Purdue Agriculture welcomed nine members into its exclusive club of Distinguished Agricultural Alumni during a campus ceremony March 3.

There have been 134 recipients of the prestigious award since the program started in 1992.

“We feel very fortunate to be able to recognize these outstanding alumni,” says Randy Woodson, Glenn W. Sample Dean of Agriculture. “The Distinguished Ag Alumni program is designed to identify alumni who are accomplished in their chosen profession and in their communities. These nine people represent that philosophy to the fullest.”

The award honors mid-career graduates of the College of Agriculture who have made significant contributions to their profession or society in general and have a record of outstanding accomplishments. This year’s honorees are:

Gary C. Bergstrom, BS ’75, MS ’78, Ithaca, N.Y., professor of plant pathology, Cornell University. Bergstrom is the past president of the 5,000-member American Phytopathological Society.

Steven Bishop, BS ’86, Cincinnati, Ohio, vice president, North American Fabric Care, Procter & Gamble. Bishop oversees more than 1,000 employees responsible for brands such as Tide, Gain, Cheer, Era, Downy, Bounce and others.

Michael Culy, BS ’79, MS ’82, PhD ’82, global regulatory molecule leader, Dow AgroSciences, Indianapolis. Culy set up the first integrated pest management program in corn seed production in the nation while working for Pioneer Hi-Bred International from 1982 to 1989.

Kun-Liang Guan, PhD ’89, Halvor N. Christensen collegiate professor in life sciences, Life Sciences Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. His research focuses on cell growth regulation, a key component in the fight against cancer.

Leslie Holland-Bartels, PhD ’80, deputy director of western region and director, Alaska Science Center, U.S. Geological Survey, Anchorage. Holland-Bartels manages 300 scientists scrutinizing all facets of the Alaskan frontier, from interpreting and disseminating information on earthquakes and volcanoes to modeling international populations of herons and waterfowl.

Mark Kimmel, BS ’74, senior vice president of total quality and research and development, Stanislaus Food Products, Modesto, Calif.

Chip Perfect, BS ’79, entrepreneur and president of Perfect North Slopes, Lawrenceburg, Ind. Perfect’s family-run skiing operation hosts about 250,000 skiers each season.

Matthew C. Reynolds, BS ’83, director of interior component systems engineering, Daimler Chrysler Corp., Auburn Hills, Mich. At Purdue, his senior project, a low-cost chair lift that gave paraplegics access to tractors, won first place in a design competition sponsored by the Rehabilitation Engineering Society of North America.

Max T. Rodibaugh, BS ’74, DVM ’77, founding partner, Swine Health Services, Frankfort, Ind. In 2005, Rodibaugh celebrated the 25th anniversary of Swine Health Services, one of the first veterinary and consulting practices in the United States dedicated solely to swine.