Within two weeks of learning that he was the 2009 World Food Prize Laureate, Purdue agronomy professor Gebisa Ejeta received more than 1,200 congratulatory e-mails and countless phone calls from all over the world.

One of the first phone calls came from Phil Nelson, BS ’56, PhD ’67, the founder and former head of Purdue’s Department of Food Science and the 2007 World Food Prize Laureate.

“This will change your life in ways you cannot imagine,” he told Ejeta.

And while the flood of e-mails has slowed, Ejeta continues to be amazed at the sheer number of people who are celebrating his award throughout the world.

“The thing that continues to be the most overwhelming, the most humbling thing for me, is how this award has touched a lot of people from around the world,” Ejeta says.

“It seems to have struck different chords with different people. Many of the e-mails are from people I’ve never met. Whether they are Africans, scientists, agriculturists, humanitarians, they not only are happy for me, but something that I didn’t realize is that the cause that I stood for is appreciated by a lot of people who have been watching quietly on the sidelines. The fact that they respect the kind of work I have done is very humbling.”

But the most touching comments may have been the words written by his children and delivered on Father’s Day in June. None was more eloquent than those written by his oldest child, Jalle, who is 31 years old: “You are the one who, through this example (the World Food Prize), has shown me that dreams can be achieved if one works with diligence, integrity and a single-minded devotion and the one who challenges others (and me) to be motivated not by the accolades that may be won, but by the individuals one can serve through words and actions.

“The main thing this award has finally allowed me to do is to understand the degree to which you have accomplished as a scientist and humanitarian while also being a giant in your children’s eyes. I know that as long as there is hunger and injustice in the world, there will always be more that you’ll want to do (and as a result, more that you’ll accomplish). I love you! Jalle.”

The love and respect of his children means more to Ejeta than the World Food Prize.

“I take the greatest satisfaction in the kind of human beings each of our children has turned out to be,” he says. “They each are just wonderful, wonderful people. And, to me, that is the greatest prize of all.””