Paul Weller (Maryland) Receives Distinguished Alumnus Award

    AGR was well represented when the University of Maryland recognized its distinguished graduates earlier this year. Paul Weller ’60 (Maryland) was named Distinguished Alumnus of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. More than 500 faculty, alumni, and guests attended the black-tie event.

    Weller has been active in University affairs for more than 25 years, chairing various committees and task forces, and serving as president of both the College of Agriculture’s Alumni Chapter and the University of Maryland Alumni Association – International. He has also served as president of AGR’s Alpha Theta Alumni Chapter, and co-chaired its chapter house rebuilding committee.

    The gala awards dinner at the University’s Inn and Conference Center featured alumni celebrities making the award presentations. Weller was presented an engraved crystal bowl by fellow Maryland alumnus Bonnie Bernstein, sportscaster for CBS Sports.

    Weller is president of Agri/Washington, a Washington D.C.- based agricultural public affairs firm. He is past president of the Washington D.C. AGR Alumni Chapter, and past-chairman of the Educational Foundation of AGR.  He has served on the editorial staffs of two major farm magazines, and managed the agricultural groups of two major agricultural public relations agencies. He has chaired the Washington Agricultural Roundtable, the Food Group, and the Agricultural Relations Council.

Iowa State Alumnus Wins two Bankers Awards in 2001

Iowa State alumnus, Oliver Hansen, was chosen as this year’s American Bankers Association (ABA) Bruning Award Winner. This award, created in 1997, recognizes an individual’s lifetime commitment to the profession of agricultural banking. The award was presented to Hansen during the ABA National Agricultural Bankers Conference in St. Louis, Missouri on November 13, 2001.

“This award means that there’s appreciation shown for a lot of time and effort over the years,” Hansen said. “I’m pleased to receive it.”

Hansen also received the 2001 James A. Leach Leadership award at IBA’s 115^th Annual Convention on Monday, September 17, 2001. The James A. Leach Leadership Award annually honors an Iowan for outstanding service to the financial services industry. A committee of peers judges nominees on proven history of leadership in the financial services industry, his or her community and among bank trade organizations.

Hansen’s lifelong association with banking began in 1946, with the same bank he chairs presently. Additionally, he is Chairman and President of Liberty Bancorp., Chairman for Bennett State Bank and was a director for Farmers Savings Bank in West Union from 1966-93.

“I happened to come into banking when I was stationed in Korea and wrote my parents asking for some ideas for what I could do when I came home,” said Hansen. “My uncle responded to my letter and told me he wanted to talk to me when I got back. He told me I should try banking. If I didn’t like it, I could get out, but if I did, then it would be a good life.”

Aside from his experience running banks, Hansen has held positions of President with the Iowa Bankers Association and the Iowa Independent Bankers Association; served as the Iowa Superintendent of Banking from 1971-73; was Chairman of the Agricultural Division of the American Bankers Association and served as a faculty member for the Wisconsin and Iowa schools of banking as well as the Agricultural Credit Schools in Iowa.

Jensen Named Interim Dean of AU College of Agriculture

John W. Jensen, a 30-year veteran of Auburn University and current head of the Department of Fisheries and Allied Aquacultures, has been named interim dean of the AU College of Agriculture and director of the Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station.

Jensen, who has led the fisheries program at Auburn as department head since 1996, was appointed by John Pritchett, Auburn’s interim provost and vice president for academic affairs.

“I am absolutely delighted that John Jensen has accepted this position and the challenges associated with it,” Pritchett said.

Auburn University Interim President William F. Walker praised the selection, citing Jensen’s record, energy and familiarity with Auburn and its constituencies.

“John Jensen’s record as a researcher, administrator and an innovator make him extremely qualified to head the College of Agriculture and the Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station as interim dean and director,” Walker said.

Jensen holds a bachelor’s degree in wildlife management from the University of Minnesota and a master’s and Ph.D. in fisheries and allied aquacultures from Auburn.

After three years in Brazil with the Peace Corps, Jensen came to Auburn in 1972 as a research associated and served as a graduate research assistant, for 15 years as an Extension fisheries specialist with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System, and six years as a fisheries professor. In 1995, he was named interim head of the department and was appointed head of the department a year later.

As fisheries head, Jensen directed a 145-employee program largely reliant on outside funding. Still, Auburn’s fisheries program has continued its reputation as among the best of its kind in the world.

Jensen’s tenure has seen improvement and expansion of facilities across the state, innovative and leading research in species ranging from red snapper to catfish and the department’s coordination of a statewide volunteer water quality monitoring network.

Jensen’s work as a researcher and administrator has been recognized with awards from the Alabama Agribusiness Council, the National Association of County Agricultural Agents, the Alabama catfish industry and the Alabama Cooperative Extension System. He has authored or co-authored more than 40 extension publications, refereed publications, bulletins, reports, departmental series and books and has given presentations to groups all over the United States as well as in Brazil, Vietnam, China, Thailand and Canada.

 D.C. Alumni Chapter Plans Busy Schedule

USDA Deputy Secretary Jim Mosley (Purdue) speaks
at the January Alumni Luncheon.

AGR alumni in the Washington, D.C. area have a busy schedule of events planned for the first half of 2002. Nearly a thousand AGR’s live within easy driving distance of the Nation’s Capital.

            The year’s program began on January 24 with a luncheon with USDA Deputy Secretary Jim Moseley (Purdue) in the Secretary’s dining room of the Department’s Jamie Whitten Building. Moseley discussed his role as USDA’s chief bio-security director, and his daily responsibilities in protecting the nation’s food supply. Moseley, an Indiana farmer, is serving his third tour as a top government official.

            D.C. AGR’s will gather again on March 3, as guests of Jay Poole (Virginia Tech) and Russ Laird (Texas Tech) and the Philip Morris organization, in their private box at Washington’s MCI Center. Brothers will enjoy a Washington Wizards basketball game, lots of fellowship, not to mention food and beverages.

            Next event is a Capitol Hill reception at the prestigious Capitol Hill Club with AGR’s nine Members of Congress. AGR has more members in the U.S. Congress than any other college fraternal organization, and will honor them in early May.

            Also on the Washington, D.C. Chapter’s schedule is a golf tournament at the University of Maryland with Alpha Theta brothers, a summer baseball game, and a Fall steeple chase outing in Virginia’s hunt country.

            All AGR’s are invited and welcome to participate. Contact Bruce Larsen (Montana State) by e-mail at: Larsen_bruce@hotmail.com for notices and RSVPs.

 Former Beta Gamma Advisor Dies

Dr. Richard J. Loberger, former advisor to the Beta Gamma Chapter at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, died December 22, 2001.  He was 67.

            Dr. Loberger was a professor of Agriculture Engineering Technology at UW-Platteville from 1966 until his retirement in 1993.  He served as House and Grounds Advisor during Beta Gamma’s first 10 years as an active chapter, from 1972 to 1982. 

In 1994, Dr. Loberger received a heart transplant, and he was an active advocate of organ donation awareness and support for people awaiting organ transplants.

            He earned his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees from UW-Platteville, and received a Ph.D. in Agriculture from the University of Missouri-Columbia. He taught agriculture at two high schools in Wisconsin prior to joining the UW-Platteville faculty.

            A native of Oconto, Wis., Dr. Loberger was married to Janice Bahr on June 24, 1960.  He is survived by his wife, two sons, one granddaughter, two brothers and three sisters.

Book Corner

Daniel J. Meyer, Ph.D., a 1972 initiate of Beta Gamma Chapter at the University of Wisconsin - Platteville, has recently had a book published called Solving Life's Problems Quicker. It goes to the root of problems instead of dealing with symptoms. It is especially helpful for those going through divorce or dealing with the repercussions of one, grieving the loss of someone close or those coping with difficult health problems.

Dan used to be very active in writing for swine magazines on ventilation and manure systems in the 1980's. He was one of the early advocates of using air quality monitoring squipment to adjust winter ventilaion rates. He is now working in Extension helping dairy and swine farmers in a 20 county region of Northeast Iowa.

You can get a copy of his 176 - page book by sending $7 to: Dan Meyer, 1306 Kentucky Ave., Hazelton, Iowa 50641.

Purdue Alumnus receives Order of the Griffin for extraordinary service to Purdue University

President Martin Jischke(right) presents Don Paalberg
with the Order of the Griffin at the Ag Alumni Association
Fish Fry on February 2. At left is Paalberg's brother, Horace.

Donald Paarlberg, professor emeritus of Purdue University, and Delta (Purdue) AGR Alumnus, was honored on February 2, receiving an Order of the Griffin for extraordinary service to Purdue University.

Paarlberg, former Hillenbrand Distinguished Professor of Agricultural Economics, was appointed to government positions by three presidents, Dwight Eisenhower, Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford, and he served as an adviser to four U.S. secretaries of agriculture.

He was assistant secretary of agriculture, special assistant for economics to the president as coordinator of Food for Peace, and director of agricultural economics in the U.S. Department of Agriculture, at different times during his career.

An honor bestowed only by Purdue presidents, the first Order of theGriffin awards were given to Purdue alumni and Eugene Cernan in 1994 after they co-chaired the University's Vision 21 fundraising campaign.

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