October 3, 2008NC State University Club

Biographical information written by Suzanne Stanard.Photography by Becky Kirkland.

2008 CALS Alumni & Friends Awards

Dr. Catherine M. GordonDistinguished Alumna Award

BS 1986 Biochemistry A native of Raleigh, N.C., Gordon graduated from

the college as class valedictorian in 1986 with a bachelor's degree in biochemistry. She then graduated with honors from the UNC School of Medicine in 1991. After several years with Harvard Medical School, Children's Hospital in Boston, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center of Harvard-MIT and the Harvard School of Public Health, she earned her master's degree in clinical investigation from Harvard University in 1998. Gordon is now associate professor of pediatrics with Harvard Medical School and staff physician in the divisions of Endocrinology and Adolescent/Young Adult Medicine, as well as director of the Children's Hospital Bone Health Program.

Her numerous awards and honors include the 2002 New Investigator Award from the Society for Adolescent Medicine and the 2007 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research Early Career Excellence in Teaching Award. In 2005 she was invited to the White House where President Bill Clinton presented her with the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers.

Award accepted by George Barthalmus

Mr. Larry B. WootenDistinguished Alumnus Award

BS 1973 Animal Science Larry Wooten, of Raleigh, N.C., is president

of the North Carolina Farm Bureau Federation, the North Carolina Farm Bureau Insurance Companies and all affiliated corporations. Wooten, who earned a bachelor's degree in animal science from NC State in 1973, grew up on a small farm in Pender County, where he and his brother now own a diversified tobacco and grain operation.

Wooten was a founding member of the North Carolina Rural Economic Development Center, where he currently serves on the board of directors and executive committee. He also served as a member of the North Carolina Board of Agriculture, Gov. Jim Hunt's Rural Prosperity Task Force and the Agricultural Advancement Consortium Board. He also serves on the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Policy Advisory Committee and is chairman of American Farm Bureau's Trade Advisory Committee.

Mr. Frank B. EdwardsOutstanding Alumnus Award

BS 1978, MS 1985 Food Science

Edwards is manager of the applications development and support group for Sealed Air/Cryovac and is a member of the Institute of Food Technologists, the Product Development and Management Association and the National Food Processors Association. He regularly serves as a guest lecturer in the college's Department of Food, Bioprocessing and Nutrition Sciences and routinely gives Sealed Air/Cryovac presentations at Food Science Club meetings. He also has served on the Industry Advisory Council and as a judge for College Bowl competitions.

Dr. Mike KiddOutstanding Alumnus Award

PhD 1994 Nutrition with emphasis

on Animal Science Kidd is professor and head of the

Department of Poultry Science at Mississippi State University. Prior to joining the faculty there, Kidd served as research manager and director of research for Nutri-Quest Inc. in Chesterfield, Mo. In 2003 and 2005, Kidd was presented the Award for Excellence for Outstanding Work by the Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Experiment Station. He serves on the board of directors for the Poultry Science Association, Mississippi Feed and Grain Association, and the Cargill Animal Nutrition Business Unit. Kidd also has extensive international experience, having served as a consultant or invited lecturer to more than 30 countries in Europe, Central and South America, the Middle East and Asia.

Award accepted by Sam Pardue

Dr. Lynn LawryOutstanding Alumna Award

BS 1985 Zoology Lawry is the senior health

stability/humanitarian assistance specialist with the International Health Division of the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs. Before this, she was director of the Initiative on Global Women's Health in the Division of Women's Health and a faculty member at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School. During her time at Harvard, Lawry served as a volunteer medical director and as a consultant providing emergency medical care and public health programming for several humanitarian aid organizations in Kenya, the former Zaire, Rwanda and Albania. She was the senior medical researcher with Physicians for Human Rights and represented that agency in health and human rights investigations in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nigeria and Iraq. Lawry was recognized as a Harvard Medical School Inspiring Mentor in 1998 and 1999, and she received a 2002 Excellence in Women's Health Award.

Mr. Calvin E. Lewis, Jr.Outstanding Alumnus Award

BS 1977 Horticultural Science

Lewis started his career at American Foods Inc., in Florida and then worked for Trical of California, starting a division in Florida. In 1982, he moved back to North Carolina to help run the family farms and the soil fumigation business. In 1983, Lewis started the first large-scale, modern plasticulture production system of growing strawberries in the state. Then, in 1994, he diversified Lewis Farms into vegetable production. In 1999, he purchased American Blueberries, and in 2001, he and three partners purchased Solo Foods, a blueberry and strawberry processing firm located in Burgaw, N.C. Lewis, president of Lewis Nursery & Farms, has been a pioneer in the implementation and use of high tunnels for strawberry production in North Carolina.

Mr. William L. MeyerOutstanding Alumnus Award

BS 1970 Agronomy MS 1977

Soil Science

Meyer attended NC State from 1961 to 1964, when he entered the U.S. Marine Corps and served one tour in Vietnam. The GI Bill provided the opportunity for him to return to NC State to complete his studies. Meyer started his career as an area environmental agent with North Carolina Cooperative Extension. In 1976 he became a solid waste management specialist with the NC Department of Environmental Health, Solid Waste Section. In 1989 Meyer was appointed Director of the Division of Waste Management in the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, a position he held until his retirement. With responsibilities for solid waste management, hazardous waste management, superfund sites, old unlined landfills and petroleum underground storage tanks, Meyer guided the state through a period that resulted in North Carolina becoming a national leader in waste management.

Mr. Glenn T. PettyOutstanding Alumnus Award

BS 1970 Animal Science Poultry Science

Petty is executive vice president of the 48,000-member Arabian Horse Association and is co-owner of Triangle Farms, a professional hunter-jumper farm and show facility located in Wake Forest, N.C. He is retired manager of the Gov. James B Hunt, Jr., Horse Complex at the North Carolina State Fair and has been show manager of the N.C. State Fair Horse Show since 1983. Petty coordinated the design and construction of North Carolina's two horse complexes, the Hunt Complex in Raleigh and the Western North Carolina Complex in Asheville. In 1991, he received the American Horse Council's National Service to Industry Award and received the North Carolina Governor's Award for Service to Agri-Business. In 2001, he was inducted in the North Carolina Livestock Hall of Fame.

Ms. Becky RhodesOutstanding Alumna Award

BS 1978 AgronomyMS 1981

Crop Science

Becky Rhodes worked 15 years for ICI Americas/Zeneca Agricultural Products in a number of capacities, including plant physiologist, market development supervisor and senior regulatory specialist. Following 10 years of operating Agricultural Research Opportunities, a regulatory and registration consulting firm that she created, she accepted her current position as Head of Regulatory Affairs for Arysta LifeScience, North America, based in Cary, N.C.

Becky and Neil Rhodes (see previous slide), who were married in 1992, met while students at NC State. In September 2007, they established the Becky and Neil Rhodes Weed Science Graduate Education Endowment, which will support graduate students working toward master's degrees in weed science.

Dr. Neil RhodesOutstanding Alumnus Award

PhD 1982 Crop Science Upon graduation from NC State, Neil

Rhodes worked for two years as a field development representative with Rohm and Haas before returning to his native Tennessee in 1985. He worked in a joint research and teaching faculty position at the University of Tennessee for five years, and then as professor and extension weed management specialist for 11 years before accepting his current position as head of the Plant Sciences Department at the University of Tennessee.

Neil and Becky Rhodes (see next slide), who were married in 1992, met while students at NC State. In September 2007, they established the Becky and Neil Rhodes Weed Science Graduate Education Endowment, which will support graduate students working toward master's degrees in weed science.

Dr. Mark SliwkowskiOutstanding Alumnus Award

PhD 1982 Biochemistry Sliwkowski is a senior scientist at

Genentech in San Francisco, Calif., specializing in research oncology. Before joining Genentech, he worked with the National Institutes of Health and Berlex Biosciences as a research scientist. At Genentech, Sliwkowski's work has resulted in two drugs, Herceptin and Tarceva, receiving U.S. FDA approval for the treatment of cancer. He has been awarded the Industrial Initiative for Science and Math Education Award; the Triton Research & Development Award; and the Industry Scientist of the Year, Pharmaceutical Achievement Award.

Award accepted by Dr. Bill Miller

Mr. Reggie Strickland Outstanding Alumnus Award1987 Associate of Applied Science in Agribusiness

Management Strickland is president of

Strickland Farms Inc., a diversified farming operation consisting of more than 3,000 acres of row crops in Sampson, Wayne and Duplin counties. Strickland Farms also raises finishing swine for Prestage Farms Inc., currently finishing over 21,000 hogs per year. Strickland serves on the Board of Directors for the Southern Bales Gin and Cotton Company, the Board of Directors of the North Carolina Soybean Producers Association and the Public Policy Committee of the North Carolina Pork Council.

Dr. Todd L. TalaricoOutstanding Alumnus Award

PhD 1989 Microbiology Talarico is senior director of

development for vaccine company AlphaVax. He has been instrumental in developing AlphaVax drugs targeting pandemic influenza and cytomegalovirus; grant and collaborator-supported programs in HIV, prostate and breast cancer; and several biodefense vaccines. His expertise has resulted in more than 25 publications, and he is currently a co-holder of three U.S. patents. Talarico's doctoral studies at NC State contributed to discovery of the lactobacillus compound rueterin and the establishment of BioGaia, an international company that develops probiotic nutritional products found in yogurts, milk products, drinks and supplements.

Dr. Thomas B. Whitaker Outstanding Alumnus Award

BS 1962, MS 1964 Agricultural Engineering

After earning his Ph.D. from Ohio State University, Whitaker accepted a position with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service at NC State in the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, and he specializes in the improvement of food quality and food safety of agricultural products. He is a recognized expert and world leader in his field and has assisted domestic and international producers, processors, manufacturers, exporters, importers and regulatory agencies to develop mycotoxin control programs. (Mycotoxins are carcinogenic compounds produced by fungi and found in a variety of foods). Whitaker's research program has been recognized by the Food Engineering Division of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers as one of the six outstanding research achievements of the 20th century.

Mr. James F. WilderOutstanding Alumnus Award

BS 1961 Agricultural Education

After graduating from NC State, Wilder purchased and managed a farm in Tabor City, N.C., was a poultry marketing specialist for North Carolina Farm Bureau, agricultural technician for NC State, and an agricultural media specialist before becoming executive vice president of the North Carolina Soybean Producers Association in 1972, a position he held until his retirement. Whether it was lobbying on behalf of farmers, improving seed quality or conducting international research, Wilder has worked to advance the soybean industry in North Carolina. He was awarded the 1982 Friend of Agriculture award by Commissioner Jim Graham and has been appointed to numerous USDA and NCDA&CS planning and advisory panels.

Dr. Kate BargerOutstanding Young Alumnus Award

BS 1998 Animal Science & Poultry

ScienceDVM 2002

Barger is the manager of Central America/Mexico for Cobb-Vantress Sales and Technical Service. She works with customers in these countries to provide for the growing demand for chicken, helping them to increase production efficiency and improve overall returns. Barger was recently selected for the Tyson Leadership Development Program, where she is completing an assignment as a production manager for a high-level genetic farm and will soon begin an assignment in animal welfare and global food safety. She also is president of the Arkansas Poultry Veterinary Association.

Ms. Cynthia D. GigandetOutstanding Young Alumna Award

1998 Associate of Applied Science in Agribusiness

ManagementBS 2001 Agricultural Business

Management

Gigandet is senior marketing manager for Professional Pest Control products at BASF's Crop Protection Division, located in Research Triangle Park, N.C. She leads marketing and communication strategies for the North American business unit. For six years, Cynthia worked at John Deere Worldwide Commercial and Consumer Equipment Division in Cary, N.C., where she managed the marketing strategy, planning and execution of the John Deere product lines in the Home Depot and Lowe's.

Dr. Lynn G. TurnerOutstanding Faculty/Staff AwardProfessor and Undergraduate Teaching Coordinator for the

Department of Food, Bioprocessing, and Nutrition

Sciences

Dr. Turner received his PhD from NC State in Food Science in 1977, after getting a BS and MS degree in Dairy Science from the University of Georgia.  For over 30 years now, Lynn has served the Food, Bioprocessing and Nutrition Sciences Department as an outstanding teacher, administrator, advisor and mentor. It is no surprise that Lynn has won numerous teaching awards, including the NC State Alumni Distinguished Undergraduate Professor, numerous NC State Academy of Outstanding Teacher awards, Ag Institute Outstanding Teacher awards and Outstanding CALS Advisor awards.  He received the Institute of Food Technologists Elizabeth Fleming Stier Award in 2006 for pursuit of humanitarian ideals and unselfish dedication that has resulted in significant contributions to the well-being of the food industry, academia, students, or the general public. His work advising the Agri-Life Council has transformed that organization into one of the most powerful student groups on the entire NC State campus.  Lynn Turner has dedicated his professional career and much of his personal time to quality teaching, advising, and mentoring – he retires from NC State at the end of this semester, but his impact will be felt by many future generations of NC State students. 

Mr. Robert H. UsryOutstanding Faculty/Staff AwardRetired Extension Specialist and

Lecturer Emeritus for the Department of

Agricultural and Resource Economics

Bob Usry received a BS degree in Agricultural Economics in 1975 and a Master’s degree in Economics in 1979, both from NC State.  Bob has been with the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics since receiving his graduate degree, as an Extension Specialist and Lecturer. In the American Agricultural Economics Association, Bob chaired the Economic Education Committee and was a key leader in promoting economic literacy efforts.  He also has chaired the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Honors Committee and the department’s Curriculum and Marketing/Development Committees, as well as the National FFA Farm Business Management Career Development Event Committee and for many years developed the North Carolina FFA Farm Business Management, Agricultural Sales, and Marketing Plans Career Development Events.  Bob Usry has been honored on numerous occasions, including being elected a Teaching Fellow by the National Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture, a CALS Outstanding Faculty Advisor and a NC State University Outstanding Teacher Award.  Bob has served as Past-President of the N. C. Federation of Cooperative Extension Associations, Past- President of the N. C. Association of Extension 4-H Agents, and Previous Executive Committee member of the N. C. Council on Economic Education. As Advisor to the Agribusiness/NAMA Club, he has mentored hundreds of students and led the NAMA teams to achieve many awards and honors.  Bob Usry has dedicated himself to quality teaching, advising, and mentoring – he retired from NC State at the end of the summer, but his impact will be felt by many future generations of NC State students.