J. Ray Woodard Professorship established
Ray and Ellen Woodard
Photo Courtesy Ellen Woodard
A new endowed professorship will be established in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences' Department of Animal Science, thanks to the generosity of former Extension swine specialist Ray Woodard and his wife, Ellen.
"The J. Ray Woodard Professorship will be the first endowed professorship in our department," says Dr. Roger McCraw, head of the Department of Animal Science. "This tremendous gift will be very important as we look toward the future, and it will have a huge impact."
Woodard, who served the College and North Carolina Cooperative Extension for 31 years, retired in 1980. He pioneered many programs in swine genetics, an interest that stems from his childhood.
"I lived on a farm, and we always had pigs and cows," he says. "I just like working with animals."
Born in Nash County in 1924, Woodard served in the U.S. Navy in World War II. He graduated from N.C. State in 1949, but never really left the university, beginning work with Cooperative Extension that same year. He and Ellen married in 1951, and they now reside at Belle Meade in Southern Pines.
Working with the College's planned giving program, the Woodards have established a charitable remainder unitrust to fund the professorship in the Department of Animal Science.
"We always knew we wanted to give something to N.C. State," Ellen says.
Woodard's tenure with Extension is marked by a number of significant accomplishments that proved seminal for the university and the swine industry.
As assistant agricultural agent in Halifax County in the 1950s, he established the Halifax County Livestock Association and organized the first cooperative swine sale in North Carolina.
He conducted the first short course in the artificial insemination of swine and taught the first seminar on the use of ultrasonic devices to select breeding animals and to check pregnancy. As Extension swine specialist, Woodard established and managed the North Carolina Swine Evaluation Station in the 1960s. The station, created for the selection of performance-tested breeding animals, is still in operation today in Clayton.
"The original mission of the facility is still being met and its programs are going strong more than 30 years later," says Dr. Todd See, professor of animal science and Extension swine specialist. "Professor Woodard's work was very influential in helping the swine industry become what it is today. Through this endowment, he will impact the industry in perpetuity."
Woodard's on-farm swine performance testing program, conducted from 1972 to 1980, provided swine producers with one-on-one training in enterprise management and proved a boon for the industry as an important first step toward larger swine units. The program continued after his retirement.
"The programs that Professor Woodard created laid the groundwork for the industry's growth," McCraw says. "His impact on the industry, especially in terms of efficiency, has been tremendous."
Woodard also taught courses in swine production, organized regional swine conferences and served as a volunteer with the International Executive Service Corps in Greece in 1979 and in South Korea in 1983. As a result of those experiences abroad, he and Ellen helped two students from Greece and one from South Korea to earn advanced degrees in the United States.
Woodard was named professor emeritus after his retirement from the College. He also has been recognized for his accomplishments by many organizations, including the North Carolina Pork Producers' Association, FFA and the Robeson County Livestock Association.
On top of all this, he was an avid swimmer, jogger and pilot. He traveled to 40 different countries, and, after he retired, he filled greenhouses with orchids he raised - nearly 800 at one point.
While he battles Parkinson's disease today, his heart and mind are very much connected to the university, the College and the swine industry.
Known as the "Wolfpackers" among their neighbors, the Woodards turn on the television only to watch N.C. State games.
"We've had a full, happy life," Ellen says. "We've been blessed, and we count our blessings daily."
Ray adds, "We want to give something that will last, that we can build on."
-Suzanne Stanard
"The J. Ray Woodard Professorship will be the first endowed professorship in our department," says Dr. Roger McCraw, head of the Department of Animal Science. "This tremendous gift will be very important as we look toward the future, and it will have a huge impact."
Woodard, who served the College and North Carolina Cooperative Extension for 31 years, retired in 1980. He pioneered many programs in swine genetics, an interest that stems from his childhood.
"I lived on a farm, and we always had pigs and cows," he says. "I just like working with animals."
Born in Nash County in 1924, Woodard served in the U.S. Navy in World War II. He graduated from N.C. State in 1949, but never really left the university, beginning work with Cooperative Extension that same year. He and Ellen married in 1951, and they now reside at Belle Meade in Southern Pines.
Working with the College's planned giving program, the Woodards have established a charitable remainder unitrust to fund the professorship in the Department of Animal Science.
"We always knew we wanted to give something to N.C. State," Ellen says.
Woodard's tenure with Extension is marked by a number of significant accomplishments that proved seminal for the university and the swine industry.
As assistant agricultural agent in Halifax County in the 1950s, he established the Halifax County Livestock Association and organized the first cooperative swine sale in North Carolina.
He conducted the first short course in the artificial insemination of swine and taught the first seminar on the use of ultrasonic devices to select breeding animals and to check pregnancy. As Extension swine specialist, Woodard established and managed the North Carolina Swine Evaluation Station in the 1960s. The station, created for the selection of performance-tested breeding animals, is still in operation today in Clayton.
"The original mission of the facility is still being met and its programs are going strong more than 30 years later," says Dr. Todd See, professor of animal science and Extension swine specialist. "Professor Woodard's work was very influential in helping the swine industry become what it is today. Through this endowment, he will impact the industry in perpetuity."
Woodard's on-farm swine performance testing program, conducted from 1972 to 1980, provided swine producers with one-on-one training in enterprise management and proved a boon for the industry as an important first step toward larger swine units. The program continued after his retirement.
"The programs that Professor Woodard created laid the groundwork for the industry's growth," McCraw says. "His impact on the industry, especially in terms of efficiency, has been tremendous."
Woodard also taught courses in swine production, organized regional swine conferences and served as a volunteer with the International Executive Service Corps in Greece in 1979 and in South Korea in 1983. As a result of those experiences abroad, he and Ellen helped two students from Greece and one from South Korea to earn advanced degrees in the United States.
Woodard was named professor emeritus after his retirement from the College. He also has been recognized for his accomplishments by many organizations, including the North Carolina Pork Producers' Association, FFA and the Robeson County Livestock Association.
On top of all this, he was an avid swimmer, jogger and pilot. He traveled to 40 different countries, and, after he retired, he filled greenhouses with orchids he raised - nearly 800 at one point.
While he battles Parkinson's disease today, his heart and mind are very much connected to the university, the College and the swine industry.
Known as the "Wolfpackers" among their neighbors, the Woodards turn on the television only to watch N.C. State games.
"We've had a full, happy life," Ellen says. "We've been blessed, and we count our blessings daily."
Ray adds, "We want to give something that will last, that we can build on."
-Suzanne Stanard