two honorary members,
two alumni members
at 48th annual banquet
In ceremonies April 25,
the N. C. State University chapter
of Gamma Sigma Delta, the honor society of agriculture, initiated four
individuals who have shown distinguished service and leadership. Pryor
Gibson III and Sam Lang were initiated as honorary members, while Sue
Johnson-Langdon and Keith Oakley were honored as alumni members at the
48th annual banquet of the N.C. State GSD chapter at Talley Student
Center.
Anson County native Gibson
represents Anson, Montgomery and Stanly counties in the state General
Assembly and is a long-time friend of agriculture. He serves as chairman
of the Environmental and Natural Resources Committee and the Travel
and Tourism Committee in the state House. Author and sponsor of nearly
100 bills that have tremendously impacted the state’s economy,
he was recently instrumental in the passage of legislation that will
benefit the thriving turfgrass industry.
Lang, a native of Georgia,
owns Fairway Green Inc. He has served on the Government Relations Committee
and as president of the Turfgrass Council of N.C. A long-time supporter
of the College of Agriculture and
Life Sciences, he actively solicited support for the Turfgrass Environmental
Research and Education Center which was approved by the 2001 North Carolina
General Assembly. This center will allow the turf industry and the university
to continue a close working relationship.
Alumni initiate Johnson-Langdon
of Smithfield has been since 1995 executive director of the North Carolina
Sweet Potato Commission, which represents a coalition of more than 450
sweetpotato growers throughout the state. She has raised awareness of
and respect for this organization with the public, the industry and
producers. She has been particularly effective in developing a close
working relationship between the sweetpotato growers of the state and
the N.C. State University sweetpotato research and extension team.
The second alumni initiate,
Keith Oakley, a Durham native, oversees the College’s Foundations
and Development Office, as well as its College Relations and alumni
activities. He heads the efforts of the North Carolina Agricultural,
Dairy and Tobacco foundations while providing direction to foundations
supporting 4-H and the N.C. Cooperative Extension Service. During his
tenure, the total assets of the College’s foundations have grown
to more than $100 million (from less than $5 million in 1989), and total
contributions have increased from $1.9 million in 1989 to $27.4 million
in 2001. The College has led the campus in fund raising for the past
10 years.
—Terri
Leith
