Department of Animal Sciences

Departmental Award Winners 2007

Tabs Graduate Students

Outstanding Alumnus | Distinguished Service | Distinguished Graduate | Previous Winners

 

Outstanding Alumnus

Scott Hodgson

Scott Hodgson obtained his B.S. degree in Dairy Husbandry in 1950 from Washington State University (WSU). His first official position was as a Junior Dairy Scientist, attached to the WSU Agriculture and Extension Service. In 1951, Scott was transferred to the Western Washington Research and Experiment Station (WWREC in Puyallup) as the Dairy Herdsman. For a total of 39 years, Scott served the dairy industry in Washington State, eventually reaching the rank of Associate in Animal Science (Research). Scott's scientific contributions included a variety of scientific publications (18); extension publications, bulletins and technical reports (23); and popular articles (50). Scott's main successes, however, were as a people person. For his entire career span, Scott worked with the Washington State 4-H dairy program. Whether it is a judging school, or dairy leaders training program, Scott was a focused and respected representative of this department. For his efforts, Scott was inducted into the Washington State 4-H Hall of Fame in 2001, was honored by the Washington FFA as a State Farmer (1969), and was named an associate (lifetime) member of Farmhouse Fraternity. Scott also worked with dairy producers, serving as the secretary of the Washington Purebred Dairy Cattle Association, as a Director or President of the Pierce County DHIA Association, and either as a Director or as President of the Washington State Holstein Association. Scott's expertise with dairy cattle was demonstrated through the frequent request for him to be a judge at dairy cattle shows throughout the Western United States, and for 35 years Scott served as the Dairy Cattle Superintendent of the Western Washington Fair. Closer to the Department, Scott served on the CUDS Dairy Advisory Committee for fourteen years (1979-1993), and has received the Henry A. Dykstra Outstanding Dairy Alumni Award. Scott Hodgson is a Life Member of the American Dairy Science Association and the Dairy Shrine Club. On a personal side, Scott Hodgson served the United States as a brown-water Navy man, on a Landing Craft Infantry-Gun boat, during World War II, where he received numerous medals, commendations, and a Presidential Unit Citation for meritorious service. His Navy job was to cover the landing of combat troops when they went ashore. Naval service took Scott to the landings on Kwajalein and Eniwetok in the Marshall Islands, the operations in the Philippine Islands (3 separate landings), at Guam and finally at Okinawa. He later served on the USS John W. Thomason (a destroyer) before being discharged in January 1946. Scott has been an Elder for the Puyallup First Presbyterian Church. Scott and his spouse Pat are the parents of six children (4 boys and 2 girls). Unfortunately only five survive as his eldest daughter, Laurie Anne (Hodgson) Olson passed away in June 2006. Scott and Pat have 8 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

Distinguished Service

Randolph E. Gross

Randolph (Randy) Gross graduated with honors from Washington State University (WSU), with a BS degree in Agriculture Economics in 1971. However, Randy was most actively involved with the Animal Sciences Department, demonstrated by him receiving our Department's Outstanding Dairy Student Award as a senior. The linkage to the Dairy industry would never be lost, and for nearly forty years, Randy has served our department by servicing the Dairy industry. While maintaining a full-time career with Northwest Farm Credit Services, Randy owned and operated Image Farm in Valleyford, WA, whereby he has focused on raising quality Holstein replacement heifers. His son has also stepped into the dairy business by operating the Prairie Gold Dairy in South Dakota, which currently has 3,600 cows and about the same number of heifers. Randy has served as Director, Vice President, and is presently the President of the Holstein Association, USA. In this capacity, Randy helps direct a staff of 150 persons, an annual budget of $15 million, and 20,000 + members throughout the United States. Recently, Randy was elected to the Washington State Farm Bureau board of directors, and an appointment is pending for Randy to serve on the National Farm Bureau dairy policy committee. Although busy, Randy has helped students learn about financial benchmarking in our senior level dairy classes, and has been a CUDS advisor since 1984. Randy has received the WSU Henry Dykstra Outstanding Dairy Alumni Award, and in 2005 was the recipient of the Mel Ehlers Distinguished Dairy Booster Award.

Distinguished Graduate
Science, Education & Technology

Dr. Steven D. Aust

Steven Aust received a BS degree in Agriculture from Washington State University (WSU) in 1960, and intended to return to the family farm in Pacific County until introduced to research by Dr. Tim Blosser. As such, Steven obtained a MS degree from WSU in 1962, with Dr. Tim Blosser serving as Steven's graduate mentor. After obtaining his Ph.D. in Dairy Science from the University of Illinois in 1965, Steven was a postdoctoral scholar in Toxicology at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden. He then became a Biochemistry faculty member at Michigan State University. After a sabbatical at the Ruakura Agricultural Experiment Station in New Zealand, Steven rose through the ranks to become a full professor of Biochemistry in 1977, Associate Director of the Environmental Toxicology Center in 1980, and Director of the Center for the Study of Active Oxygen in Biology and Medicine in 1985. Steven left Michigan to become the Director of the Center of Excellence in Biotechnology, Utah State University in 1987. Presently, Steven is a Professor (Biochemistry/Chemistry) in the Interdepartmental Program of Toxicology, Utah State University, and Founder of Intech One-Eighty Corporation, which is the exclusive licensee of Utah State University for Biodegradation of Environmental Pollutants by White Rot Fungi. Dr. Steven Aust is an internationally recognized expert in a number of fields, including the toxicology of polyhalogenated aromatic hydrocarbons, lipid peroxidation, the role of iron in the deleterious oxidation of biomolecules, and the degradation of lignin and environmental pollutants by white-rot fungi. His main research theme remains elucidation of the influence/importance of free radicals in biology and medicine. To this end, nearly 50 graduate degrees and 16 postdoctoral trainees have received mentoring under Steven's supervision. Steven's research has been funded by NIH, NSF, USDA, EPA, the US Army, the US Navy, and by numerous private corporations to over $12 million. Steven has published over 350 total peer-reviewed research articles and invited review articles, conference proceedings, and  handbooks. His work is cited some 500 times per year. Dr. Steven Aust is presently a member of six professional societies, serves on the editorial boards of many scientific journals, is the holder of six patents, and has served on grant review panels of NIH, NSF, EPA, DOE, ONR and numerous other granting agencies. Steven and his wife Karen (originally from Farmington, WA) raise and train registered performance quarter horses, and enjoy fly-fishing. 

 

Previous Winners

 

Outstanding Alumnus

Dr. Wilton Heinemann

1986

Mr. Otto Hill

1997

Mr. Ron R. Baker

1987

Mr. Robert Fulfs

1998

Mr. Willard R. Winters

1988

Mr. Doug Warnock

1999

Dr. Leo K. Bustad

1989

Eileen Broomell

2000

Mr. Simon J. Martinez

1990

Hal & Robyn Meenach

2001

Mr. Jack Tippett

1991

Chester A. Steen

2002

Mr. Henry P. Dykstra

1992

T. Peter Rademacher

2003

Louis C. Chestnut

1993

 Esther Johnson McDonald

2004

Dan P. Smith

1994

 Sheryl Cox

2005

Ms. Gladys M. Christian

1995

 Joe Blake

2006

Mr. Bill Bennett

1996

 Dan Coonrad 2006

 


Distinguished Service

Mr. Max Hinrichs

1986

Ms. Joan Harder

1997

Dr. William E. McReynolds

1987

Gerald Pittenger

1998

Mr. Ray Meenach

1988

George Hatley

1999

Dr. Timothy H. Blosser

1989

Herbert “Monty” Richards

2000

Dr. Arthur Heisdorf

1990

Anthony Viega

2001

Dr. G. Gary Duskin

1991

Richard D. Appel

2002

Mr. Dick Coon

1992

Edward A. Heinemann

2003

Dr. Robert W. Mead-

1993

Senator  Mark Schoesler

2004

Mr. Wayne Gustafson

1994

Fred Blauwert

2005

Mr. Al J. Sherman

1995

Max Fernandez

2006

Max and Thelma Baxter

1996

    

 

Distinguished Graduate
Science, Education, & Technology

Dr. Jack Gorski

1994

Dr. Duane Garner

2000

Dr. Pete Van Soest

1995

Dr. Lee R. McDowell

2001

Dr. Jack L. Albright

1996

Dr. John W. Algeo

2002

Dr. Edward Veenhuizen

1997

Dr. Rupert Grant Seals

2003

Dr. Terry Nett

1998

Dr. Fred Stormshak

2004

Dr. Gary Smith

1999

Dr. W.R. “Reg” Gomes

2006

 

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Department of Animal Sciences , 116 Clark Hall, Washington State University, Pullman WA 99164-6310
Phone: 509-335-5523, Fax: 509-335-1082, Email