OARDC honored the service of nearly 100 faculty and staff members
The Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, the research arm of the Ohio State University’s College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, honored the service of nearly 100 faculty and staff members at its annual Employee Appreciation Night last month in Wooster.
Leading the honorees was Harold M. Keener, professor and associate chair at the Department of Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering (FABE), who this year celebrated a half century of service to the center.
The 50 Years of Service award went to Keener, a leading expert on the engineering of composting systems. He began his OARDC career in 1968 as an instructor in the Department of Agricultural Engineering, became assistant professor and eventually professor, and was appointed associate chair of FABE in 2006, a position he holds today.
“Harold has contributed 50 years to OARDC, FABE, and the College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences,” CFAES Wooster campus director Dave Benfield said. “He’s a world-renowned scholar and educator in his field and has contributed to the mentorship of numerous faculty and students. His contributions to science and OARDC will leave a lasting legacy.”
The 45 Years of Service award went to Linda Saif, Distinguished University Professor with the Food Animal Health Research Program and an internationally known virologist and immunologist. Among her many achievements, Saif is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and is an elected Fellow of the American College of Veterinary Microbiologists, the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Academy of Microbiology.
OARDC Outstanding Staff Award winners were Jane E. Douglas, human resources, Wooster, and Mary Wicks, FABE, Wooster. The awards, which honor excellent service to customers and colleagues, are given each year to two nonfaculty OARDC employees.
The 40 Years of Service award went to Bruce A. Williams, research operations, Wooster, and Jerry Zeltner, outlying research stations, Northwest.
The 35 Years of Service award went to Michael Davis, animal sciences, Columbus; Thomas Gilt, Shisler Conference Center, Wooster; Francis Fluharty, animal sciences, Wooster; Ron Kline, information technology, Wooster; Michelle Milligan, animal sciences, Columbus; and Keith Patterson, animal sciences, Wooster.
The 30 Years of Service award went to D. Douglas Clevenger, animal sciences, Wooster; David J. Drake, Sr., public safety, Wooster; Jeffrey Firkins, animal sciences, Columbus; Phil Harbaugh, facilities services, Wooster; Casey Hoy, campus and farms admin, Wooster; Pablo Jourdan, horticulture and crop science, Columbus; Rattan Lal, environment and natural resources, Columbus; Michael Lilburn, animal sciences, Wooster; Mark Loux, horticulture and crop science, Columbus; Patricia Patterson, environment and natural resources, Columbus; Michael Pattison, facilities services, Wooster; Emilie Regnier, horticulture and crop science, Columbus; Sudhir Sastry, FABE, Columbus; Joseph Scheerens, horticulture and crop science, Wooster; Robin Weimer, FAHRP, Wooster; and Michael Wengerd, research operations, Wooster.
The 25 Years of Service award went to Veronique Beckrum, plant pathology, Columbus; Karen Dodrill, human resources, Wooster; Shelly Dee Jepsen, FABE, Columbus; David Kraybill, agricultural, environmental and development economics, Columbus; Edwin Pickenpaugh, outlying research stations, Eastern; Anthony Stull, food science and technology, Columbus; and R. Mark Sulc, horticulture and crop science, Columbus.
The 20 Years of Service award went to Joseph Cochran, Secrest Arboretum, Wooster; Christopher S. Dicus, information technology, Wooster; Anne Dorrance, plant pathology, Wooster; Catherine Herms, horticulture and crop science, Wooster; Dan Herms, entomology, Wooster; Duc Hua, horticulture and crop science, Wooster; Jyan-Chyun Jang, horticulture and crop science, Columbus; Lynn Knipe, food science and technology, Columbus; Don Kosier, research operations, Wooster; April Martin, marketing and communications, Wooster; Brian Slater, environment and natural resources, Columbus; Alfred Soboyejo, FABE, Columbus; Pamela Thomas, administration, Columbus; Julie Townsend, food science and technology, Columbus; and Mary Lou Wile, facilities services, Wooster.
The 15 Years of Service award went to V.M. Balasubramaniam, food science and technology, Columbus; Gary Crocker, Grace Drake Ag Lab, Wooster; Elaine Eberlin, horticulture and crop science, Columbus; Loren D. Harper, director’s office, Wooster; Khandakar R. Islam, OSU South Centers, Piketon; Lori Jones, entomology, Wooster; David Mackey, horticulture and crop science, Columbus; Debra Shaffer, Fisher/Stone House, Wooster; Sonia Walker, horticulture and crop science, Wooster; and Gwen Zimmerly, Secrest Arboretum, Wooster.
The 10 Years of Service award went to Kimberly Brown, marketing and communications, Wooster; Jeremy Bruskotter, environment and natural resources, Columbus; Qian Chen, FABE, Columbus; Nathan Douridas, Molly Caren Agricultural Center, London; Warren DuBois, facilities services, Wooster; Jane Erbe, environment and natural resources, Columbus; Thaddeus Ezeji, animal sciences, Wooster; Maria Elena Hernandez Gonzalez, Molecular and Cellular Imaging Center, Wooster; Michael Kelly, plant pathology, Columbus; Timothy Kerr, horticulture and crop science, Columbus; Ginger Koozer, horticulture and crop science, Columbus; Stephen Matthews, environment and natural resources, Columbus;
Christopher McCormack, Hawk’s Nest Golf Course, Creston; Casey Meek, Grace Drake Ag Lab, Wooster; Andrew Michel, entomology, Wooster; Thomas Mitchell, plant pathology, Columbus; Kimberly Nolletti, horticulture and crop science, Wooster; Pamela Schlegel, grant development and support unit, Wooster; Mark Smith, Hawk’s Nest Golf Course, Creston; Yeunsu Suh, animal sciences, Columbus; Lingling Wang, animal sciences, Columbus; Qiuhong Wang, FAHRP, Wooster; and Jody Whittier, Molecular and Cellular Imaging Center, Wooster.
The 2017 retirees were Herbert Ockerman, animal sciences, Columbus; David Scurlock, horticulture and crop science, Wooster; Kevin Jewell, STAR Lab, Wooster; Clayton Dygert, environment and natural resources, Wooster; Julia Hering, horticulture and crop science, Columbus; Patricia Patterson, environment and natural resources, Columbus; David Kost, OSU South Centers, Piketon; Jamie Cano, agricultural communication, education and leadership, Columbus; Diane Hartzler, entomology, Wooster; David Shetlar, entomology, Columbus; Beverly Barrick, FABE, Columbus; Kathy Jo Burkholder, horticulture and crop science, Columbus; Brian Johnson, facilities services, Wooster; Mary Lou Wile, facilities services, Wooster; and Bruce A. Williams, research operations, Wooster.
Benfield, CFAES Dean Cathann A. Kress and Wooster campus assistant director Rhonda Billman spoke and led the program, which drew a full house for dinner in the main conference hall in the campus’ Shisler Conference Center.
OARDC-funded faculty and staff work in Wooster, at the OSU South Centers in Piketon, on Ohio State’s Columbus campus and at eight outlying agricultural research stations around Ohio.