John H. Pryor is a 1997 recipient of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences' Award of Distinction. He founded Pryor Farms, a 900-acre vegetable crop operation, in 1964, and pioneered the liquid fertilizer business and its application to crops in the Salinas Valley.
Ralph "Rod" Scott, D.V.M. '52, a retired veterinarian who helped start the Yolo Veterinary Clinic, keeps himself busy by crafting objects--everything from lamps to bird feeders--in the workshop of his Woodland home. He took up this hobby while being held in a German prisoner-of-war camp during World War II after his B-17 bomber was shot down.
Warren D. Mooney is a 1997 recipient of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences' Award of Distinction. A longtime contributor to programs across the campus, Mooney is a member of the UC Davis Department of Food Science and Technology Industry Advisory Council and has served on the UC Davis Foundation board of directors and the CA&ES Dean's Advisory Council.
Hugh Norris, D.V.M., was elected to the board of governors of the California Veterinary Medical Association, the statewide 4,300-member veterinary organization. Norris has founded three veterinary hospitals in the San Diego area. He and his wife, Evelon, have two children and two grandchildren.
Antoinette A. Betschart a 1997 recipient of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences' Award of Distinction, is the director of the USDA Western Regional Research Center in Albany. Gary C. Matteson, M.S. '67, was recently promoted to associate director of Energy/Utilities Services in the UC Office of the President. He is responsible for developing systemwide energy policy in response to the newly deregulated marketplace. In July, Matteson toured with the UC Alumni Chorus for 16 days in England. The chorus performed in 10 concerts, including the Lichfield International Arts Festival.
John A. O'Connor, M.F.A. '63, a University of Florida, Gainesville, art professor, had a solo exhibition of paintings at Art With An Attitude Gallery in Atlanta, Ga., this fall. In addition to teaching, he is also director of the Center for the Arts and Public Policy at the University of Florida. His paintings have been exhibited in 25 solo and over 150 group shows nationwide. Robert C. Richards, M.A. '89, is a 1997 recipient of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences' Award of Distinction. A limnologist for the UC Davis Tahoe Research Group, he has been instrumental in the success of the Tahoe-Baikal Institute, a U.S.-Russian student exchange program involving UC Davis, the Tahoe Conservancy and Russian agencies from the Lake Baikal region of Siberia.
Howard G. Blair has been appointed general manager of Tenco Tractor Inc., a Sacramento-based Caterpillar dealer. He will oversee the operations of Tenco's Earthmoving Division, which sells and services construction and agriculture equipment throughout an 11-county region. Blair recently relocated from Los Angeles, where he was employed for 13 years with Shepherd Machinery. Delbert Ellsworth, a professor of psychology at Elizabethtown College in Pennsylvania, has been elected the national director of the Council of Undergraduate Psychology Programs for a two-year term. As director, Ellsworth will work with psychology departments to set national standards for faculty, facilities, curriculum and student performance.
Rodney C. Gibson has been promoted to the position of vice president of systems planning and engineering at Aerospace Corp., a nonprofit organization that provides engineering and scientific support to the Department of Defense space programs. He will work at the organization's corporate headquarters in El Segundo. David J. Schaffner has co-written a college textbook, Food Marketing: An International Perspective (WCB/McGraw-Hill). He is a professor in the agribusiness department at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.
Bill Hansen, M.S. '69, an economist with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Institute for Water Resources in Alexandria, Va., received the Superior Civilian Service Award for outstanding leadership and technical skill in developing and managing a complex and innovative interdisciplinary environmental restoration research program. Frank Kocher, D.V.M. '68, was recognized as the Registered Veterinary Technician's Outstanding Veterinarian of the Year. This award is given by the California Veterinary Medical Association to practitioners who utilize their technical staff to their fullest advantage.
Benjamin E. Burritt has been promoted to vice president of Rust Environment & Infrastructure, an engineering and scientific consulting firm. Based in Phoenix, Ariz., Burritt is director of transportation for the company's west region. David L. McCrystle, D.V.M., was named chair of the House of Delegates of the California Veterinary Medical Association. The members of the house represent 31 individual veterinary medical associations throughout the state and meet twice a year to consider current topics in veterinary medicine. McCrystle is a teacher in the agriculture department at Santa Rosa Junior College. He and his wife, Karen, have two children, Brenda and Kelly, and have lived in Healdsburg since 1969. Terry Trumbull, an environmental attorney in Palo Alto, was presented with the Humanitarian Award of the Year by the Rosicrucian Order of San Jose. Trumbull was honored for his 20 years of community service, "protecting the environment, creating awareness on health issues and improving our educational system."
Dan Paulucci is executive district manager of the sales and marketing division of Consolidated Papers Inc. A resident of the Bay Area, Paulucci has nearly 30 years of experience in paper sales. Michaela Rodeno, M.A. '70, whose ability to speak French led to a public relations position on the staff of Domaine Chandon winery in Napa, is now chief executive officer of St. Supery winery in Rutherford. Richard Smith is a 1997 recipient of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences' Award of Distinction. He owns Paraiso Springs Vineyards and Valley Farm Management in Soledad and serves on the Industry Consulting Committee for the campus's Department of Viticulture and Enology.
Gordon Richard Conway, Ph.D., a British agricultural ecologist and vice chancellor of the University of Sussex in England, was named president of the Rockefeller Foundation. Conway will be the first non-U.S. citizen to head the foundation, which has $2.8 billion in assets and pledged $107 million in gifts last year. In the 1980s Conway was one of the first to define the concept of sustainable agriculture; his latest book, The Doubly Green Revolution: Food for All in the 21st Century, was published this year. Vern Goehring has started a consulting practice in Sacramento, specializing in transportation and natural resource issues with the state Legislature and agencies, boards and commissions. Previously he was employed for 27 years with the California departments of Transportation and Fish and Game, with 18 years experience as a legislative advocate. In addition, the state Senate recently appointed Goehring to the California Veterinary Board.
