Woodworkers earn cheers for chairs - Purdue Agriculture - Purdue ...

BY TOM CAMPBELL
Spring break in Costa Rica, with its miles of black
volcanic sand beaches, means perfect waves are
littered with surfer dudes from all over the globe. The
sky is clean and cloudless. Temperatures meander into
the mid-90s each day, and humidity hangs right there,
too. And boy, is it cheap.
A group of Purdue students and staff from the
Department of Forestry and Natural Resources found
accommodations ($15 a night) that were perfectly
priced for their college crowd. Bring in a couple of
rock bands nobody has ever heard of, and you’ve got
yourself a Spring Break MTV special.
But for these six people, Costa Rica was anything
but a beach party. They were in the heart of Central
America to build 50 sets of desks and chairs for
school children. The furniture would utilize
technology developed at Purdue to create inexpensive
furniture able to withstand Costa Rica’s relentless heat
and humidity, not to mention the steady abuse
provided by elementary school students.
An advance group of three travelers — assistant
professor Rado Gazo, graduate student Henry
Quesada, and volunteer woodworker Bob Leavitt —
arrived in the capital city of San Jose on March 2. An
eight-hour car ride on roads that would make a
mountain trail look like the Autobahn got the group to
the work site, but it had none of the lumber and few of
the tools promised them.
The lumber, 650 board feet of gmelina (pronounced
ma-LEAN-ah) wood valued at about $300, was
1
Volume 10 Number 2 Summer 2001
Woodworkers earn cheers for chairs
Mexico
Costa
Rica
donated by Steve Brunner, owner of the Tropical
American Tree Farm in Costa Rica. The wood was
delivered to the work site near the town of Dominical
on the Pacific coast in January so it would be dry
enough to cut and shape into the desks and chairs the
group would assemble in March.
But now the wood was harder to find than a Costa
Rican icicle. It had vanished.
It seems the wood lacked the proper
paperwork to be where it was. And with
neither the donor nor the Purdue contingent
on site to explain the wood’s purpose, the
local police did what they thought was
proper … they arrested the lumber and
hauled it off to jail (really). It took
two jail cells to hold all the wood
that was supposed to make
desks and chairs for needy
school children.
Quesada (pronounced
KAY-sada), a Costa
Rican native, had spent
the better part of the
past seven months
organizing the details of
the project as a major
part of his master’s
thesis about design of a
manufacturing system
photo by Eva Haviarova
Chairs and desks built during spring break by a contingent from Purdue University’s Forestry and Natural
Resources department will be able to stand the stress and strains applied by students like Natalie Salazar (left)
and older sister Jennifer.
for construction of school furniture.
The technique uses standardized parts made with
simple tools from inexpensive wood that normally
wouldn’t be satisfactory for making furniture. The
pieces fit together with round mortises and tenons,
made using a deep hole saw attached to an electric
motor. The design takes advantage of the humidity,
which destroys other furniture: After the desks and
chairs are assembled, moisture causes the joints to
swell, creating a strong, tight fit.
But instead of making school desks and chairs,
Quesada spent his first day in Costa Rica making 30
phone calls trying to locate the wood and expediting
its release from jail. He was unable to find the
necessary paperwork to appease the police, however,
so new wood had to be purchased.
But new wood would still be wet when Eva
Haviarova, manager of Purdue’s wood research
laboratory, and undergraduates Ike Slaven and Ryan
Bradford joined the group on March 9 to begin their
version of Furniture Building 101, Caribbean style.
“It just made it difficult to work with,” says Leavitt.
“Every time you would try to drill into it, water would
squirt out. Sanding all the wood took much more time
than we anticipated because of the moisture.”
So the crew was way behind schedule, even before
they had begun. Locals, or Ticos, dropped by to
watch. Gazo recognized the looks on their faces.
Continued on Page 2

Costa Rica continued from Page 1
“Nobody down there thought we could
accomplish what we set out to do,” he says.
“You could just see them scratch their heads and
say ‘crazy Americans, it will never work.’”
Perhaps they were crazy. A goal of
assembling 50 sets of desks and chairs in one
week, under these circumstances, was, at the
least, ambitious. But the problems they faced
before the first piece of wood was even cut only
strengthened their resolve.
“It’s like playing cards,” says Slaven, a
junior. “You’ve got to do your best with the
cards you are dealt.”
Says Gazo: “We used every single hour of
daylight to work. If the sun was shining, we
were working.”
And boy, did the sun shine.
“It was in the mid-90s every day,” Slaven
says. “We were all just coated with sweat and
sawdust from head to toe.”
The Pacific Ocean, so close they could hear it
whenever the saws, drills and sanders were shut
off, became the world’s largest sawdust removal
system. A saltwater bath left them feeling less
than clean, but it was better by far than wearing
a layer of sweat and sawdust.
“At the end of the day, I felt like I was wearing a
fur coat made of sawdust,” Slaven says.
Meanwhile, Quesada was making a valuable new
friend in Arturo Mora, owner of the only phone in the
entire district and president of the local school’s
parent/teacher organization. Mora was able to round
up several volunteers to help in the manufacturing
process.
“They were great,” says Bradford, who also is a
junior. “They did a lot of the sanding. I’m not sure we
could have finished without them.”
The group did have some time to play tourist, but
not as much as planned.
“We thought we were going to work hard for four
days and have the rest of the time to play,” says
Bradford, a building construction management major.
“It didn’t work out that way, though. We ended up
working most of the time, but that’s OK. After all,
that’s what we were there for.”
“We reached our goal,” Gazo says with pride, “but
it was like climbing Mt. Everest without
oxygen, very difficult.”
Their hard work was rewarded with the
gastronomic treasures of Costa Rica.
“We joked that we would like to eat
crocodile, snake, iguana and lobster while we
were there,” says Gazo. “Well, we got to try
two of them.”
Fresh lobster was a treat, but the iguana
was the real surprise.
“Tastes like chicken,” says Slaven. “It was
great.” It’s no wonder the iguana is called
gallina de palo, or chicken of the tree.
But the real rewards came when they
delivered the finished furniture to the students
at the Centro Educativo Baru.
“Before we could even get out of the truck,
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2
photos by Rado Gazo
The mountain of tenons cut by Purdue junior Ike Slaven (left) produced 50 sets of desks and chairs made for school
students in Costa Rica. Eva Haviarova, manager of Purdue’s wood research laboratory, sits with the proud new
occupant of new classroom furniture (right).
all the kids came running out of the
school and pulled the chairs out of the
back and started dragging them back
into the school. They were so excited to
see us,” says Bradford.
Adds Slaven: “Watching the kids
sprint over, pick them up and drag them
to the room was neat to see. They were
as happy as can be. When I was in
school and got new furniture, I could
care less, but these kids were just so
happy. It was amazing. We were
superheroes to them. That was a pretty
good feeling.”
Maybe it would make a pretty good
MTV special after all.
Photo gallery available at: http://
www.agriculture.purdue.edu/
connections
Letter to the Editor
Sir,
I fortunately have arrived on your
mailing list to receive Connections. I
would like to congratulate you and your
staff for producing a very interesting and
attractive publication. I enjoy it very
much and believe it to be one of the best
Purdue publications that I receive. Bravo
to all of you!
Barbara Cook
Dean Emerita of Students
Wood originally donated for the project sits in a jail cell in Costa Rica
(above). New furniture delivered to classrooms by Purdue graduate
student Henry Quesada brightened not only the environment of the class,
but also the eyes of the students (below left).
photo by Ryan Bradford
Credits
Connections serves as an up-to-date medium for
the open exchange of ideas, information, opportunities
and knowledge between Purdue University's
School of Agriculture and its extended family of
alumni and friends.
Purdue Agriculture Connections is published three
times annually by the Purdue University Department of
Agricultural Communication for the Purdue Agricultural
Alumni Association. It is distributed free to more than
40,000 School of Agriculture students, staff, alumni and
friends.
Send letters and editorial comments to Department of
Agricultural Communication, 1143 AGAD Building,
West Lafayette, Ind. 47907-1143; (765) 494-8084.
Send questions about the association and address
changes to the Agricultural Alumni Association,
1140 AGAD Building, Room 1, West Lafayette, Ind.
47907-1140; (765) 494-8593.
Donya Lester, Purdue Agricultural Alumni
Association executive secretary
dcl@agad.purdue.edu
Tom Campbell, BS’78, managing editor
tc@aes.purdue.edu
Christy Denault, editor
Mindy Jasmund, graphic designer
Frank Koontz, editor
Marian Sipes, production assistant
It is the policy of Purdue University that all persons shall have equal
opportunity and access to the programs and facilities without regard to
race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, marital status, parental
status, sexual orientation, or disability. Purdue University is an
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http://www.agcom.purdue.edu/AgCom/Pubs/

CystX the name, nematodes the aim
BY STEVE TALLY
For the first time,
soybean farmers have a
way to fight back against
their No. 1 pest, the
soybean cyst nematode.
This tiny parasitic worm,
often known simply as
SCN, is a microscopic
roundworm that infests the
roots of soybeans. The
worms feed on the roots
and can cause up to a 40
percent loss of yield in a
growing season.
Nationwide, the losses
from SCN are estimated to
be $270 million a year;
losses in Indiana are
estimated at $30 million to
$50 million annually.
To seek an answer to this
problem, Purdue scientists
formed a research team of
an agronomist, a nematologist, and two entomologists. They
combined high-tech genomic techniques and years of
traditional bench science to develop a soybean gene line that
is completely resistant to nematodes. The technology was
called CystX.
For their efforts, CystX team members received the 2001
Agricultural Dean’s Team Award for outstanding research
conducted by an interdisciplinary team. Recipients of the
award are Jamal Faghihi, research nematologist in the
Department of Entomology; Richard Vierling, adjunct
associate professor of agronomy and director of the Indiana
Crop Improvement Association; Virginia Ferris, professor of
entomology; and, posthumously, John Ferris, professor of
entomology, who passed away in January 2000.
The award, which includes $10,000 to further research,
was presented at a campus ceremony May 3.
CystX is a licensed and patent-protected soybean line that
crop breeders can cross with elite, modern soybean varieties
to develop nematode-resistant soybeans. CystX technology
is available at low cost to seed companies. Some varieties are
already on the market, with many more soybean lines,
including the top commercial lines, expected to include
CystX for the 2002 planting season.
Vic Lechtenberg, dean of agriculture at Purdue, says that
when people from different areas of expertise and different
departments come together to work on a problem, great
Three Indiana
agricultural leaders
received the Purdue Ag
Alumni Association’s
Certificate of Distinction
during the association’s
annual fish fry.
This year’s honorees are
Dale Humphrey, a farmer
from Springville, Ind.;
Philip Nelson of West Lafayette, head
of Purdue’s Department of Food
Science; and Robert M. Ritchie of
Lafayette, professor emeritus of 4-H
youth.
The Certificate of Distinction is the
highest honor presented by the
Purdue Ag Alumni Association,
recognizing individuals for service to
agriculture above and beyond the call
of duty.
photo by Tom Campbell
CystX team members Jamal Faghihi, PhD’83 (top), Virginia Ferris and Rick Vierling
earned the Dean’s Team Award for their soybean cyst nematode research.
Ag Alumni honors three leaders
Humphrey
Nelson
• Humphrey, BS ’57, has been an
owner and partner in a 2,000-acre
grain and cattle farm in Lawrence
County since 1959. He has provided
service and leadership to the ag
industry on all levels, ranging from
involvement on the Lawrence County
4-H Fair Board to serving as president
of the National Cattlemen’s
Association.
• Nelson, BS ’56, PhD ’67, was
3
discoveries can be the result.
“The Team Award is designed to encourage and reward
outstanding research, Extension, and education efforts that
would not have happened without interdisciplinary
cooperation,” Lechtenberg says. “The members of the CystX
team are to be commended for their collaborative efforts and
for an outstanding piece of science.”
To develop CystX, team members bred plants that were a
cross of a nondomesticated soybean that is completely
resistant to nematodes and a domesticated variety that
produces much better yields. They then used genetic
markers to identify plants that contained the resistance gene
and the desirable genes from the domesticated soybeans.
The CystX line of soybeans was then crossed with other
lines through standard breeding practices.
“Strictly speaking, this isn’t old-fashioned plant breeding,
because we used molecular markers to find the progeny
plant line that had the resistance,” says Virginia Ferris. “But
the breeding itself is just regular breeding, and this isn’t a
genetically modified line of soybeans.”
Faghihi and John Ferris tested the CystX soybeans on 150
populations of nematodes, including several highly virulent
races created in Ferris’ laboratory. “We’ve never found any
population that can overcome it,” Virginia Ferris says.
Purdue, the Indiana Soybean Board, and the National
Science Foundation funded the CystX research.
Ritchie
director of Purdue’s Food
Sciences Institute from
1975 through 1983. He has
been head of the
Department of Food
Science since it was
formed in 1984. Under
Nelson’s guidance,
undergraduate enrollment
in the department has
jumped from 60 students in 1993 to
161 in 1999, with a 100 percent job
placement rate.
• Ritchie, BS ’63, was a youth
educator and Extension director in
Grant County for 15 years before he
was recruited to join the state 4-H
faculty. Before his retirement in 1999,
Ritchie generated more than $25,000
in recurring scholarships for
collegebound 4-H youths.
USDA names
2 alums to
D.C. posts
BY STEVE LEER
Two School of Agriculture alumni
have been appointed to posts in the U.S.
Department of Agriculture.
James R. Moseley,
BS ’73, of Clarks Hill,
Ind., a 1992 Purdue
Distinguished
Agricultural Alumnus
(DAA) and former
director of Agricultural
Services and
Regulations in the
School of Agriculture, has been
appointed to the second-highest position
in the USDA.
As deputy to Secretary of Agriculture
Ann Veneman, Moseley will serve as an
advocate for U.S. farmers and assist in
forming agricultural policy.
After Moseley graduated from Purdue
with a degree in horticulture, he
established a thousand-acre grain and
hog farm near Clarks Hill, an operation
he still oversees.
He served as an assistant secretary of
agriculture for natural resources — a
position now known as undersecretary of
agriculture — under President George
Bush from 1990 to 1992. He also served
as an adviser to William Reilly, former
administrator of the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency.
Moseley returned to Purdue in 1992,
when he was named director of
Agricultural Services and Regulations.
His responsibilities included representing
the School of Agriculture to the Indiana
General Assembly and Hoosier
agricultural organizations, and
administering agricultural regulations
assigned to Purdue.
In 1997, he took part in the eightmonth-long
National Environmental
Dialogue on Pork Production. As lead
negotiator for the National Pork
Producers Council, Moseley worked
with federal and state environmental
officials to develop a set of
environmental recommendations for the
pork industry.
Purdue Dean of Agriculture Victor
Lechtenberg says Moseley’s wealth of
knowledge and skills will be an asset to
the USDA and American farmers.
J.B. Penn, PhD ’73, has been selected
undersecretary of agriculture for Farm
and Foreign
Agricultural Services.
Penn lives in
McLean, Va., and was
named a DAA in 2000.
He is senior vice
president of Sparks
Companies Inc. and coauthor
of one of the
Moseley
Penn
leading textbooks on agricultural policy.
“J.B. is a key leader in agriculture and
has maintained close ties to academia,
Purdue in particular,” says Marshall
Martin, Purdue associate head of
agricultural economics who attended
graduate school with Penn.

Plants could yield crop of plastic
BY STEVE TALLY
A Purdue biochemistry professor has received the
2001 Agricultural Research Award from the
university’s School of Agriculture for a discovery that
may open the door to producing new types of plastics
from plants.
The professor, Clint Chapple, and Knut Meyer of
DuPont and Co. have cloned a gene from the common
laboratory plant Arabidopsis that will allow plants to
produce and store the raw materials for plastics in
crops without damaging the plant’s health.
Currently, petroleum is used to make nearly all
plastics. But crop plants such as corn or soybeans hold
the potential to provide the starting materials to make
the plastics we already have and to make new plastics
with never-before-seen properties, Chapple says.
A patent application, in which both Purdue and
DuPont have rights, has been filed on the use of the
Arabidopsis gene for the production of monomers.
Plastics are produced by making chains of
compounds derived from petroleum. Scientists call
these chains polymers, and the individual molecules
that form the chain are called monomers.
“We have been historically limited by the number
of polymers that we can make from petroleum,”
Chapple says.
“Plants are really amazing chemical factories that
produce a mind-boggling number of interesting
chemicals. We can exploit that ability by using
genomics to identify the genes required to make those
compounds and by using biotechnology to insert the
genes into crop plants.”
Until now, the problem has been getting plants to
make enough of these substances for the process to be
economically viable, he says.
Fortunately, plants already have methods for
making and storing large amounts of compounds that
help protect them from insects, disease and ultraviolet
radiation in sunlight. They do this by combining (or to
use the scientists’ preferred term, conjugating) the
A record two-day crowd of
about 25,000 people
participated in Purdue’s annual
Spring Fest activities April 7-8.
With a little help from spotters
from the Department of
Forestry and Natural
Resources, Dorian Collins, 9,
(above) learned how to climb a
tree. Anthony Haynes, 7, tries
his luck at cricket spitting
(right). At the petting zoo,
(center), David Kopp, 6, offers
his arm to a millipede. Ji-Yun
Lee, 5, (top right) keeps a
cautious eye on face-painting
artist JoAnne Fisher. A team of
paleontology students put their
wits together to assemble the
skeleton of a horse (far right).
4
Biochemist Clint Chapple received a $1,000 honorarium and $5,000 in research funding as part of the 2001
Agricultural Research Award. Chapple received the award May 8.
molecules with other molecules to produce compounds
that are stored in small structures, called vacuoles,
within the cells. The vacuoles isolate the compounds
from the rest of the biochemical processes going on in
the plant.
“We’ve now cloned a gene that produces an
enzyme that is involved in conjugating these
compounds in plants,” Chapple says.
Because plants produce such a wide variety of
natural compounds, Chapple says new products that
aren’t even being currently considered might soon be
possible.
“In the future, we may still use polyethylene to
make some plastics. But we may be able to develop
photo by Tom Campbell
plastics with such special properties that we find new
uses for them,” Chapple says. “Maybe it’s exactly the
right compound to use in synthetic heart valves or in
parts for jet aircraft, for example. It’s very exciting to
think about what may be possible with this research.”
Meyer says DuPont is constantly looking for new
monomers to build new plastics.
“DuPont produces nylon and many related
products,” he says. “But some monomers are difficult
to make from petroleum using traditional chemistry,
so we’re looking at monomers produced in higher
levels in plants. Dr. Chapple’s work helps us stabilize
these monomers in plants and produce them at higher
levels.”
photos by Tom Campbell

BY BETH FORBES
It was billed as “Hail to the
Chief,” but the precipitation falling
inside this years’ annual Ag Alumni
Association Fish Fry took a more
“fowl” form.
It seems you can take the fish out
of Fish Fry, but you can’t take out the
corn.
In a salute to new Purdue
University President Martin C.
Jischke — and our country’s new head
of state, George W. Bush — the event
poked fun at politics and presidents.
With an impressive stage set, the front
of the armory was transformed into a
likeness of Hovde Hall, complete with a
bald-headed eagle flying high over the podium. Characters
resembling former presidents Bill Clinton, Richard Nixon,
Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan paraded around the room.
Lest President Jischke think he had a lock on his position, a
mock election was held, pitting “Slick Maurie Williamson”
against “Frisky Jischke.” Throughout the lunch, voters were
called to the stage to cast votes for president, in a voting booth
that looked strangely like an outhouse. Surprisingly,
Williamson was tallying up quite a lead.
Just when things looked bleak for the honored guest, President Jischke decided
to cast his vote. “I’m not worried at all,” he said. “I’m from Chicago.” Moments
after entering the john — er booth — lights began to flash and his vote total started
quickly increasing. With a dramatic come-from-behind finish, Jischke was
pronounced the winner by a single vote.
He was immediately whisked to the podium to take the oath of office. Earlier in
that same spot, the eagle overhead had relieved himself on treasurer Robert Ferling,
causing him to give the “crappiest treasury report ever.” In order to protect President
Jischke from such a fowl occurrence, an umbrella was found to shield the Purdue
chief from incoming bird droppings.
Pledging to uphold the reputation of the Ag Alumni Association, Jischke paused
just once during the swearing in, asking, “Do I really have to preserve the ‘dignity’ of
the Fish Fry?”
After taking his oath, Jischke took a few moments to reaffirm his support of the
School of Agriculture. “Ag will always be one of our major focuses at Purdue,” he
said.
Noting how Purdue has helped Indiana develop its agriculture, Jischke said the
university was ready to do even more for the state. “Today we would like to put our
missions of education, research and outreach to work to help foster a new, hightechnology
economy in the state of Indiana,” he said. “And no university in the country
is better positioned than Purdue to play a major role in this knowledge-based economic
development.”
Kicking off the lunch, Donya Lester, executive secretary of the association, surveyed
the 1,500 in attendance and announced that this was the third Ag Alumni event in the past
year that had attracted more than 1,000 alums. The other events were the Ag Tailgate
(Homecoming) and the Rose Bowl reception in Pasadena, Calif. This was the third year in
a row the Fish Fry menu featured pork tenderloin furnished by Indiana Packers Corp.,
Delphi, Ind.
Lester, who claims it is a rare moment when she has nothing to say, was surprised with
her honorary Commissioner of Agriculture award. The presentation was to have been
made by Lt. Gov. Joe Kernan, who missed this year’s event because his car was involved
in a minor traffic accident on the way to campus.
In addition to the Certificate of Distinction honorees, (see story on Page 3) others were
surprised with recognition of their efforts. Joan Hutsell, Purdue food stores clerk who
helped get the food donated for the event, received the Caroline Shearer Award “for
doing whatever it takes to get the job done.” And Purdue Musical Organizations head
Brian Breed was made an honorary member of the Ag Alumni Association in
recognition of his contributions in support of agriculture.
View Jischke’s Fish Fry speech at: http://www.agriculture.purdue.edu/connections
5
President Jischke and a pie-eyed
Dick Kohls share a laugh.
“Frisky Jischke” emerges from the voting booth with a one-vote
“landslide” win over “Slick” Maurie Williamson in the mock election.
A back-handed gesture from President Jischke landed
pie all over would-be attacker Dick Kohls.
Dean Vic Lechtenberg presents Donya Lester an
honorary Commissioner of Agriculture award.
photos by Tom Campbell

Agricultural Communication
Jennifer Doup, BS ’00, has joined the
department as a news writer. She had
previously been an agricultural reporter
and broadcaster.
Agricultural Economics
Michael E. Johnson received the
department award for outstanding PhD
dissertation for 2000 for his dissertation
“Adoption and Spillover of New Cassava
Technologies in West Africa:
Econometric Models and Heterogeneous
Agent Programming.”
Christine Welch Stair received the
department award for outstanding
master’s thesis for 2000 for her thesis
“An Economic Analysis of Alternative
Methods of Corn Rootworm Control:
Soil Insecticides, Areawide Pest
Management and Transgenics.”
Agricultural Education
Elisha Priebe received an Indiana
Vocational Education Postsecondary
Student Award for Excellence from the
Indiana Commission on Vocational and
Technical Education. The award is based
on scholarship, character, leadership,
employability and vocational skills.
Priebe will graduate this month.
Agronomy
Ben Carter, BS ’72, has been
appointed assistant director of the Crop
Diagnostic Training Center in West
Lafayette. While working on his master’s
degree, Carter will assist director Greg
Willoughby. Between 1,200 and 1,500
people receive training each summer at
the facility and at two Purdue
Agricultural Centers in northern and
southern Indiana.
BY TOM CAMPBELL
Jim Forney knows the task
ahead of him. The single
biggest objective facing the
new head of Purdue’s
Department of Biochemistry
is to fill faculty positions.
“In the next three to five
years, based on the age of our
faculty, we will be looking at
a few retirements,” says
Forney
Forney, who was appointed
department head in February.
“Coupled with the three openings we have right
now, I think finding the right kind of people who
will really strengthen our department for the future
is the single biggest job ahead of me.”
Forney succeeds Mark Hermodson, who returns
6
Department
Notes
Animal Sciences
Professor Mark Diekman has received
the Faculty Citation Award from
Vincennes University. Diekman, a 1968
Vincennes graduate, was recognized for
his efforts in directing Purdue research
programs in improving reproductive
efficiency in swine production and for
serving as a liaison for students in
agriculture transferring from Vincennes
to Purdue.
Hilary Houin, a junior, and Angela
to teaching and research after serving as department
head since 1981.
Forney, an avid runner in his spare time, joined the
staff in 1989 as an assistant professor, became
associate professor in 1994 and professor in 1999. He
hopes to team with faculty to set and achieve
department goals.
“The faculty must be involved in this process,
because it will impact their most precious resource,
how they spend their time,” Forney says.
“Departmental priorities should determine resource
allocations and influence decisions regarding new
opportunities. Setting goals is the only way to gauge
progress.”
While Forney looks to build the biochemistry
department from within, he also looks to further
strengthen its reputation by cooperating with other
campus departments.
Jinks, a senior, have received the first
LOUJA Award for undergraduate
students. Jake Krider, professor
emeritus and former department head,
established the $1,000 scholarship in
memory of his wife, Louise. The Kriders
had established the LOUJA Awards for
graduate students in 1979.
Biochemistry
Barbara Sanchez-Neri, a sophomore,
has received a $1,300 scholarship from
the Hispanic Scholarship Fund made
possible by Bristol-Myers Squibb
Foundation.
Botany and Plant Pathology
Steven Hallett and Kevin Gibson
have joined the staff as assistant
professors of weed science. Hallett will
research the biological control of weeds
Biochemistry professor becomes head of department
Continued on Page 7
photo by Tom Campbell
Home heating oil using 20 percent soybean oil earned this trio of Purdue seniors the top prize of $4,800 in the
seventh annual New Uses for Soybeans contest. Team members are (from left to right) Louis Cassens of West
Lafayette, Matt Peter of Odon, Ind., and Rebekah Kennedy of Akron, Ohio. The blended oil would cost about 10
percent less than fuel oil alone and, according to Peter, could create a potential market for more than 222
million bushels of soybeans. The competition is sponsored by Purdue and the Indiana Soybean Council.
“It’s important for me to help make sure the
department is interfacing with the new technologies
that are going to be a part of biochemistry,” Forney
says.
“That may be accomplished, in part, by hiring
people who are going to use those technologies and
in part by just making sure we interact with people
in analytical chemistry or engineering, for example,
on campus, all those places that are going to be
bringing new approaches to bear on biochemistry.”
Interdepartmental cooperation may be something
that comes naturally to Forney. His wife, Nanci, is
coordinator of student development for the
Krannert School of Management. They have a
daughter, Kristen, 17.
Forney can be reached at forney@purdue.edu

Notes continued from Page 6
with emphasis on the discovery and
development of bioherbicides. Gibson’s
research will be in the area of weed
ecology and control. Both also will teach.
Food Science
Department Head Philip E. Nelson,
BS ’56, PhD ’67, has been named a
Fellow of the Institute of Food Science
and Technology (United Kingdom).
Founded in 1964, the institute has a
worldwide membership and serves the
public interest by furthering the
application of science and technology to
all aspects of the supply of safe,
wholesome, nutritious and attractive
food.
Bruce Applegate, a food microbiologist,
has joined the department as an assistant
professor. Applegate has also received an
Agricultural Research Program
assistantship. Assistantships help new
faculty build their research programs by
providing support for graduate student
research. A primary objective of the
assistantship program is to promote
research ideas that may be developed into
proposals for outside funding.
Professor Bruce Watkins received
$99,425 as part of the 2000 Trask
Technology Innovation Awards. Watkins’
research is in nutraceuticals as
therapeutic agents for bone health and
diseases. The Technology Innovation
Awards program is a continuation of the
Trask program, established in 1974 to
support short-term projects that will
enhance the value of intellectual property
disclosed to the Purdue Research
Foundation. Awards in the program are
up to $100,000 for a period of one year.
Watkins is one of 13 principal
investigators to receive the award in
2000.
Forestry and Natural
Resources
Professor Carl Eckelman and Eva
Haviarova, manager of the Wood
Research Lab, were awarded the
Woodworkers Helping Others Award for
7
creating school furniture that helps
developing countries use local labor and
materials to build inexpensive desks and
chairs (see story on Page 1). The award
was presented at the 2000 Midwest
Extravaganza.
Horticulture and Landscape
Architecture
The American Horticulture Society has
named Professor Jules Janick, MS ’52,
PhD ’54, winner of its 2001 horticulture
writing award. Janick, the James Troop
Distinguished Professor of Horticulture,
has authored or co-authored nearly 100
volumes covering horticultural subjects,
including books, monographs, journals,
reviews and various collections. He also
has written some 20 book chapters and
hundreds of scientific papers. Janick,
director of the Indiana Center for New
Crops and Plant Products, holds six U.S.
patents for horticultural technologies and
17 plant patents.
Assistant Professor Angus Murphy is
investigating how the plant hormone
auxin is transported within tissues and
between cells. Auxin plays a major role
in regulating many aspects of plant
growth and development, including
elongation, branching, fruit development
and rooting. Murphy joined the faculty in
January. He was an assistant research
biologist at the University of California,
Santa Cruz.
Professor Bob Joly received the 2000
Regional Food and Agricultural Sciences
Excellence in College Teaching Award.
Joly received the award at the annual
meeting of the National Association of
State Universities and Land Grant
Colleges in San Antonio, Texas.
For his work in historical preservation
in Lafayette, Ind., architect and urban
planner Kent Schuette has earned the
2001 Suzanne Stafford Award, presented
by the Tippecanoe Arts Federation. The
award, named after a former director of
the Lafayette Museum of Art, is
presented to an outstanding local
volunteer in the arts.
Nidlinger takes charge of state FSA
John Nidlinger, BS ’76, on June 4 will become
Indiana’s executive director for the Farm Service
Agency. The Decatur, Ind., farmer already has set
some lofty personal goals.
“I know things are going to be rather hectic in the
first year, but I would like to try and visit every
county office as soon as possible and meet the county
committees within the first 12 or 14 months,” he
says.
Nidlinger, who served as agriculture liaison for
Sen. Richard Lugar from 1990 to 2001, will continue
to operate his 2,300-acre family farm near Decatur.
He also has served on the American Farm Bureau
soybean and wheat advisory committees and the
Dean’s Advisory Council and the
Farm Policy Group at Purdue.
The Farm Service Agency
works to ensure the well-being
of American agriculture, the
environment and the American
public through efficient and
equitable administration of farm
Nidlinger
commodity programs, farm
ownership, operating and emergency loans,
conservation and environmental programs,
emergency and disaster assistance, domestic and
international food assistance, and international export
credit programs.
“Unretired” continued from cover
Ross, who also serves as president of the
Noblesville Senior Citizens organization, never would
have become a teacher had he been able to find a job
after graduating at the top of the 1933 Pinnell High
School class of 15 students.
“It was the Depression,” Ross says. “I worked on
the family farm for two years. All the money I was
making was going right back into the farm, so I
decided to go to college. I had no money to go to
school, so I had to work the whole time I was at
Purdue.
“I did everything from cutting grass to working in
the Memorial Union. In fact, I’ll bet I washed every
window and wall in that place. And I did it all for 25cents
an hour.”
photo by Tom Campbell
Amy Petersen, wants to go to Purdue to become a
teacher. But she says she won’t teach as long as Noble
Ross, now in his eighth decade as an educator.
Ross also farmed while he taught, working a 110acre
farm in Clinton County where he raised corn,
wheat, soybeans and clover, in addition to milking 20
head of dairy cows and feeding 150 head of hogs. A
combination of bad prices, poor health and long hours
drove him out of the farming business, but not out of
teaching.
Until his retirement in 1975, Ross taught vocational
agriculture and biology in four different Indiana
school systems, most recently serving a 16-year stint
at Sheridan High School.
A substitute at the Noblesville schools for the past
26 years, Ross has no immediate plans to retire. After
all, how many teachers can boast of having the
opportunity to teach their own grandchildren (Brian is
a freshman) in high school?
“I tell these kids there’s no reason, what with the
advances in medical sciences, they can’t live to be 120
years old,” Ross says.
“I’d like to think I can live to be 100 and teach until
I’m 90. I don’t see anything wrong with that.”
Neither does Noblesville High School principal
Tony Cook.
“The students really seem to enjoy having Noble
around,” says Cook.
“Some of the great experiences he has had in his
life, he shares with them on a daily basis. Many of the
students in the high school have had Mr. Ross as a
substitute going all the way back to their elementary
school days, through middle school, and now they are
still learning from him here at the high school level.
“So many of them have formed a bond with Mr.
Ross, not only as a teacher, but as a friend, too.”
Contact Ross at: pluto@indy.net
Someone you would like to see profiled in
“UNRETIRED?” Send suggestions to: Connections
editor, 1143 Agricultural Administration Building,
Room 204, West Lafayette, Ind. 47907-1143, or
e-mail: tc@aes.purdue.edu.

8
Alumni Profile:
Simeon, MS ’83, PhD ’87, and Mamou Ehui, MS ’85, PhD ’89
Worldly couple overcomes distance, separation
BY TOM CAMPBELL
Simeon and Mamou Ehui (pronounced
EH-whey) have a marriage that distance
cannot destroy. Which is a good thing.
They are separated by eight time zones and
8,000 miles. Simeon, MS ’83, PhD ’87, is
leader of the livestock policy analysis
program for the International Livestock
Research Institute in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
His wife of 17 years (or 12 years, by some
reckoning...but more on that later), Mamou,
MS ’85, PhD ’89, is an agricultural economist
with specific interests in marketing, economic
development and policy research. She works
for the United Nations Economic
Commission for Africa in Addis Ababa,
although she is currently on a 12-month
exchange with the World Bank in
Washington, D.C.
That kind of separation would put a strain
on any relationship. But Mamou jokes that
they probably couldn’t get a divorce, even if
they wanted.
Simeon and Mamou, both 43, were
recently reunited on campus to accept their
Distinguished Agricultural Alumni Awards,
the first couple to be so honored by the
Purdue School of Agriculture.
They began dating as undergraduate
students at the National University of Cote
d’Ivoire (the French name for Ivory Coast) in
Abidjan in 1978. The Ivory Coast is a country
of 16 million people speaking 60 different
languages located on the western edge of
Africa.
“I knew from the beginning that we were
meant for each other,” Mamou says.
She followed him to Purdue, where they
both pursued their postgraduate degrees. They
shared the common dream of returning to the
Ivory Coast to teach and research agricultural
economics.
In the eyes of Judge David J. Crouse and
two witnesses, Simeon and Mamou were
married March 5, 1984, in the Tippecanoe
County Courthouse, just across the Wabash
River from Purdue’s West Lafayette campus.
But in their celebration (a quiet dinner of
Chinese food provided by the two witnesses),
the Ehuis neglected to inform the Ivory Coast
Embassy in Washington, D.C., of their
nuptials. So what Judge Crouse had done, the
Ivory Coast government didn’t exactly put
asunder, it simply did not officially recognize
African enrollment
According to the Office of the Registrar,
103 students representing 30 African nations
are enrolled at Purdue University. By
comparison, Purdue’s largest contingents of
foreign students hail from India (808), China
(695) and South Korea (496).
photo by Tom Campbell
Simeon and Mamou Ehui returned to campus in April to be honored as Distinguished Ag Alumni.
their union.
On a return trip home in 1989, the couple
celebrated their union with family members.
Simeon and Mamou were celebrated (again)
in a civil ceremony (Sept. 23), officially
recognized by the government. That was
preceded by a traditional wedding on Sept. 16,
performed only after the bride has been
secluded indoors for one week, pampered and
preened by family members, as per custom.
“After all of that,” Mamou jokes, “I don’t
think it is even possible for us to get a
divorce.” At least not without causing an
international incident that would send court
clerks on two continents on a paper chase that
could take years to unravel.
They have kept their family (daughter,
Marie Danielle, 4) together by long-distance
phone calls several times a week and by
occasional visits that test their
resourcefulness.
Simeon recently logged more than a few
frequent flyer miles on a business trip to Peru
by laying over in Washington on the way back
to Ethiopia to spend time with Mamou.
“We seem to meet quite a bit in airports,”
jokes Mamou.
But Simeon, to say the least, is resourceful.
How else would you describe a man who
saved enough of his own money to buy
himself a bicycle at the age of 12?
Nation No. of students
at Purdue
1. Kenya 15
2. Nigeria 14
3. Ghana 13
4. Ethiopia 7
5. Republic of S. Africa 5
6. Sudan 5
7. Cote d’Ivoire 4
8. Zimbabwe 4
9. Mali 3
10. Niger 3
11. Tanzania 3
Or secured a gift of $40,000 from Rotary
clubs in Lafayette and Carmel, Cal., to feed
victims of the border war between Ethiopia
and Eritrea?
Simeon and Mamou are now trying to
figure out how to use some of their income to
establish a scholarship program to send
promising Africans to the United States to
study, in much the same way they did in the
’80s.
“I come from a very modest family,”
Simeon admits. “If I had not gotten
scholarships to go to primary and secondary
schools and the university, I would probably
be somewhere back in Ivory Coast doing
almost nothing. I was a lucky one. Being in
the position that I am, and, thank God, I am
earning a decent income, I can help others
who have not been as fortunate as myself.”
To date, Simeon has helped three students
further their education in the United States, at
Purdue, Cornell and Williams College.
But none of those is as important as the
first person he helped to take advantage of the
American education system, his girlfriend,
Mamou Kouyate.
Mamou was a year behind Simeon at the
National University of Cote d’Ivoire, studying
agricultural economics while looking for a
way to be reunited with him in the United
States.
Simeon had already graduated with honors
from the same school and had spent time in
California sharpening his English skills before
starting graduate work at Purdue in 1981.
A year later, Mamou graduated and began
to look for scholarship assistance that would
enable her to join Simeon in the United States.
But the best she could find was a Ford
Foundation grant to attend the University of
Illinois. Simeon and Mamou were now on the
same continent, but separated by 90 miles of
farmland. Then, a meeting with matchmaker
Lowell Hardin, BS ’39, got them on the same
Continued on Page 9

Couple continued from Page 8
campus.
In the early ’80s, Hardin, professor
emeritus of agricultural economics and
assistant director of Purdue’s International
Programs in Agriculture, was chairman of
the board of the Ford Foundation’s
Agricultural Development Council
council.
“We’ve got to do what we can to get
you two together,” Hardin told the
couple. He arranged for her grant to be
transferred to Purdue, where she applied
and was accepted, working with
professor Paul Farris to investigate
approaches for measuring the efficiency
of marketing systems in developing
countries.
“Purdue was a wonderful place for
us,” Mamou says. “We really enjoyed
our time there. We made so many great
friends while we were at Purdue.”
The feeling is mutual, according to
Wally Tyner, head of Purdue’s
Department of Agricultural
Economics.
“Simeon and Mamou certainly are a
multi-dimensional couple,” says
Tyner. “Both are extraordinarily
accomplished in their professional
career and both are extraordinarily
nice people. You don’t find too many
like them.”
Mamou did get her chance to
return to the University of the Ivory
Coast as an assistant professor when
she taught for one year. Simeon, however,
did not.
Occupation: Coordinator,
Livestock Policy Analysis
Program, International
Livestock Research
Institute, Ethiopia
Just as he was finishing his PhD in 1987 working with professor Tom Hertel, the Rockefeller Foundation
offered a fellowship that would make
Simeon the first African assigned to an
international agricultural research center
(the International Institute of Tropical
Personal Profile:
Mamou K. Ehui
Occupation: Agricultural
economist with the United
Nations Economic
Commission for Africa,
currently on 12-month
sabbatical with the World Bank in
Washington, D.C.
Purdue Degrees: MS ’85, PhD ’89,
Agricultural Economics
Eight musical selections that
accompanied Mamou Ehui to
Washington
1. Gala d’anniversaire en direct du palais du
peuple by Bembeya Jazz National (music from
Guinea)
2. Les 4 etoiles by Eti-Edan (Democratic
Republic of Congo)
3. Fode by Kasse Mady (Mali)
4. Ritmo African Team by Grand Kalle (Democratic
Republic of Congo)
5. Demission by Rochereau (Democratic
Republic of Congo)
6. Mwassa Makossa by Manyu Digbango
(Cameroon)
7. Melle Amy by Beny Bezy (Ivory Coast)
8. Sentimientos by Surazo (Peruvian instrumental
music)
Contact Mamou at: mehui@hotmail.com
9
Personal Profile:
Simeon K. Ehui
Purdue Degrees: MS ’83, PhD ’87,
Agricultural Economics
Seven books recently read:
1. The Path of Love by Deepak Chopra
2. Leadership Is Common Sense by Herman
Cain
3. The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People
by Stephen Covey
4. Making Democracy Work by Robert Putman
5. Va ou ton Coeur te porte (Go Where Your
Heart Leads You) by Suzanna Tamaro
6. En attendant le Vote des betes sauvages
(While Awaiting the Voting of the Wild Beasts)
by Amadou Kourouma
7. Trust the Social Virtues and the Creation of
Prosperity by Francis Fukuyama
Contact Simeon at: s.ehui@cgiar.org
Agriculture in Ibadan, Nigeria.
“It really was an offer I could not
refuse,” says Simeon, who is responsible
for the overall policy of the research
programs of the institute, which aims to
improve the livelihood of the poor
throughout the world by improving their
access to technologies involving
livestock.
Mamou’s career has been
groundbreaking, too.
In 1995, she became the first female
special assistant to the executive
secretary of the United Nations
Economic Commission for Africa, a
post she held for five years.
Mamou’s appointment to the World
Bank ends this month. She looks
forward to returning to her job with the
United Nations and her family in
Ethiopia.
“It says so much about Mamou, but
really, about both of them, that she is
making a professional sacrifice in
order to serve the family,” says Tyner.
Their return trip to campus to
accept the Distinguished Agricultural
Alumni Awards in April was the first
since 1999 for Simeon, although they
both remain in contact with the
School of Agriculture through
several research projects his institute
oversees.
But if all goes as planned,
Simeon and Mamou will be making
regular visits to campus around
2015, about the time their daughter
enrolls at Purdue.
“Oh, yes, Simeon boasts,
“already she is a Boilermaker.”
1940s
Association of Fairs and Expositions
Edgar Hackman, BS ’47,
Seymour, Ind., received the Hardee’s
American Heritage Award at the
110th annual International
conference in Las Vegas, Nev. The
award recognizes the achievements
of outstanding volunteer fair
managers. Hackman has been a
member of the Jackson County Fair
Board for 47 years and has served as
president, secretary-treasurer, and
director-at-large. Individuals from 19
different states have received the
award since it originated in 1994.
Hackman is the first person from
Indiana and the first person from
Zone 3, which consists of Indiana,
Ohio, Kentucky, Michigan and
Ontario, Canada, to receive the
award.
Samuel
1960s
Thompson, MS ’61,
PhD ’65, Rebecca, Ga., is retired from
the University of Georgia Extension
Service. He currently works with the
Boy Scouts of America as Southwest
Georgia Council vice president.
Alan Swartz, BS ’65, Buena
Vista, Colo., was co-chairman of the
National Association of Extension
4-H Agents 2000 Conference in
Denver and is president of Park
County Vision 2020 Summit
Toastmasters.
Robert Harris, PhD ’66, Carmel,
Ind., has been named a distinguished
professor at the Indiana University
School of Medicine.
1970s
directs research and Extension
Edward Beste, PhD ’71, and
Robert D. Williams, PhD ’72, have
been elected Fellows of the Weed
Science Society of America. Beste
activities in vegetables, small fruits
and ornamentals for the University
of Maryland’s Lower Eastern Shore
Research and Education Center.
Williams is a plant physiologist with
the USDA-ARS Grassland Research
Laboratory at El Reno, Okla.
Charles Tubesing, BS ’75,
Chesterland, Ohio, has been elected
a Fellow in the International Plant
Propagators Society, Eastern Region
(North America).
Jay Branson, BS ’76, Kildeer, Ill.,
has joined DraftWorldwide as a
senior vice president and director of
corporate communications.
Continued on Page 10

Development
Notes
Six hundred and forty Purdue Agriculture alumni,
the largest tour group in the school’s history, traveled
to Pasadena for the nation’s greatest college football
event, the Rose Bowl.
The Ag Alumni Association and the Ag
Development Office organized the tour that sold 500
packages within 24 hours of the conclusion of the
Purdue/IU football game.
“Demand was tremendous,” said Donya Lester,
executive secretary of the Ag Alumni Association.
“We managed to secure another 140 packages after
the first sellout, and they sold quickly too. My only
regret was that we finally hit the wall on the number
of available packages, so we were unable to help
those who called later. It’s the toughest game in the
country to get tickets for.”
The four-day tour included round-trip travel,
Class Notes continued from Page 9
Gary Hohl, BS ’77, lives in
Santa Claus, Ind., with his
wife, Mary, and son, Zachary.
He has maintained a law
practice since 1980. He also
coaches high school football
and track and field at Heritage
Hills High School. In his spare
time, he collects prehistoric
stone artifacts and modern
Indian artwork.
Thomas
1980s
H. Campbell,
BS ’85, is a national account
manager for Schering-Plough
Animal Health, a division of
Schering Corp. He lives in
Annandale, N.J., with his
wife, Susan, and two children,
Brigid, 7, and William, 3.
Colleen (Yake) Wessel,
BS ’85, Lisle, Ill., is director
of regional education for the
13-state Midwest Region at
Coldwell Banker Real Estate
Corp. She works with Webbased
training and live courses
for more than 6,000 real estate
agents, managers and brokers
each year.
Anne Legere, PhD ’86, has
been elected a Fellow of the
Weed Science Society of
America. Legere is on leave
from the Agriculture and Agri-
Food Canada Research Center
in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan,
where her research has
focused on the dynamics of
weed communities in cereal
and small grain crops under
sustainable management
practices.
Denise Jackson, BS ’88,
Hailey, Idaho, became owner
of Altitude Designs Landscape
Architecture and Land
Planning on Jan 1, 2000. She
has been a Master of Rural
Community Planning since
December 1995.
Jerry Rusch, BS ’88, DVM
’91, Orleans, Ind., became a
diplomate with the American
Board of Veterinary
Practitioners Beef Cattle
Specialty after successfully
completing board
certification.
Ken Shaver, BS ’89, and his
wife, Lori (Fischer) Shaver,
BS ’91, became the proud
parents of Holly Elizabeth on
Dec. 28, 2000. Holly is their
second child. They live in
Crawfordsville, Ind.
1990s
Jodi Bruggenschmidt,
BS ’94, Jasper, Ind., married
Craig Beaver on April 29,
2000.
Roy Johnson, BS ’95,
North Vernon, Ind., is an
agricultural science and
business instructor and FFA
advisor at Jennings County
High School in North Vernon.
Robert Chapman, BS ’96,
Rolla, Mo., recently
completed his master’s degree
in rangeland ecology and
management at Oklahoma
State University. He is a
wildlife management biologist
with the Missouri Department
of Conservation in Rolla.
10
Development
scores big
at Rose Bowl
hotel, the game, the Tournament of Roses Parade,
float construction, a religious service and Glee Club
performance at the Crystal Cathedral, lunch at Knotts
Berry Farm, private concerts by the Glee Club, and
spectacular California sunshine. Unfortunately, it did
not include a victory for the Boilermakers, who lost to
the University of Washington, 34-24.
Even so, what stood out most for many alumni was
the chance to renew acquaintances with classmates
and even a few faculty members whom they’d not
seen for decades.
“Housing the ag folk in two nearby hotels was a
great move,” said one alumnus. “It helped us to really
catch up with friends.” Myron Davis, director of ag
development, said that what struck him was the
absence of serious problems.
Davis said events of this nature are important to
Julie Wiesehan, BS ’96,
married Scott Matthys, BS
’96, on April 7. They reside in
New Carlisle, Ind. Scott is a
partner in S&S Matthys
Farms, and Julie is an
agricultural banking officer at
First Source Bank in LaPorte.
Carla (Finke) Cole,
BS ’98, and her husband, Jeff,
just celebrated their first
wedding anniversary and now
live in Shelbyville, Ind. Jeff is
territory manager for Dow
Agrosciences, and Carla is
product manager for USF
Surfact Preparation.
Kyle B. Mandeville,
BS ’99, married Jill P.
DeSutter, BA ’99, on
Purdue Agriculture’s
development efforts.
“Purdue Agriculture’s philanthropy needs are
served any time we assemble groups of alumni and
friends. Our people are reminded of what Purdue
did for them, they manage to catch up on current
campus news and needs of the school, and they
catch a vision for where the school is headed,”
Davis said.
“Alumni who understand what the school is
doing and how they can play a role are likely to get
involved as donors. My job is to inform and give
them opportunities to step forward when needs
arise.”
Contact Myron Davis at: mdavis@purdue.edu.
Jan. 15, 2000, and in July they
moved to Indianapolis, where
Kyle started law school in
August at the IU School of
Law-Indianapolis.
Deaths
Leonard J. Haverkamp,
BS ’40, PhD ’47, Oklahoma
City, Okla., passed away Dec.
17, 2000.
Donald R. Sisson, BS ’49,
Franklin, Ind., passed away
Oct. 9, 2000.
Frank Swanson, BS ’50,
Neoga, Ill., passed away
July 7, 2000.
A Bit of History
photo from the JC. Allen Archives
Entomology department head J.J. Davis uses a model of a tobacco hornworm
larva for a discussion with students in this 1939 photo. Davis and the students
are long gone, but the model is still used today in class discussions.

Eight named distinguished alumni
A husband and wife from western
Africa are the first couple to receive
Purdue University’s prestigious
Distinguished Agricultural Alumni
Award.
Simeon K. Ehui and his wife,
Mamou K. Ehui, joined six other
honorees receiving the award from
Dean of Agriculture Vic Lechtenberg
in ceremonies held on campus April
20 (see related story on Page 8).
The Distinguished Agricultural
Alumni Award honors mid-career
graduates of the School of Agriculture
who have made significant
contributions to their profession or to
society.
“This year’s eight distinguished
alumni are tremendous examples of
what it means to be successful.
Through hard work and talent, each
one has made significant
contributions to his or her field,”
Lechtenberg said. “We are proud to
call them alumni and pleased to honor
them with this award.”
This year’s award winners
represent wide geographical and
professional backgrounds. Honorees
are from Indiana (2), Alabama,
Colorado, California and Minnesota,
as well as western Africa. The
recipients:
Simeon K. Ehui, MS ’83, PhD
’87, is program leader for the
International Livestock Research
Institute, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia,
responsible for all ILRI research in
that area of western Africa.
Mamou K. Ehui, MS ’85, PhD
’89, is an agricultural economist with
interests in economic development
and policy issues. She has served as
Special Assistant to the Executive
Secretary of the United Nations
Economic Commission for Africa.
Stay In Touch
Eric A. Brown John S. Castrale
McArthur Floyd
Henry L. Shands
Eric A. Brown, BS ’68, is group
vice president of Hormel Foods Corp.,
Austin, Minn. A decorated Vietnam
War veteran, Brown oversees both the
grocery products (SPAM, Dinty
Moore stew, Chi-Chi’s food products),
and specialty products divisions (soup
stocks and gelatin desserts) of the
company. He and two brothers are coowners
of the 5,500-acre Tip Top
Farms in his hometown of Battle
Ground, Ind.
John S. Castrale, BS ’76, a
nongame wildlife biologist from
Mitchell, Ind., is an expert in the
restoration of raptor populations,
particularly peregrine falcons and bald
eagles. Castrale works for the Indiana
Department of Natural Resources,
Division of Fish and Wildlife.
McArthur Floyd, MS ’74, PhD
’76, has been research director and
professor in the School of Agricultural
and Environmental Sciences at
Alabama A&M University since
Name (First) _____________ (Last)_____________________
(Maiden) ________________________________________
Degree/Date _________ Department ____________________
Home Address ___________________________________
City _____________ State______ Zip_________ Country ____
Home Phone (______) _________________________________
Employment ______________ Title_____________________
11
Mamou K. Ehui
Larry R. Rueff
Simeon K. Ehui
Robert W. Wotzak
1976. Floyd oversees more than 80
ongoing research projects and 60
graduate students.
Larry R. Rueff, BS ’76, DVM ’79,
is the founder and president of Swine
Veterinary Services, Greensburg, Ind.
Rueff’s customers annually produce
approximately one million hogs.
Henry L. Shands, MS ’61, PhD
’63, is the director of the National
Seed Storage Laboratory, Fort Collins,
Colo. He received the USDA Superior
Service Award in 2000.
Robert W. Wotzak, BS ’77,
MS ’79, since 1999, has been vice
president of research and development
for ConAgra Grocery Products Co.,
Fullerton, Calif. In his first nine
months with ConAgra, Wotzak
produced $4 million in savings,
moved an entire department to another
city, realigned the research and
development department with the
company, and launched 10 new
successful products.
Looking Ahead
Autumn events
bring alumni
together
Purdue’s Ag Alumni office is coordinating
a pair of don’t-miss events in September —
a bus trip to the opening football game of
the season in Cincinnati and a reunion of
international alumni of the School of
Agriculture during the Farm Progress Show.
The overnight bus tour to attend the
Boilermakers’ opening game at Cincinnati on
Sunday, Sept. 2, will kick off the 2001
Purdue football season in a style befitting a
Rose Bowl team.
The tour will leave West Lafayette on
Saturday, Sept. 1, and return on Sunday
evening, following the game. Total tour price
has not been finalized, but it is expected to
be approximately $150 per person based on
double occupancy.
For more information on itinerary and
registration procedures, e-mail Debby Jakes,
djakes@agad.purdue.edu, or call the Ag
Alumni office at (765) 494-8593. You can
also check the Web site at
www.agriculture.purdue.edu/agalumni/
for a link to tour information.
Alumni attending the Farm Progress Show
in Lafayette on Sept. 25-28 also are invited
to attend special international reunion
events scheduled Sept. 22-28.
Five days of tour activities are planned for
September 24-28. One tour day is devoted to
the facilities of the Purdue School of
Agriculture, including the research farms in
the Lafayette area. Two tour days, Sept. 25
and 26, are scheduled for visiting the Farm
Progress Show. Two days will be devoted to
agricultural production and processing
facilities in northwest Indiana. For
information about registration, costs and
itinerary, contact Donya Lester, executive
secretary of the Ag Alumni Association, at
(765) 494-8593 or dcl@agad.purdue.edu.
Let your classmates know what you are doing through Class Notes. Include births, weddings, job changes,
family, and community activities, etc. Please complete this form and send it to: Debby Jakes, Purdue
Agricultural Alumni Association, 1140 AGAD, Room 1, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907-1140.
Please specify the complete names of any acronyms you include in your news, because some may be
unfamiliar to us or to our readers. You also may e-mail your Class Notes information to Debby at:
djakes@agad.purdue.edu.
Work Address _________________________ City__________________
State _______ Zip _____________ Business Phone (____)__________
E-mail ____________________________________________________
News _____________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________

Continued on Page 7
What’s inside:
photo provided
Simeon Ehui boasts that his daughter, Marie Danielle, 4, already
is a Boilermaker. Read about the distinguished alumnus on Page 8.
• CystX team ally to soybean farmers Page 3
• Plants could yield crop of plastic Page 4
“On behalf of the citizens of Indiana, thank you, Noble, for
BY TOM CAMPBELL
Noblesville High School senior Amy Petersen flips through
the pages of her physics textbook, killing those long, last
moments of class before the bell sounds, triggering a stampede
that will send 1,700 students scurrying out of their classrooms.
Petersen stops at a page about
gravity, complete with a graphic
explaining Galileo’s findings at
Italy’s famous Leaning Tower of
Pisa.
“I’ve been there,” 87-year-old
substitute teacher Noble Ross, BS
’39, MS ’59, tells Petersen.
At his age, some students may
believe Ross was at the bottom of
the tower catching objects Galileo
dropped over the edge. While that
is not true, Ross’ 60 years as an
educator do make him a living
historical reference to students in
the Noblesville school district just
north of Indianapolis.
“It’s neat having someone like
Mr. Ross as a substitute. He tells
us great stories,” says Petersen,
who plans following in Ross’
footsteps by pursuing a teaching
degree this fall at Purdue.
Ross’ remarkable teaching
career, which began in 1939, recently drew a commendation
from Indiana Gov. Frank O’Bannon.
“I am impressed by your dedication to helping students
reach their full potential,” O’Bannon wrote in a letter to Ross.
“His stories aren’t just about what he’s teaching, but about his
life experiences, too. That’s what makes him so special,” says
Petersen.
distributed doses of history, common sense and subject matter.
Noble Ross, 87, stays active as a substitute teacher in Noblesville, Ind.
photo by Tom Campbell
12
all that you have done and continue to do to help our children
achieve their dreams. Your students, and the State of Indiana, are
lucky to have you.”
His teaching style relies on his storytelling ability, as he mixes
his lifetime of teaching, travel, learning and living into evenly
Living history, and teaching it, too
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