weather information to 12 states, and the Web site gets over one million “hits” a month, according to Turner.

Other important research is being conducted in ground water modeling, solid phase fermentation, nutrient management, water systems and quality, biotechnology, bioprocessing, food engineering, and more.

BAE also collaborates with preventive medicine and health to look at tractor roll-over protection and rotary mower designs that include safety features.

Turner asserts that applying the research and knowledge from BAE in the state would be good for Kentucky’s economy. “We could draw companies to locate here using our research and technology, which could create many jobs in the state.”

BAE’s Hand in Establishing Farm Machinery Show

It began in a small Lexington tobacco warehouse in 1963 and has grown into a giant exhibition occupying one million square feet of the Kentucky Fair and Exposition Center. The National Farm Machinery Show annually features more than 800 exhibitors showing off the latest, most innovative and high-tech agricultural equipment in the nation. And BAE was involved at ground level.

In the late 1950s, the department was part of a joint project with electric cooperatives to educate farmers and students about electricity on the farm. Department chair Blaine Parker (his tenure would stretch from the late ’50s to the early ’70s) was interested in preserving that relationship.

So they planned an electricity demonstration and exhibit for farmers at a warehouse in west Lexington around 1963. Within two years it had grown to encompass more than electricity.

The organizing committee “wanted to expand it into a larger farm show to include all agricultural areas,” Parker said. “I told them if they wanted to attract farm people from outside Kentucky, we ought to call it the National Farm Machinery Show.”

The concept caught on, attracting farm machinery giant Allis Chalmers as its first major exhibitor.

The show was officially named in 1966; its name and focus have not changed since. “The sole purpose of the show is — and always was — to provide an education to farmers,” Parker added.

BAE still plays a role in the show. Among the hundreds of exhibits for farm equipment, seeds, chemicals, and livestock supplies, representatives from BAE set up their own exhibit and showcase programs, research, and student projects. Visitors get to see new technology and talk to faculty and staff from the College of Agriculture.

“It gives us exposure to the general public and allows students to take a look at what we are involved in. It’s also a chance to recruit those students to the College of Agriculture,” said Carl King, shop supervisor for BAE. “We’re trying to show the public what we’re doing for agriculture in Kentucky."

Recognizing Excellence

Outstanding achievements among BAE students and faculty are recognized each year through scholarships and awards funded by donor contributions. Their highest honor is the Frank Woeste Award, named for a BAE alumnus who is now a professor at Virginia Tech. The $2,000 award is for an undergraduate who ranks first or second in his or her class with two semesters left before graduation.

BAE’s most recent gift is a significant contribution from retired BAE professor and former chair Joe Ross. Ross and his wife, Sue, have made the College of Agriculture the beneficiary of a charitable remainder trust. Upon their death, the trust will create the Joe and Sue Ross Endowed Fund in BAE. The fund’s income will annually be used to support faculty, students, lectureships, seminars, travel, and other activities to enhance the department’s reputation of excellence.

The Edith Walton Scholarship is offered in memory of Linus Walton’s mother. No restrictions are placed on the $1,200 annual award. BAE faculty determine where the award will make the most difference and have the most benefit.

Other awards, including the James Bryant Scholarship, Mid-America Equipment Retailers, Alpha Epsilon Scholarships, Outstanding Teacher Award, and the Outstanding Senior Leadership Award, are all ways the department honors the excellence of its students and faculty.

“No matter how much state support we receive, it’s these kinds of awards that let us do those extra things,” Turner said. “They let us do things that make us a great department, not just a good department.” For more information on how to support BAE scholarships, contact Turner at lturner@bae.uky.edu.

A Look Into the Crystal Ball

Turner said he’d like most to see BAE make a difference with people in the Commonwealth, and the timing is right.

“We’re at an exciting time right now. We’ve got a new University president who is really focused on how we can help UK benefit Kentucky,” Turner emphasized. “We need to take our research to the people. We think we have a lot of the areas in our department that are really critical to the state right now.”

Turner said they also want to take their research and ideas to people at national and international levels.

“We are one of the best-kept secrets nationally and internationally,” he said. “We want to focus on how to get the awareness level where we know it should be. On a national level, we’ve started a new newsletter. On an international basis, we’re trying to create some linkages.”

Over the next 20 years, Turner believes anything dealing with the environment is going to be important. Restoration is important. Going “beyond the farm gate” is important. Tracking back from consumer to producer is important.

“There are things that make a difference all along the food chain,” Turner added. “How can we hasten the adaptation of research information to the field and to industry in the state and beyond?”

Basically, it all comes back down to people, programs and partnerships.

“We have great people already; we need to maintain that,” Turner said. “We must continue to provide programs to serve traditional agriculture, as well as expand our efforts beyond the farm gate. We have to keep forming and maintaining partnerships within our department, within the College, and also with people in industry and clientele on the farms.

By participating in internships and projects in industry, BAE students enhance their learning experience and gain skills that make them more employable. Angela Smart Penn, BAE grad and TRANE employee, worked with a team of BAE seniors last semester to improve air handler design for TRANE. The students have developed a new passive approach using a baffle that will save money and improve the product.

As a student I was an active member of both ASAE and ASHRAE (the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers). These organizations allowed me to enhance my leadership and team-building skills. Because of their networking opportunities I was successful in finding a job when I graduated. And I’m still an active ASHRAE member today, continuing my professional development through a group my professors introduced me to. I’m proof that a degree in biosystems and agricultural engineering offers exciting career opportunities!

Angela Penn ’96
TRANE Manufacturing

A group of students from Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering brought home an impressive collection of seven awards from the 2001 Quarter-Scale Tractor Competition.

The Wildcat Pulling Team took top awards for design in the categories of Appearance, Craftsmanship, Serviceability, and Safety. In addition, they showed their versatility by winning the Sportsmanship Award as well as the Cook-Off Award.

In the “X-Team” (junior team) competition, UK won third place.

UK narrowly missed a top-five finish in the championship competition, with Kansas State University’s team walking off with its third straight victory. Twenty-six collegiate teams competed, including one from as far away as Malaysia.

Members of this year’s Wildcat Pulling Team were Ryan Figgins, Adam Garrison, Tim Greis, Jeremy Hudson, Wanda Jones, Brandon McDonald, Jonathon Mirgeaux, Matt Peake, and Eric Wooldridge. Team advisors were Scott Shearer, Tim Smith, Tim Stombaugh, and Larry Wells.

If you would like to learn more about the Wildcat Pulling Team, or about how you can help support these students, visit their Web site at: www.bae.uky.edu/qscale/.

top

Hall Family Bagging Success

Through Service & Quality

Hall, a 1953 graduate of the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, and his wife, Bonnie, own and operate Farmers Feed Mill in Lexington, manufacturer of Hallway Feeds. Together with his son, Lee, and general manager Jeff Pendleton, Bob oversees production and distribution of high-quality custom feeds to farms and dealers across the United States, Great Britain, the Middle East, Japan, and Puerto Rico. Plans are in the works to market feed in Australia and New Zealand.

“When we bought the mill in 1964, we had only two trucks and two employees,” Bob said. “Now we have seven trucks and nearly 30 employees. If you give people a quality product and good service and attitude, it makes it easier to maintain friendships.”

Quality, service, and attitude are the energizing ingredients that give Farmers Feed Mill and Hallway Feeds a preeminent position in the feed industry. Those three words, which are printed proudly on a large sign mounted high above the mill floor, are part of a family success story with strong connections to UK agriculture.

The Early Years
Bob Hall was first introduced to the UK College of Agriculture through Kentucky’s 4-H program. With no local club, he was a 4-H’er “at large,” and showed livestock at the local, district, and state level. He loved every minute of it.

“I didn’t care whether I showed sheep or hogs or cattle as long as I had a good one and could win with it,” Bob said. “My sister, Emily, was the oldest, so she had the privilege of trucking me around to all the shows, and she took me wherever I needed to go.”

One time while in 4-H, Bob got to see the UK livestock judging team in action. He was so impressed by what he saw he instantly knew what he wanted to do.

“I wanted to be on that team!” he said. “It’s the big thing that caused me to want to go to the UK ag college, and later, when I finally enrolled, it was my focal point the whole time I was in school.”

Bob and his teammates made names for themselves. In 1951, the livestock team placed fourth at the national show in Chicago, the highest showing of any Kentucky team to that date. The following year Hall and his cohorts switched to become the meats judging team. In placing second, they again had the highest national showing of any Kentucky team to that date.

“We never did get over the hurdle to win first place, but we were always pushing for it and never gave up,” Bob said.

During his college days, several outstanding staff and faculty members had a positive impact on Bob’s life and career.

“I worked in the sheep barn with Harold Barber who, at the time, was the greatest shepherd in the United States,” Bob said. “And of course I knew Dr. (W. P.) Garrigus, and professor E.S. Good and Charlie Barnhart, and they all had a great influence on me.”

According to Bob, he and his classmates did well in college not only because they wanted to, but because they had to. World War II veterans returning to school on the GI Bill pushed hard and set a high standard for classroom performance.

“The vets put the heat on us every class we went to because they felt they had paid their dues and wanted to get out and get things done, and so we really gave it our best,” Bob recalled.

Following graduation, Bob briefly managed an Angus operation near Bloomfield. Then, as he puts it, Uncle Sam gave him a “two-year vacation in Germany.” While overseas he worked as a military food inspector. The job gave him the opportunity to travel throughout Europe and see livestock shows. Upon returning to civilian life in 1958, Bob hired on as the purebred beef herdsman at UK’s Coldstream Farm.

“I went to work in February and I married Bonnie in August,” Bob said. “We started housekeeping together at Coldstream, and we have many good memories of that time.”

In 1964 Bob and Bonnie made a decision that would change their lives. They bought a small feed mill on Price Avenue in Lexington from Herman Griggs. Up to that time, the only experience Bob had in packaging feed was when he bagged whole wheat flour and corn meal before the war to help his folks. Now mixing and packaging livestock feed would be his livelihood.

“It was a big undertaking, but Mr. Griggs stayed on a while to teach us the business and we just kept calling on people and asking for their business and growing with it,” Bob said.

The Company Today
When the Halls bought Farmers Feed Mill, it mostly served dairy farms. In fact, almost all the major central Kentucky dairies were customers. But as the years went by and more and more dairies disappeared, the mill changed with the market to meet customer needs.

“Today we’re mostly horse feed, probably 75 to 80 percent,” said Bob. “We also make quite a bit of beef cattle feed, and also some specialty products such as rabbit feed, zoo feeds, and exotic animal feeds.”

Products made at the mill carry the brand name “Hallway Feeds”
and are the preferred performance feed for many of the world’s most celebrated equine athletes.

“We’ve fed three of the last five Kentucky Derby winners, and a tremendous number of highly ranked horses,” said Lee Hall, vice-president and 1983 graduate of the College of Agriculture. “We’ve been very lucky to get a lot of prominent trainers using our products, whether they are in New York, or California, or Kentucky.”

With product names such as Race 13, Stamm 30, and Prep 14, Hallway Feeds has reached out during the past few years to establish markets internationally.

“Our products are manufactured in several foreign countries and sold to trainers and breeders in those markets,” said Lee. “They are sold under the name of the local company, but supported by our reputation, technical expertise, and commitment to quality.”

Even though they have expanded their business to serve overseas customers, the Halls continue to place a high priority on local sales and service.

“Our bread and butter is still manufacturing the product and delivering it right to the farm or other end user,” said Jeff Pendleton, general manager and 1985 graduate of the UK College of Agriculture. “We serve Fayette and surrounding counties. Then on another level, we distribute product to dealerships regionally and nationally. Then we also make feed for other companies who have their own private label products.”

Farmers Feed Mill is also the parent company to Incredipet, the central Kentucky pet store chain that began as Pet Pantry. Another Hall family member, daughter Julia Hall Mahan, is general manager (see “Incredi-Marriage” story on page 11). Both Incredipet and Hallway Feeds have succeeded over the years by putting the customer first.

“Most of the time our competition is not going to take the time to build relationships, so it’s important that we do,” said Julia Hall Mahan, who graduated from UK in 1986 as a hotel and restaurant management major.

Bob said he is proud of the degrees both his children earned from UK.

“The educations Julia and Lee got at UK were broader than mine in that they included more business courses,” said Bob. “The management classes Julia had were very worthwhile.”

Pride of Accomplishment
Part of the Hallway Feeds success story can be credited to the unique business and personal relationships forged over the years between Bob, Lee, and Jeff. All three are graduates of the UK College of Agriculture. All three were members of Alpha Gamma Rho. All three have been active in the College of Agriculture Alumni Association, and each has received the Outstanding Alumni Award.

“Jeff is very production and administratively oriented, my strength lies in marketing, and Dad’s strength lies in overall experience in purchasing and in that wealth of experience that comes from years in the business,” said Lee.

Although Lee’s major was agricultural economics, many of his classes were in animal sciences. Like his father before him, he found success as a member of UK’s livestock judging team. After graduation he started working at the family mill delivering feed and waiting on customers. He also helped out on the family’s 120-acre Scott County farm.

“I spent as much time on the farm as I did at the mill, which was invaluable in terms of the experience I got making day-to-day decisions about the care of livestock,” said Lee, who now spends a portion of the year traveling overseas to establish new markets for Hallway Feeds.

“I’m proud that we’ve been able to conduct a classy business, one that has a high level of esteem among our customers and our competitors,” he said during a recent interview. “I’m proud of my dad and mom; my sister, Julia, and her business; and I’m proud of Jeff. I’m also proud of our production and delivery people. Many times I’ve seen them start out as a new, inexperienced employee, and then over the years watch them become a valued part of the team who shares in the success of the company.”

Lee Hall also said he is proud of people who have steadfastly purchased products from Farmers Feed Mill down through the years.

“We see many of our customers who started out years ago with just a few mares now have large operations, which means they’ve been growing and becoming more successful just like we have. And it’s our loyal customers who have given us the tools and the ability to remain successful,” he said.

“We bend over backwards to give good service to our customers,” said Bob Hall. “It’s become a habit with us over the years, and it’s made all the difference.”

top

Growing a Family Business
from a Love for Plants

When Daniel Tandy talks about horticulture, the listener gets a sense of positive energy and optimism. That’s because growing horticultural crops is not only Daniel’s career but also his passion.

“There’s so much opportunity in horticulture today, and I believe it’s going to keep on expanding,” he said.

Daniel and his parents, Don and Hazel Tandy, own and operate Interstate Greenhouse and Nursery in Carrollton, Kentucky. Now in its eighteenth year, the business offers a wide variety of vegetable plants, annuals, perennials, trees, and shrubs, both retail and wholesale.

For Daniel, a UK agricultural student and Horticulture Club president in the mid-1990s, the shifting trend in Kentucky agriculture is one he and his family have experienced first-hand.

“On our farm we’ve only got about five and a half acres of tobacco this year, compared to about 38 acres three years ago,” he said. “It’s been a big change for us, but we’re adapting to it and doing more landscaping and lawn mowing and the horticultural part has been picking up for us. We currently have nine greenhouses, and we plan to add a couple more this fall.”

With a good location midway between Louisville and Cincinnati, and just down the highway from the new Kentucky Speedway, Interstate Greenhouse and Nursery is well situated to attract new customers. Daniel believes that as urban areas expand, the market for landscape plants will likely grow.

“As the cities spread outward and into the country, more homes are being built, and those homes will need landscaping, so I think that will play a big part in not just the future of our business but the whole future of horticulture,” he said.

Daniel recalls his days at UK proudly, and with good reason. In addition to being in the Horticulture Club, he was also Agriculture Student Council president, and an active member of FarmHouse Fraternity.

“The FarmHouse experience meant everything in the world to me,” he said. “It was like a second family to me, and I stay in touch with a lot of my fraternity brothers year round.”

Fraternity brother and friend Charlie Edgington said that whatever Daniel did during his student days he did to the best of his ability.

“He always gives 110 percent, and he’s one of the big reasons that when he was president we had a strong student council,” said Edgington, who is assistant director in Agricultural Alumni and Development office. “Daniel always looks for new and innovative ways to do things to make the process easier or the organization better, and that’s why he continues to be successful in his family business.”

One of the valuable things his college experience gave him was an improved understanding of how to communicate with people.

“You learn a lot of that in the College of Agriculture, and my experiences there also offered me a lot of opportunities I wouldn’t have had otherwise,” Daniel said. “For instance, our horticulture club got to take several trips, including Canada, the West Coast, and also to Europe, and just seeing how things are done in other places gives you a different perspective on how things might be grown and managed back home.”

One of the most meaningful experiences he had while attending UK was his student teaching experience.

“I majored in both horticulture and ag education, and did some of my student teaching at Eastside Vocational in Lexington, which has a horticulture program,” he recalled. “I really enjoyed working with students because they’re eager to learn, and when you’re able to get them out to the greenhouse and do things hands-on, it makes a big difference to them and they’re really interested.”

Daniel has the same optimistic outlook for youth as he does for the horticulture industry, and believes the two can be an ideal blend.

“Horticulture is a great thing for young people and offers an incredible number of opportunities for them," he said. He still remembers with satisfaction the time he saw one of his former students at the Ohio Florists Association trade show in Columbus.

“I ran into one of my friends who worked for Hillenmeyers (nursery) and my former student was with her,” said Daniel. “And of course we remembered each other, and it made me feel really good that he was following his dream and extending his horticultural education and working for a good company. I was really proud of him and happy he was succeeding.”

Happy is a word that comes easily for Daniel because for him it is the true meaning of success.

“Some people look at success as money, but I think it’s being happy with what you do in life, not only with your job, but with the people you deal with and your friends,” he said. “Working with plants and people is what I enjoy, and I hope to continue to do that the rest of my life.”

top

Alumni President
Jeff Pendleton
Role Model for Today’s Student

By Haven Miller

When Jeff Pendleton started classes in UK’s College of Agriculture in 1981, he planned on becoming a veterinarian. Having enjoyed many summers caring for livestock on his grandparents’ Christian County farm, Pendleton thought vet school seemed like the logical next step. But during his junior year at UK, his plan began to change.

“It was about that time that I started rethinking my future,” Pendleton said. “I sat down one day with a yellow pad and a pencil, and when I finished I realized vet school just wasn’t going to pencil out without a great deal of luck.”

Pendleton didn’t know it at the time, but his luck had already happened. He’d been hired by Bob Hall as a part-time worker at Farmers Feed Mill, a highly reputable, fast-growing, family-owned business.

“I swept floors, cleaned out bins, drove the trucks — whatever they asked me to do,” Pendleton said. “There were many things I liked about a family-owned business versus a big corporation, so when I graduated from UK in 1985 I decided to hang around and see what might happen.”

Today Pendleton is general manager of Farmers Feed Mill, manufacturer of Hallway Feeds. He is also president of the UK Agriculture Alumni Association. Attaining these two leadership positions was no coincidence.

“For agriculture students wanting to succeed, there could be no better role model than Jeff Pendleton,” said Lee Hall. “He came here as a part-time worker, then over time earned a position of responsibility because he was honest and had a desire to work and the ability to be an effective member of the team. Jeff exemplifies the value of perseverance.”

Pendleton credits the combination of classroom learning and on-the-job experience with helping him achieve his personal and professional goals.

“Having those experiences in the laboratory and classroom and then being able to apply them in the business setting where I might deal with a horseman or veterinarian gave me a lot of confidence,” he said.

While at UK Pendleton was active in Alpha Gamma Rho and majored in animal sciences. Mentors included Drs. Ward Crowe and Don Ely.

“Both of these men were advisors to me and the things they shared with me or magnified for me about the animal industry were extremely valuable,” he said. “We have high quality faculty and staff throughout the College of Agriculture, and that family atmosphere we talk about is a great benefit in that it fosters deeper educational relationships between students and faculty.”

As Alumni Association president, Pendleton hopes to give something back to the College.

“I did gain from my time and experiences at the College, so it’s going to give me a lot of pleasure to support the organization for current and future students,” he said. “And besides that, it’s going to be a lot of fun. Let’s face it, we wouldn’t be one of the best alumni associations in the country if we weren’t providing our members with great social activities.”

top

Incredi-Marriage: Love Blooms From Shared Ag Background

By Haven Miller

It’s a classic “if they only knew” story.
When John Mahan was 13 years old, long before he would attend classes at the UK College of Agriculture, he judged livestock on his local 4-H team. His coaches were Lee and Julia Hall, brother and sister whose parents owned Farmers Feed Mill.

If the three only knew what the future would hold.

Lee would become vice president of Farmers Feed Mill. Julia would become general manager of Incredipet, the well-known central Kentucky pet supply store chain. John Mahan would become a successful farmer. And John and Julia would become close friends.

There’s more.

“Obviously, Julia was a little older than me when she was my 4-H judging coach, but she was pretty special, and I thought a lot of her,” John said. “After we were grown we kept in touch. Every year or two I’d go by her store and take her to lunch, or I would see her somewhere, and we’d catch up on things.”

Around the new millennium, John got up the nerve to ask Julia out on an actual date. Things went well.

“We were married on June 2 of this year,” said Julia.

The marriage unites two individuals with strong family ties to Kentucky agriculture and UK. John’s father, Jim, graduated from UK in 1967 with a degree in animal sciences. His grandfather, Lloyd, was superintendent of the UK farms under Dean Frank Welch. Great-grandfather C.A. Mahan was Kentucky’s first full-time county Extension agent.

Julia’s family also had strong UK ties (see the related story this issue). Julia and John are both graduates of the prestigious Philip Morris Agricultural Leadership Program.

John brings to the union a thousand-acre farm in northern Fayette and Bourbon counties. Farm enterprises include tobacco, beef cattle, row crops, hay, straw and sod.

Julia brings to the marriage Incredipet, a Farmers Feed Mill subsidiary formerly known as Pet Pantry. The store, which has two locations in Lexington and one in Elizabethtown, specializes in pet food and supplies, and also live fish for home aquariums. Pet foods include all major brands as well as rabbit feed made by Hallway Feeds.

In husband John, Julia now gets someone new to bounce ideas off of. Not only is he good at business, he’s also pretty good at predicting the future.

“Julia says that back in the 4-H days, I told her I was going to marry her,” he recalled. “It came true, and I’m a lucky guy.”

top

From the Dean’s Desk

Extension Advancement Initiative’s Goal —
to Make Kentucky Better Place to Live, Work, and Raise Families

During my first several months as Dean, what has impressed me most is the passion that people throughout Kentucky have for their College of Agriculture. Having attended more than 100 meetings in 60 counties thus far, I’ve met people at every stop who are eager to tell me about the positive impact the College’s programs have made in their lives. Keep telling me these stories; I am always pleased to hear them.

The College’s presence in every county makes it unique in the world of higher education. Our Extension agents and their assistants are the gateways to the University and its storehouse of knowledge. As a direct result of their good work, local support for Cooperative Extension Service programs remains exceptionally strong, with solid county-level funding, wonderful new facilities in dozens of counties, and great volunteer leadership.

To maintain the strength of our county Extension programs, we will need to address several major challenges over the next few years. Extension agents are being asked to take on new and sometimes much more complex responsibilities. For example, the Agricultural Development Board has imposed on county offices the enormous new responsibility for administering, facilitating, and planning programs resulting from the tobacco settlement fund. In addition, Extension offices will be expected to expand their role in several diverse arenas, including health care and community economic development. As a consequence, our responsibility at the state level is to make sure these local efforts are adequately supported.

At the same time these new responsibilities were being added, our agent salaries slipped to 47th in the nation and last among our benchmark institutions. The average agent salary in Kentucky is several thousand dollars below the national average. Unless we can reverse this trend, we will soon lose our claim as one of the nation’s best Extension systems.

To address these issues, I have drafted what I call the Extension Advancement Initiative, which includes three goals: improve agent compensation and recruitment; enhance state support for local programs; and address new and broader expectations for Extension. Contact our offices if you would like to receive a brief summary of this initiative.

Your active support of this initiative is important if the Cooperative Extension Service is to continue to make positive impacts on your life and the lives of your fellow Kentuckians. I am optimistic that we will have broad support for this initiative, especially after hearing from so many of you about how the College of Agriculture has enriched your lives. With your help, we can make Kentucky a better place to live, work and raise our families.

M. Scott Smith, Dean and Director

Kentucky Cooperative
Extension Service
Advancement Initiative

Kentucky Extension Agent salaries rank:
•47th in the nation
•Last among UK’s benchmark institutions
•Last in the Southern Region

Kentucky Extension Agent salaries are:
•$6,434 below those of the benchmarks
•$6,000 below those of Kentucky vocational agriculture teachers

An investment of $3.2 million will bring Kentucky Cooperative Extension Agent salaries up to the average of the benchmark institutions.

top

Nancy Cox, Carla Craycraft
Named to Administrative Positions

Nancy M. Cox began October 1 as Associate Dean for Research and Associate Director of the Agricultural Experiment Station, a role M. Scott Smith held before being named Dean and Director of the College of Agriculture earlier this year.

Cox comes to UK from Mississippi State University, where she served as Associate Director of the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station.

Smith said Cox brought with her a history of success and a proven track record of uniting different disciplines for a common purpose.

“Dr. Cox brings an uncommon and very valuable combination of abilities and experience to this position. She is an excellent scientist in her own right, having successfully built and sustained a nationally competitive animal science research program in Mississippi,” Smith said.

“She has a broad range of knowledge encompassing the full range of agricultural sciences and issues. Nancy has shown she can work effectively with commodity groups and farmers. I believe she has energetically taken on the challenges of research administration,” he said.

Cox said she would like to see a continued emphasis on the most up-to-date science, especially with the new challenges of biotechnology and bioethics.

“With my strong animal science background and the things I’ve learned at Mississippi State about crop production and social sciences, I hope to be able to contribute to all the agricultural research programs here at UK,” Cox said.

“The College of Ag has a solid future, but we need to learn new ways to be successful, both in traditional agricultural enterprises and in new life science ventures. We need to define our research targets and be able to see how to get there,” she said.

“I look forward to being part of the strong tradition ofexcellent agricultural research at the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture and am confident that we are prepared to build on that tradition to meet the challenges of the 21st century,” Cox concluded.

Education
B.A. — English, Furman University, 1975
M.S. — Physiology, University of Georgia, 1977
Ph.D. — Animal Physiology, North Carolina State University, 1982

Professional Experience
1982-1986 Assistant Professor, Animal and Dairy Sciences and Animal Physiology, Mississippi State University
1986-1990 Associate Professor, Animal and Dairy Sciences and Animal Physiology, MSU
1990 to 2001 Professor, Animal and Dairy Sciences and Animal
Physiology, MSU
Adjunct Professor, College of Veterinary Medicine, MSU
2001 Appointed Associate Dean for Research and Associate Director of the Agricultural Experiment Station, UK

Major Accomplishments
Received research funds as principal or co-principal investigator of approximately $3.4 million.
Author or co-author of more than 60 invited papers, journal articles, and publications.
Has served on more than 25 committees and editorial boards.
Has directed more than 20 graduate theses and dissertations.

__________________________________________________________

Carla Gale Craycraft was named Assistant Dean of Agricultural Communications and Information Technology in the College of Agriculture as of July 1. She retains the title and responsibilities of Director of Agricultural Communications Services, a position she’s held for six years.

M. Scott Smith, Dean and Director of the College of Agriculture, is confident in Craycraft’s ability to effect positive change in the College.

“Dr. Craycraft has done an outstanding job of leading Agricultural Communications Services. She is an unusually capable administrator,” he said. “We share many ideas about the changes and innovations necessary for the future of our College. I expect great things from our communications services with her at the helm.”

One of Craycraft’s goals will be to unify the communications efforts across the College. “So many of our units and departments are already doing a great job, but there will be a more powerful, positive impact when we can all speak with one voice, presenting a similar image, working in the same direction to increase our visibility,” she said.

Education
B.S. — Animal Science, University of Connecticut, 1977
M.S. — Animal Science, Oklahoma State University, 1978
Ph.D. — Breeding and Genetics, Oklahoma State University, 1981

Professional Experience
1981-1991 — Extension Beef Specialist, Animal Sciences, UK
1991-1995 — Coordinator of Distance Learning, Agricultural Communications Services, UK
1995-present — Director, Agricultural Communica tions Services, UK
2001 — Appointed Assistant Dean for Agricultural Communications and Information Technology

Selected Awards
2000 — National ADEC Award for Excellence in Distance Education
2000 — Epsilon Sigma Phi Kentucky Mid-Career Award
1995 — National Telly Award for Gee Whiz in Agriculture
1995 — National Gold Award, Agricultural Communicators in Education for Distance Education
1994 — M.D. Whiteker Award for Excellence in Extension, UK College of Agriculture

top

Remember When?

The Start of it All
My recollections of the College of Agriculture judging teams come not from being a member but as being the daughter of former College of Agriculture Associate Dean Levi J. Horlacher (he retired in 1964).

He had been a member of the 1916 Purdue University Livestock Judging Team that won the national Collegiate Livestock Judging Contest at the International Livestock Exposition in Chicago. After starting work at the University of Kentucky in 1918, he became the coach of the fledgling UK Livestock Judging Team.

As a child in the late 1920s, I recall my mother eagerly awaiting the annual telegrams from windy, cold Chicago telling of the placing of various UK Livestock Judging Team members. In those days, Western Union telegrams were the best means of communication — there were no faxes, no e-mails, and limited phone connections for long distance.

My dad was extremely proud of the UK teams of the 1920s and ’30s. Being a sheep specialist, he also always looked forward to the successes of the outstanding UK shepherd, Harold Barber, who amassed an amazing list of championships with the sheep from the Kentucky Experiment Station flocks at the Chicago Livestock Exposition. I really liked his Scottish accent.

The June 2001 fire at the University Administration Building reminds me of seeing the January 1926 fire that destroyed the small stucco livestock pavilion located off Rose Street on the UK farm. This was a nighttime spectacular, and my dad rushed from his nearby home in Maxwelton Court to the farm. I don’t recall knowing how many, if any, records were salvaged, but I do recall the building of the brick replacement pavilion on the same site. This became the location of the UK Student Little International, later known as the Fall Festival, each November just prior to the big event in Chicago.

1947 — The ‘Dream Team’
Our 1947 Livestock Judging Team was composed of five returned military veterans and two younger non-vets. We were highly motivated, willing to work hard, and eager to finish school. Our weekend training sessions and contests at Purdue University, Ohio State, and Michigan State helped prepare us for national contests at the American Royal in Kansas City and the International Livestock Competition in Chicago.

The training exposed us to a broader view of the livestock industry and created a desire to obtain more education and seek careers in this industry.

Yes, we wore suits and ties in competitions. We not only appeared to be professional, but acted in a similar manner.

One memorable experience was when seven of us traveled from Lexington to Kansas City in Coach Johnson’s 1946 Plymouth sedan. We really became close on that trip.

The Value of the Experience
We (our judging team) all wore Western hats and usually ties and sport coats.

Coach Long came down with mumps at the Chicago International and had to stay in his room during the contest and show.

Judging Team was a super experience. We formed valuable friendships and gained tremendous knowledge far beyond conformation of the animals.

I have met numerous people that I have judged against in other schools during my ag career — from Kansas to Florida — and had the occasion to see Dr. Bob Long in his various capacities in the beef industry over the years. He taught me a lot and is a great friend.

As far as humourous events, we took some great working trips to Ohio State, Purdue, and various pure breed farms. We traveled in the UK Ag School station wagon and told hundreds of stories, jokes, and what-have-you on each other.

Our big shows were the American Royal in Kansas City, Missouri, the International Livestock Show in Chicago, Illinois (I later worked in the Chicago Stockyards and volunteered to assist in the animal judging contest), and Mid-South Expo in Memphis, Tennessee. In total, it was just a great time and experience!

Submitted by Helen Horlacher Evans. She lives in Lexington and is a 1941 alumna, with a degree in home economics education, which was a part of the College of Agriculture at that time.

top

2001-2002 Ag Alumni Association
Grant Recipients

This year the Ag Alumni Association awarded $6,000 in grants to support efforts that would otherwise have no funding. The winners and their respective categories follow.

Faculty/Professional Staff/Student Category
Jeffrey Bewley, Director of Student Relations. To pay for the cost of transportation, registration, and lodging of two Ag Ambassadors at a training conference in California. The conference is designed to enhance the Ambassadors’ ability to effectively recruit students. Amount of funding: $1,250

Jack Buxton and Dewayne Ingram, Horticulture Department. To build a new plant propagation bench, similar to those used in commercial greenhouses, to replace an inadequate one currently being used. Amount of Funding: $1,000

William Benjy Mikel, Animal Sciences Department/Food Science Section. To further fund the Intercollegiate Meat Judging Team by helping defray costs of travel to the national competition as well as preliminary training before the event. Amount of Funding: $750

Cooperative Extension Service Category
Belinda J. Bryant, McCracken County Extension. Purchase of a new sewing machine and serger to be used in teaching clothing construction classes and supporting community projects. Amount of Funding: $800

Marian Davis, Logan County Extension. To update computer materials (software, materials and supplies) for an interdisciplinary program providing computer education courses. Amount of Funding: $400

Louise Moore, EFNEP Assistant. To update materials, Spanish translations, and printing of a Family Financial Management Guide to be used by the EFNEP, FDM, NEP, and Small Farm paraprofessionals in the state. Amount of Funding: $250

Peggy J. Rexroat, Carlisle County Extension. To purchase a digital camera to be used for showing clientele detailed images of crop diseases, etc. Amount of Funding: $800

Patricia G. Singleton, Crittenden County Extension. To purchase a digital camcorder to enable that office to make promotional videos. Amount of Funding: $500

Sheena Thomas-Brown, Livingston County 4-H Council. To send 4-H leaders in Livingston County to Southern Regional 4-H Leaders’ Forum. Amount of Funding: $250

Sponsors for Roundup 2001
We thank these sponsors for helping us have another great Roundup.

AGA Gas
BASF
Deborah Back/Rector Hayden Realtors
Bagdad Roller Mills
Burley Tobacco Growers Cooperative Association
Cecilia Farm Service
Central Equipment
Council for Burley Tobacco
Embassy Suites
Executive West Hotel
Four Points Sheraton
F.W. Rickard Seeds
Farm Credit Services
Farmers Feed Mill
Garrett’s Orchard & County Market
Greater Lexington Convention & Visitors Bureau
Griffin Industries
Hyatt Regency Lexington
Kentucky Association of Electric Cooperatives
Kentucky Corn Growers Association
Kentucky Farm Bureau Federation
Kentucky Farm Bureau Insurance
Kentucky Pork Producers
Kentucky’s Touchstone Energy Cooperatives
Kingsford Charcoal
McRay Feed
Monsanto
Preston Farms
Radisson Plaza Hotel
Sheraton Suites Lexington
Southern Belle Dairy
Southern States Cooperative
Telmark LLC
UK Alumni Affairs
UK Basketball Museum
UK Federal Credit Union
Valent

top

James B. Powell Named to Animal Sciences Hall of Fame

James B. Powell, a native of Clark County, Kentucky, was named to the Animal Sciences Hall of Fame for his work as a leader in the poultry industry of the state.

Powell entered the poultry business in 1952. He began his venture with Bev Yieser, operating hatcheries and layer operations.

“James Powell never lost faith that Kentucky was a good place to successfully produce poultry and eggs. He never missed an op portunity to promote Kentucky while in positions of national leadership,” said Tony Pescatore, poultry Extension specialist in the College of Agriculture. “Kentucky is fortunate to have someone like him who has worked so long and hard for the improvement of the Kentucky poultry industry and the welfare of his fellow poultry men.”

Powell emerged as a leader for the poultry industry and in 1957 was a charter board member of the Kentucky Poultry Federation. He still serves on the board of this organization as its secretary-treasurer. He has also served as vice president and president.

Powell has been active in the Kentucky Egg Marketing Board, serving numerous three-year terms as a governor-appointed board member. He was also instrumental in the creation of the Kentucky Egg Council and the development of a strong egg marketing program in Kentucky.

At the national level, Powell has served on the Board of Directors of the United States Poultry and Egg Association (USPEA) for 16 years, and was its chairman in 1993. In 1998 he received the highest honor given by USPEA — the “Workhorse of the Year” award — in recognition of outstanding contributions to the poultry industry.

Powell, a 1996 inductee of the Kentucky Poultry Hall of Fame, remains active in the marketing of eggs and provides a valuable service to the UK Research Farm by purchasing the eggs produced at the farm.

top

A Year of Thanks

by Bill Sheets
Director for Advancement

On September 8, 2001 the College of Agriculture celebrated the highlight of this year of alumni activities with its annual Roundup. The week-long series of 18 events is a celebration of this College’s relationship to its alumni and friends, staff, and the related organizations that help support its mission.

Roundup is a way for the College to say thank you for your tireless voluntary activities in support of your University and College. I believe everyone who attended had a great time. I also know that those who were unable to attend missed lots of good fellowship and fun. Be sure to put next year’s Roundup, September 14, 2002, on your calendar now.
T
his Ambassador issue of the magazine contains several features on our Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering (BAE) Department. As you read, you’ll discover how this department is evolving and what it is looking to accomplish in the future.

Fortunately, BAE is the beneficiary of some generous donors. Former department chair Joe Ross and his wife, Sue, are setting the stage for endowed support of the department. Their Charitable Remainder Trust will create an endowment that will provide future, ongoing support for BAE. Frank Woeste, B.S. ’71 and M.S. ’73 from UK, has been making ongoing annual gifts in support of the BAE senior engineering award program. These and other donors provide that margin of excellence required to assist a good academic department and make it great. We salute them and all who join them and say thank you.

The University’s capital campaign now has been underway nearly three and a half years. As of August 31, 2001 the University had received $414,022,263 of its $600 million goal. The College of Agriculture as of the August 31 had received $41,595,176 of its $54.5 million goal.

By the time you read this issue, our annual giving campaign will be well underway. We will be asking you for your support. Last year’s receipts broke all previous giving records, exceeding $100,000 in phonathon gifts for the first time. Please consider the many benefits derived from your association with the College of Agriculture at the University of Kentucky, and give generously once again.

top

Faculty/Staff/Student

Achievements
Dr. Mike Collins, agronomy, was awarded a grant of $350,000 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to research ways to improve forage production in Kentucky for the advancement of the livestock industry.

The UK Dairy Club placed third in the national chapter contest of the student affiliate division of the American Dairy Science Association at its national meeting in Indianapolis.

Bridget Dixon, animal sciences undergraduate, won first place in the undergraduate student paper competition in the dairy manufacturing category at the American Dairy Science Association’s national meeting in Indianapolis.

Dr. Patricia Dyk, sociology, received a $168,000 grant from the Kentucky Families and Children Cabinet to research and develop best practices for parental involvement in child rearing.

The UK Chapter of Gamma Sigma Delta, the honor society of agriculture, has won its third consecutive Outstanding Chapter Award from the international organization, an accomplishment that is a first for GSD. The award came under the presidency of Susan Skees, Director of Academic Services for the College.

Dr. Lenn Harrison, Livestock Disease Diagnostic Center, received a Kentucky Department of Public Health grant of $30,000 to monitor horses and birds for West Nile virus. He also received a grant of $370,000 from the Kentucky Department of Agriculture to continue the work of the Livestock Disease Diagnostic Center.

Dr. Bernhard Hennig, animal sciences, has been named editor in chief of the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry. The journal is expected to become a major resource to the scientific and medical community to provide state-of-the-art information about molecular and biochemical mechanisms of how nutrition can modulate disease development. A $254,000 grant awarded Hennig from Elsevier Science, Inc. supports the publication of the journal.

Dr. Dewayne Ingram, horticulture, received a special U.S. Department of Agriculture grant of $677,000 to continue his department’s research and Extension activities concerning new crop opportunities for Kentucky farmers.

Dr. A.D. Karathanasis, agronomy, received a grant of $60,000 from
the Kentucky Health Services Cabinet to develop a training course about basic soil morphology for operators of onsite sewage disposal treatment systems.

Dr. Janet Kurzynske, family and consumer sciences, received a grant of $147,000 from the Kentucky Families and Children Cabinet to educate consumers on nutrition topics associated with food stamp usage.

Dr. Merlin Lindemann, animal sciences, received the prestigious
American Feed Industry Association’s award in non-ruminant nutrition research at the national meeting of American Society of Animal Science in Indianapolis.

Dr. J. Matthews, animal sciences, received a grant of $40,000 from IAMS Company to research the potential for peptide amino acid absorption in dogs.

Terry A. Meyer, graduate student in animal sciences, was presented the Omega Protein Innovative Research award for his dissertation research proposal at the national meeting of the American Society of Animal Sciences in Indianapolis. He also received the Hubbard Feeds, Inc. graduate scholarship award.

Dr. Fred A. Thrift, animal sciences, was named a teaching fellow of the American Society of Animal Science at the society’s national meeting in Indianapolis.

Six College of Agriculture employees were honored on September 7 during Ag Staff Appreciation Day by receiving the Outstanding Staff Award. Winners were: William Bruening, Agronomy; Carol VonLanken, Agronomy; Kay Cotton, Research and Education Center; Christopher McCarty, West Kentucky Substation Management Operations; Linda Berry, Ag Alumni and Development; and Darryl Cremeans, Forestry. The six were chosen from a field of 24 employees in four categories who had been nominated by coworkers and supervisors.

Two Ag Alumni Leaders
Garner National Awards
Bill Smith, immediate past president of the Ag Alumni Association, received the National Agricultural Alumni and Development Association’s 2001 Volunteer Service Award, as announced at the organization’s annual conference. Also honored was Grace Gray Gorrell, Associate Director of Ag Alumni and Development, who won the Distinguished Service Award.

The College Truly is a Family!
This fall, attending the College of Agriculture became a larger family affair for the Wilson family of Eddyville. Lee Wilson became a freshman in the College of Agriculture, making him the third child in his family to be a current student in the College of Agriculture. Lee joins big brother Allen and sister Dailey in the College as a public service and leadership major. Their parents are 1973 alumnus Marvin Lee, an attorney, and Laura Wilson, Lyon County Extension Agent for Family and Consumer Sciences. Let us know if any of you can top that number of family members in the College at one time!


Alumni Association Names
State Distinguished Alumni
Mike King, William LeGrand, and Thomas H. Porter, Sr. have been named recipients of the College of Agriculture Alumni Association’s state Distinguished Alumnus Award. This award is given annually to alumni over the age of 41 who have given support to the College of Agriculture as well as to their community. The state winners were chosen from 12 area Distinguished Alumni from across the state.

King, who is from Elizabethtown in the Lincoln Trail area, graduated with a B.S. in animal sciences in 1976 and then received his M.S. in agricultural economics. He is currently the sales manager for Jacobi Sales, Inc., and he and his father also raise tobacco and alfalfa hay. He has served the St. James Church in several capacities and has worked with several youth sports leagues.

King, who is a past president of the Association’s state board, was a member of the Alumni Association board that developed the faculty and Extension grants. He has helped with student recruitment at Ag Roundup; has served in leadership positions on the local, area, and state levels; and was the key individual who helped develop the association’s first budget that has allowed the Association to function in a much more organized and successful way. He and his wife, Diana, have three children, Daniel, Laura and Sarah.

Thomas H. Porter, Sr. is the Pennyrile Area Distinguished Alumnus. Thomas is a 1950 graduate with a B.S. degree in dairy production. He has served as an assistant county agent for Hardin County, a field man for the Oscar Ewing Dairy, and a self-employed farmer. Porter has received numerous awards for pioneering no-till crops in Hopkins County as well as honorable mentions by the Courier Journal for the Tom Wallace Forestry Award. He also served as the soil conservation supervisor for 16 years.

Porter has shown support for his community by being involved in chartering a grade-school basketball program and by serving as a coach for 10 years. He also has made available his land for several different UK projects, including a site for geological research and fertility tests. In addition, he is a regular contributor to UK scholarships. He and his wife, Kathleen, have five sons, four of whom graduated from UK.

William L. LeGrand, a native of Gallatin County in the Northern Kentucky Area, studied animal sciences at the College of Agriculture and received his degree from Penn State in 1972. Currently, he is a family farm operator and an insurance agent in Warsaw, Kentucky.

LeGrand is an elder of the Warsaw Christian Church, a member of the Gallatin County High School Site-Based Council, and director of the Gallatin County Chamber of Commerce. He has been a perpetual supporter of the Kentucky agricultural community by his lobbying of various congressmen and senators for agricultural legislation, his student recruitment efforts for the College of Agriculture, and various volunteer efforts with FFA and 4-H. LeGrand and his wife, Sue, have seven children.

top

Class Notes

Sarah Lanham was the teacher elementary and high school director of pupil personnel for Warren County Board of Education for over 30 years.

1943
Marian Davis is working with management organizations to protect the Bluegrass area from over-development.

1947
Ellis Cunningham has been married to Lyda Sutherland Cunningham, a 1944 home economics alumna, for 50 years. They have two daughters, Nina and Nancy, and live in Richmond, Virginia. He retired from Southern States Cooperative in 1986.

James Welch is a professor of animal science at West Virginia University. He is also enjoying some volunteer work and traveling.

1950
Dr. General King retired in 1986 as associate department head and professor of animal science after 33 years at Texas A&M University. He has received the Faculty Distinguished Achievement Award and Signs/Service Award from the American Meat Science Association. He is also a Fellow in the American Society of Animal Sciences.

1951
After receiving a B.S. from UK, Julian Maupin pursued a doctor of veterinary medicine degree from Auburn University. He practiced about 26 years, working for the Kentucky Department of Agriculture and for USDA. He also was involved with Brucellosis and hog cholera eradication programs. Serious health problems led to his retirement in 1996.

Walker Stafford retired as a District Sales Manager for Stauffer Chemical Company in 1986.

Robert Teater was the director of the School of Natural Resources at Ohio State University for four years and the director of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources for eight years. He served nine years on the Columbus Board of Education. He is a combat veteran of Korea and a retired major general. He is also the founder of the Teater-Gebhardt and Associates Natural Resource Consulting Firm. He and his wife, Dorothy Seath Teater, have four sons and 12 grandchildren.

1955
Martha Manoso has now retired but loves to see and visit her children and grandchildren. She also enjoys traveling.

1956
Sarah Henry was recently named to the College of Human Environmental Sciences Hall of Fame.

John Woeste is president of the International Adult and Continuing Education Hall of Fame. He is also director of the National Alpha Gamma Rho (AGR) Educational Foundation.

1957
James Mobberly, Jr. retired in July 2000 from Ashland, Inc. after 35 years. His last position there was as a safety engineer.

1958
John Adams is currently farming and appraising property. He is also director of Pennyrile Area Development District and a member of the Kentucky General Assembly.

Rodney M. Schiltz is now retired from the food processing industry, having spent 35 years in sales.

1960
Kenneth Ewing was employed with Southern States Cooperative, Inc. for 40 years. He retired as sales manager/field sales for the state of Kentucky in January 2000.

1961
James Livesay worked in five Kentucky counties with University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service, retiring in 1992 in Adair County after 30 years and eight months of service. His current hobby is restoring and trading antique John Deere tractors.

1967
Shirley Browning is employed at the University of North Carolina —Asheville. He is a partner in Browning Orchard in Fleming County and in Woodford Fruit in Woodford County (both in Kentucky). In addition, he is an active member of Rotary International and a consultant in economic loss issues.

Ralph P. Symmes, Jr. is the chief at the National Imagery and Mapping Agency Operations Center, and has worked for the government for 34 years. He also runs a cow/calf operation in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

1969
William Ellington is married to Jane Cook Ellington. Their son, Derek Thomas Ellington, is a junior in the College of Agriculture, majoring in plant and soil science.

1970
Larry Smith is currently the area program director for Kentucky Farm Bureau Federation and is responsible for supervising 12 Eastern Kentucky county Farm Bureaus.

Donald Summers has a 1,500-acre grain farm in Hardin County. He and his wife, Dianna, have two children, Byron and Tara Bower.

1974
Deborah A. Pogue is now teaching biology at Marion County High School in Marion, South Carolina.

1975
Barbara P. Glenn and her husband, Scott Glenn, both enjoy spending their free time in activities with their three children, Kacie (15), Nathan (11), and Brian (4).

Rudolph Ousley graduated from Auburn Veterinary School in 1980. He has practiced for 21 years in a mixed-animal practice in Prestonsburg, Kentucky.

1976
Thomas Charters married Susan K. Saravalli, Ph.D., in 1987. He has been employed by the Hambletonian Society/Breeders Crown since 1984 and was elected director, president, and CEO in 1998. He previously worked as a caretaker and racing official in Pennsylvania, Europe, and Macau. In 2001 he was the first recipient of the Harness Tracks of America’s Distinguished Service Award.

Kenneth Harr is now the manager of a 22-acre greenhouse range in Denmark, Wisconsin. He and his wife, Jill, have three sons. Their oldest, Casey, is now a sophomore at UK and is an electrical engineering and computer science double major. His wife is an assistant professor at the Bellin College of Nursing in Green Bay.

1977
Suzette White has been married to David White for 24 years and they have no children. She started her own company in 1993 called Nature by Design.

1978
Shortly after graduation, Edward Ditto went to work for Kentucky Farm Bureau Insurance and has been there ever since. He says he is still having a blast. He currently manages the Campbellsville and Elizabethtown claim offices.

1979
Wanda Parrish Smith has lived in western Montana since graduation. She works privately as well as for the U.S. Forest Service and Tricon Timber. She is married and has three daughters: 17-year-old twins and an 8-year-old. They all enjoy winter sports and she coaches soccer in the spring and fall.

1980
Brian Hill is now a partner in CMW, Inc., providing architectural engineering, planning, and landscape architectural services.

1981
Barry Shepherd has been employed by the Dow Corning Corporation for 20 years, where he is a quality specialist. He is single and living in Summerfield, North Carolina. His hobbies are entomology, riding his Harley Davidson motorcycle, and golfing.

1982
Ralph DuPont is married to Rebecca and they have three children: Alexa, Ben, and Brad, whose ages are 10, 7, and 5, respectively.

Greg Ison works for the U.S. Department of Labor as coal mine safety and health inspector and administrator. He is also a single father of three children.

1984
Sheena Thomas-Brown and her husband, Dwayne Brown, proudly announce these additions to their family: Thomas Andrew Brown, 1, and Ellen Layne Brown, 3, from Rostow-on-Don, Russia.

1985
Heather Field has been working in the Landscape — Green Industry for the past 16 years. She has lived in Columbia County in upstate New York for the past 12 years. She is single and her interests and hobbies include the National Ski Patrol, hiking, and biking.

1986
Myron Moore and his family celebrated the addition of Emery Austin Moore in July 2000.

1987
Marc Guilfoil is married to Katherine Guilfoil and they have a nine-month-old son, John Austin Guilfoil. Marc owns a small business called Complete Wildlife Solution that specializes in nuisance animal trapping.

1988
Katherine Jackson is employed by Farmland Industries in beef technical services and is responsible for formulation of rations for registered beef, sheep, goat, and elk. She also provides technical support to their feed representatives and customers. Much of her work involves contact with elk producers. Katherine is married and has two children — a daughter, age 10, and a son, age 3.

Robyn Lee Slone resides in Suffolk, Virginia and is part owner of a veterinary research lab located in North Carolina.

1990
Jim and Renee Boswell are living on the south side of Indianapolis and have three children, a daughter and twin sons. Jim’s territory as a sales representative for Aventis Crop Science consists of 21 counties in southeastern Indiana.

1991
After practicing with Wyatt Tarrent & Combs, Kerry Cauthen went into full-time work in the Thoroughbred horse industry. The main focus of his job involves all aspects of commercial breeding farm Walmac International.

1994
Tyrone Gentry currently serves as president of the Kentucky Association of Extension 4-H Agents.


It’s a boy for Dr. Wesley and Lori Thomas Porter (‘95). Braden Thomas Porter was born on September 17, weighed 8 pounds, 1 ounce, and was 21 inches long.

1995
Angie Begosh and her husband, Jason Riggins, moved to Idaho in March 2001. Jason was appointed squad leader with the Sawtooth Interagency Hotshots, a wildland firefighting unit with the U.S. Forest Service. Angie works with the Idaho Cooperative Extension Service.

David Mitcham has been working in the engineering consulting business since graduation. He is currently employed with CDP Engineers, Inc. in Lexington, Kentucky, where he and his wife, Tricia Henry Mitcham, live.

1996
Celia Barker has two children: Jacob, who is 10, and Samuel, who is 3 years old. She is also a junior professional basketball coach.

Lloyd Beckley, II graduated from Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine in June 2000. He practices in Glasgow, Kentucky in a mixed-animal practice.

Amy Harrod works with Birch, Trautwin & Mims Inc., a Louisville engineering firm. She has a B.S. degree in landscape architecture.

1997
KaDonna Randolph received a master’s degree in forestry from Purdue University in May 2000.

Douglas Smith owns and operates two feed companies. One focuses on custom grinding and fertilizing, and the other specializes in bulk dairy feed. He also farms full-time. He says the “business is great and all is well!”

John Swintosky, who graduated magna cum laude with a B.S. in landscape architecture, works with Metro Parks of Louisville. He has been a registered landscape architect since 1999 and was a board member of the Kentucky chapter of American Society of Landscape Architects in 1998, 1999, and 2001. John enjoys his 10-acre farm in Scott County and the fledgling nursery propagation business owned by his wife, Marianne.

Michael Venable opened a State Farm Insurance office in December 2000 in Hopkinsville, Kentucky. He and his wife, Beth, had their first child, a daughter, on February 7, 2001.

1999
Robin Rae Cotter is married to Kirby Hancock and they live in Adair County. She currently plans and develops various marketing programs for Branscum Construction Company.

After earning an M.S. in agricultural economics at UK, Vadivel Kumari completed an M.A. in geological sciences at the University of Albany (New York). She is now working on a Ph.D. in information sciences at the State University of New York at Albany.

James Morgeson works at Marion Adjustment Center teaching horticulture to inmates. He is also doing course work at UK toward his master’s degree in vocational education.

Clay Sullivan teaches ag education in his home county of Pendleton County, Kentucky, and really enjoys his profession. He also is a licensed auctioneer and works with Butcher Realty & Auctions.

2000
Jennifer Lynn Bolen married Kenny Hunter in October 2000.

Fred Brown, who farms in Irvine, Kentucky, serves on the Soil Conservation Board and on the Agriculture Development Council.

Patrick Harned married Jessica Lynn Jeffries on June 2, 2001, and they live in the Lexington area.

John Pentecost works for Big Beaver Tree Service. He is trying to learn the business in the hopes of running his own tree service once his wife graduates from the College with a landscape architecture degree.

Alison Sexten will graduate in December with a master’s degree in ag education from Oklahoma State University, where she is a graduate assistant and coordinator for the Freshman In Transition (FIT) program for 72 freshmen in the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources. She and Daniel Smith, 1998 College of Agriculture alumnus, are to be married in May 2002.

News From Other Friends of the Alumni Association

Ronald Arnett is currently the head women’s basketball coach at Kentucky Christian College. The team won the National Christian College Athletic Association Champions in 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, and 2000. Arnett was also named NCCAA National Coach of the Year in 1994, 1995, 1999, and 2000.

Carla Durbin has been employed with the UK College of Agriculture for 21 years. She currently serves as President-Elect of Epsilon Sigma Phi, Alpha Kappa Chapter, and Vice-President of the Kentucky Association of Extension 4-H Agents.

Theresa J. Weddington, a UK alumna, has joined Diamond V. Mills, Cedar Rapids, Iowa as nutrition research technician.

The College of Agriculture was recently given official administrative responsibility for the UK-Lexington Fayette Urban County Government Arboretum. Several departments — including Horticulture, Landscape Architecture, Entomology, Plant Pathology, Forestry, and Agronomy — have contributed leadership to the Arboretum since its inception. Arboretum director Marcia Farris and her staff will have offices in the Dimock Building until the Arboretum visitors’ center construction is completed.

top

In Memoriam

Serelda (Bishop) Ahl, ’33
Fort Myers, Florida, August 15, 1996

Horace B. Alderdice, ’29
Ledbetter, Kentucky, July 8, 2000

Walter S. Atkinson Jr., ’49
Walton, Kentucky, June 24, 2000

William H. Balden Jr., ’48
Danville, Kentucky, March 31, 2001

Lee Brown, ’51
Oneida, Kentucky, April 1, 2001

Ward Burnette
Benton, Kentucky, November 11, 2000

Codie L. Caldwell
Murray, Kentucky, August 15, 1997

Lenore Goff Callahan, ’56
Jackson, Kentucky, February 6, 2001

Dorothy J. (Cook) Camenisch, ’40
Blacksburg, Virginia, January 29, 1999

William F. Carroll, III, ’57
Cedarburg, Wisconsin, December 3, 1999

Metellus E. Cravens Jr., ’35
Columbus, Ohio, August 2, 2000

Louise (McGoldrick) Crosby, ’40
Lexington, Kentucky, May 8, 2001

Ruth (Hamersley) Crutchfield, ’37
Baltimore, Maryland, January 4, 1999

Denise Brantigan Engdahl, ’92
Mount Shasta, California, May 19, 1999

John B. Flege Sr., ’18
Williamstown, Kentucky, March 12, 2000

Franklin M. Foster, ’41
St. Petersburg, Florida, July 14, 2001

Brenda (White) Gilmour, ’66
Maryville, Missouri, April 9, 2000

Charles W. Hedden III, ’60
Lawrenceburg, Kentucky, October 14, 1996

Forest J. Hogue, ’38
Campbellsville, Kentucky, March 26, 1999

Joe M. Howard, ’35
Paducah, Kentucky, January 18, 2001

Leisla Moran Howell, ’41
Chino, California, March 6,
2001

Gladys E. (Dimock) Keedy, ’39
San Antonio, Texas, June 30, 1998

Dr. Russell J. Lewis, ’56
Knoxville, Tennessee, July 20, 2000

Owen McCain, ’51
Brazil, Indiana, February 17,
2001

Georgia B. McGuffey, ’35
Champaign, Illinois, October 14, 2000

James Tulley Rankin, ’60
Greenville, South Carolina
November 28, 1996

James E. Sanders, Sr.
Paducah, Kentucky, December 2, 2000

Al J. Schneider
Louisville, Kentucky, May 27, 2001

Leland E. Scott, ’27
Adelphi, Maryland, June 8, 1997

Betsy (Helburn) Strisower, ’25
Lexington, Kentucky, January 29, 2001

Dr. Grant W. Thomas, Retired Faculty — Agronomy
Nicholasville, Kentucky, August 2, 2001

Gertrude “Trudy” Thompson, ’61
Fulton, Kentucky, May 27, 2001

Edith (Farmer) Williams, ’26
Lexington, Kentucky, December 31, 1998

Mabel (Dietz) Williamson, ’39
Lexington, Kentucky, May 12, 2001

Charles S. Woodring, ’63
London, Kentucky, May 19, 1999

Dr. Patch G. Woolfolk, ’47, Retired Faculty — Animal Sciences
Lexington, Kentucky, May 7, 2001


A familiar voice was silenced on September 5, 2001, when Cawood Ledford died in Harlan at the age of 75 after a long bout with cancer.
Ledford was the play-by-play radio announcer for UK football and basketball Wildcats for 39 years, and he called the Kentucky Derby for 22 years. He was regarded as one of the nation’s top announcers, being voted Kentucky’s “Sportscaster of the Year” 22 times. Ledford was also the first to be inducted into both the Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame and the Kentucky Journalism Hall of Fame.
He is survived by his wife, Frances, and a brother and sister.

top