By: Herb Plambeck, Contibuting Editor

Early in August, the Fraternity of Alpha Zeta, the nation’s oldest professional honorary society to recognize agricultural scholarship, leadership and service, observed its 100th Anniversary in Columbus, Ohio, where it was founded in 1897. The fraternity now boasts more than 105,000 members, including both men and women representing 67 chapters in the United States.

To mark its 100th anniversary, Alpha Zeta officials established a Centennial Honor Roll on which the names of 200 persons considered to have made outstanding contributions to food production or in natural resources, were to be inscribed.

One hundred of those chosen were to be selected out of the fraternity’s membership. An additional 100 persons were to be named out of the millions of others in agriculture. An impressive ceremony took place to announce the honorees chosen and present them with beautiful medallions, elaborate citations, and special pins and photographs.

While the prestige of Alpha Gamma Rho has always been high, the fraternity’s status gained even more at the Columbus Summit. Of the 200 men and women chosen for Alpha Zeta’s Centennial Honor Roll, 56 were members of AGR, the largest number of any one organization, society or fraternity.

Heading the list of Brothers, who could easily be considered a WHO’s WHO of Agriculture, was Philip Josephson, our Fraternity’s tireless Executive Director. Others whose names are nationally or internationally recognized included Nobel Peace Prize winner, Norman Borlaug of Mexico; former US Secretaries of Agriculture, Clifford Hardin and Earl Butz; Russ Mawby, former Kellogg Foundation Chairman; Dean Kleckner, president of the American Farm Bureau’s 3.1 million members; Bill Knox, publisher of Hoard’s Dairyman; Loren Kruse, editor for Successful Farming; Gene Swackhamer of Farm Credit; Orion Samuelson, internationally known farm broadcaster; and David Pfender, Purdue’s Dean of Agriculture.

Dr. Rae Wilkinson, High Chancellor of Alpha Zeta, and Steve Drake, Alpha Zeta’s executive officer, did the honors and presented the medallions on the stage when the honorees were introduced.

Alpha Zeta received more than 500 nominations for consideration, and with more than a fourth of all those actually named to the illustrious Centennial Honor Roll, brothers in the bond of Alpha Gamma Rho can continue to be rightfully proud.school.n

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