1930s

Claude Harper Jr., BS ’39, Jacksonville, Fla., and his wife, Mary, celebrated their 66th wedding anniversary Dec. 24. They live in Brookdale Cypress Village, a large retirement home/apartment complex. They have four children: Judie, Charles, Claudia and Bill.

1940s
Everett McCauley, BS ’41, Connersville, Ind., and his wife, Helen, celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary Sept. 28.

1950s

The Colorado State Forest Service honored Tom Borden, BS ’52, MS ’57, by naming its new headquarters building for him. Borden, of Fort Collins, Colo., was a state forester and led the agency from 1959 to 1984. He is now retired. The agency dedicated the building at the Colorado State University Foothills campus Oct. 13, during a celebration of its 50th anniversary.
Francis Hughes, BS ’57, and his wife, Ellen, live in Venice, Fla.

1960s

Burnell Fischer, BS ’69, MS ’71, PhD ’74, Bloomington, Ind., left the position of Indiana state forester and is now a clinical professor of public and environmental affairs and an affiliated faculty member at the Workshop in Political Theory and Policy Analysis at Indiana University-Bloomington, where he teaches forestry and urban forestry courses.

Leon Geyer, BS ’69, Blacksburg, Va., received the 2005 Alumni Award for Outreach Excellence at Virginia Tech, where he is a professor of environmental and agricultural law and economics.
Larry R. Miller, PhD ’69, Washington, D.C., received the Signal Service Award for his devoted service and lasting contributions to the American Meat Science Association and the meat and animal industry. Miller also was named the employee of the year in the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture. Miller is a national program leader for animal sciences in CSREES.

1980s

Keith Diem, BS and MS ’81, and his wife, Betty Anne, reside in Liberty, S.C., with their daughter, Bailey, who was born Jan. 15, 2005. After 20 years with the Rutgers Cooperative Extension Service in New Jersey, Diem became state director of 4-H Youth Development at Clemson University in South Carolina in November 2004.

Margo Brown, BS ’82, Silverdale, Wash., retired from the U.S. Navy on May 1 as a lieutenant commander, Medical Service Corps, after serving 20 years on active duty and 10 years on reserve duty.

Command Sgt. Maj. John Stumph, BS ’86, Dekalb, Ill., was recently deployed with the Army’s 329th Infantry Battalion in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom/Enduring Freedom.

Jay Bry, BS ’89, MS ’93, Fitchburg, Mass., was recently promoted to assistant vice president of administration at Fitchburg State College.

1990s

Gary Griswold, BS ’92, received an associate degree in mortuary science from Worsham College of Mortuary Science in September. He is serving his apprenticeship at Renner-Wikoff Chapel in Urbana, Ill. Gary and his wife, Susan Evans, were married April 23 in Worth, Ill.

Gregory Goodrich, BS ’94, Bowling Green, Ky., has accepted a position as assistant professor in the Department of Geography and Geology at Western Kentucky University.

Richard Mumford, BS ’96, MS ’03, Louisville, Ohio, married Jacqueline Michele Kaminski April 2 in New Harmony, Ind.

Brandon Kessler, BS ’97, Shelbyville, Ind., and his wife, Leigh, became the parents of Grant David on April 14. They also have a 2-year-old son, Wyatt Nolan.

Martina Pembaur, BS ’97, Maineville, Ohio, graduated from the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies at the University of Edinburgh on July 15 and became a member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons. She plans to practice in the United States.

Justin Schneider, BS ’98, Indianapolis, is a staff attorney for Indiana Farm Bureau in its agricultural development and natural resources division.

Stacy Hefty, BS ’99, Auburn, Ind., and her husband, David, announced the addition of their new son on July 12.

Kendra Hull, BS ’99, Des Plaines, Ill., has been promoted to North American marketing and merchandising manager for the toy division of VTech Electronics, which has headquarters in Hong Kong.

2000s

Tricia (Wisehart) Kelich, BS ’01, married Keith Kelich on July 30, and they live in Elwood, Ind.

Janice (Loesch) Acree, BS ’02, Seymour, Ind., married Daniel Acree on Aug. 27. She is a program technician with USDA-Bartholomew County Farm Service Agency.

Krista (Echterling) Emmons, BS ’02, married Derek Emmons (Technology ’99) in LaGrange, Ind., on June 25. They live in Dumas, Texas. Krista is an operations supervisor with Monsanto.

Christina Marie (Scheurich) Nixon, BS ’02, South Whitley, Ind., is an ag science/business educator with Whitko Community School Corp. and is expecting a child in March.

Matthew Drury, BS ’03, Jacksonville, Fla., has started a new job at LiftPower Inc. in Jacksonville, where he sells materials handling equipment.

Sarah (Martin) Kelp, BS ’03, married Matthew Kelp on July 9, and they live in New Richmond, Ind. Sarah is a loan officer with Fountain Trust Co.

Andrea Gregory-Kreps, BS ’03, Brookston, Ind., married Gunther Kreps, BS ’02, in October 2003. Andrea is an instructional designer for the Eli Lilly Tippecanoe Laboratories. Gunther is the manager of the Midland-Impact plant in Wolcott, Ind.

Andrew Callahan, BS ’04, Carmel, Ind., married Jessica Anne Krantz (Liberal Arts ’05) on June 4.

Jennifer Anderson, BS ’05, West Lafayette, Ind., is in her first year with Purdue School of Veterinary Medicine, Class of 2009.

Samantha (Churchman) Downs, BS ’05, Goose Creek, S.C., and Jason Downs were married June 12, 2004, and welcomed their son, Logan, on June 20, 2005. Jason was commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Navy in Pensacola, Fla., on April 1, 2005.

Kimberly (Hall) Stockment, BS ’05, Brookston, Ind., and Jason Stockment were married July 30 in Remington, Ind.

Christa Rentchler, BS ’05, Clay City, Ind., and Lance Hofmann, BS ’05, both spring graduates from the ag economics department, were married Nov. 26 in Warrick County, Ind.

Deaths

Kirk Athow, 85, MS ’48, PhD ’51, professor emeritus of botany and plant pathology, died
Dec. 4 in Tacoma, Wash. He was on the faculty from 1949 to 1985.

Howard G. Diesslin, BS ’42, MS ’47, PhD ’49, died Jan. 2 in Lafayette. Diesslin, 84, was a professor emeritus of agricultural economics who lived in West Lafayette. He was a faculty member from 1948 to 1955 and from 1962 to 1983, when he also was director of Purdue Extension. In 1983, Diesslin became the first executive director for Extension with the National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges.

Joe L. White, professor emeritus of soil chemistry and mineralogy, died Oct. 5. He joined the agronomy department in 1947 and retired in 1988.

James L. Williams Jr., BS ’57, MS ’59, PhD ’61, died Jan. 1 in Lafayette. Williams, 76, was a professor emeritus of botany and plant pathology. He specialized in herbicide Extension programs and practical research.