Photo by Tom Campbell

Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels (left) and former White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card reminisce before the start of the Ag Alumni Fish Fry. As director of the Office of Management and Budget from 2001 to 2003, Daniels often worked with Card in Washington, D.C.

The man closer than any to the president of the United States enthralled a crowd of 1,500 with tales from the George W. Bush White House at the annual Ag Alumni Fish Fry on Feb. 2.

Andrew Card, White House chief of staff from 2001 to 2006 and the man who informed the president of the 9/11 attacks on New York City, told behind-the-scenes stories during a 60-minute talk on crisis management as the Fish Fry’s keynote speaker.

Despite the events of that day that forever changed world history, Card said the most memorable day of his White House tenure occurred three days later, when he accompanied President Bush to New York to thank rescue workers and pray with people who lost family members in the attacks.

“On that day,” Card said, “President Bush changed the mission of bureaucracy.”

The Ag Alumni Association also presented its highest honor, the Certificate of Distinction, to eight agricultural leaders during the event at the Toyota Blue Ribbon Pavilion at the Indiana State Fairgrounds.

“It’s a real thrill to be able to pay tribute to people who represent the agricultural profession so well to others,” says Donya Lester, the association’s executive secretary.

Typically, the association honors at least four agricultural leaders, but rarely are as many as eight selected. A campus committee selects the honorees from a list of nominees.

“We had a tremendous amount of quality nominees this year,” Lester says. “This year’s recipients are an exceptional group of ambassadors for agriculture, and we are proud to honor them.”

The award, instituted in 1938, is presented to those who have distinguished themselves with significant contributions that have enhanced the agricultural profession.

This year’s recipients are:

Noel E. Callahan, BS ’54, Indianapolis, who with his wife, Jo, founded Callahan Enterprises Inc. to supply the seed trade with foundation seed stock of hybrid corn and other related products. In the 1970s he envisioned and helped create a new business segment within the U.S. seed industry – genetic stock and field seeds for soybeans, now a huge segment of the seed and biotechnology markets.

He was part of the group that formed the Indiana Seed Trade Association and is a past member of the board of directors of the Indiana 4-H Foundation.

Eldon E. Fredericks, BS ’56, MS ’69, West Lafayette, who retired from Purdue in 1997 after serving seven years as an education technology specialist and eight years as head of the Department of Agricultural Communication and assistant director of Purdue Extension. He worked at the University of Minnesota, Michigan State University, and the U. S. Department of Agriculture before coming to Purdue in 1981.

Fredericks is a pioneer and innovator in Extension communication, particularly in the use of computer technology in all aspects of Extension communication. During a stint at USDA in 1989, he helped bring Extension to the Internet world, and he was part of the team that set up the first White House Web site.