2008 Distinguished Alumni and Outstanding Alumni honored
Honored as CALS Distinguished Alumni are Larry Wooten (pictured here with Dean Johnny Wynne) and Dr. Catherine Gordon (shown below).
Photo by Becky Kirkland
Dr. Catherine M. Gordon and Larry B. Wooten are recipients of the 2008-2009 Distinguished Alumni Awards from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at N.C. State University. The two were honored Oct. 3 for outstanding career achievements and for commitment to the land-grant principle of service to community, state and nation.
Gordon, a Raleigh native, is associate professor of pediatrics with Harvard Medical School and staff physician in the divisions of Endocrinology and Adolescent/Young Adult Medicine, as well as director of the Children’s Hospital Bone Health Program.
A John T. Caldwell Scholar, she earned her 1986 bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from the College as class valedictorian. In 1991, she graduated with honors from the UNC School of Medicine. She earned her master’s degree in clinical investigation from Harvard University in 1998.
Gordon’s numerous awards and honors include the 2002 New Investigator Award from the Society for Adolescent Medicine and the 2007 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research Early Career Excellence in Teaching Award. She is also recipient of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers.
Wooten, who lives in Raleigh, is president of the N.C. Farm Bureau Federation, the North Carolina Farm Bureau Insurance Companies and all affiliated corporations. Wooten, who earned his 1973 bachelor’s degree in animal science from N.C. State, grew up on a small farm in Pender County, where he and his brother now own a diversified tobacco and grain operation.
He was a founding member of the North Carolina Rural Economic Development Center, for which he currently serves on the board of directors and executive committee. He also was a member of the N.C. Board of Agriculture, Gov. Jim Hunt’s Rural Prosperity Task Force and the Agricultural Advancement Consortium Board. He serves on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Policy Advisory Committee and chairs the American Farm Bureau’s Trade Advisory Committee.
Outstanding Alumni Award winners
Outstanding Young Alumni
Gordon, a Raleigh native, is associate professor of pediatrics with Harvard Medical School and staff physician in the divisions of Endocrinology and Adolescent/Young Adult Medicine, as well as director of the Children’s Hospital Bone Health Program.
A John T. Caldwell Scholar, she earned her 1986 bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from the College as class valedictorian. In 1991, she graduated with honors from the UNC School of Medicine. She earned her master’s degree in clinical investigation from Harvard University in 1998.
Gordon’s numerous awards and honors include the 2002 New Investigator Award from the Society for Adolescent Medicine and the 2007 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research Early Career Excellence in Teaching Award. She is also recipient of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers.
CALS Distinguished Alumna Dr. Catherine Gordon.
Photo Courtesy Catherine Gordon
Photo Courtesy Catherine Gordon
He was a founding member of the North Carolina Rural Economic Development Center, for which he currently serves on the board of directors and executive committee. He also was a member of the N.C. Board of Agriculture, Gov. Jim Hunt’s Rural Prosperity Task Force and the Agricultural Advancement Consortium Board. He serves on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Policy Advisory Committee and chairs the American Farm Bureau’s Trade Advisory Committee.
Outstanding Alumni Award winners
- Frank Edwards (B.S. 1978, M.S. 1985, Food Science), Simpsonville, S.C.: manager, applications development and support group, Sealed Air/Cryovac.
- Dr. Mike Kidd (Ph.D. 1994, Nutrition with emphasis on Poultry Science), Starkville, Miss.: professor and head, Department of Poultry Science, Mississippi State University.
- Dr. Lynn Lawry (B.S. 1985, Zoology), Waldorf, Md.: senior health stability/humanitarian assistance specialist, International Health Division of the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs.
- Calvin E. Lewis, Jr. (B.S. 1977, Horticultural Science), Wilmington: president, Lewis Nursery & Farms
- William L. Meyer (B.S. 1970, Agronomy; MS 1977, Soil Science), Raleigh: retired director of the Division of Waste Management, N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
- Glenn T. Petty (B.S. 1970, Animal Science and Poultry Science), Wake Forest: executive vice president, Arabian Horse Association; co-owner, Triangle Farms and retired manager of the Gov. James B Hunt Jr. Horse Complex at the N.C. State Fair.
- Becky Rhodes (B.S. 1978, Agronomy; M.S. 1981 Crop Science) and Neil Rhodes (Ph.D. 1982, Crop Science), Maryville, Tenn.: Becky is head of Regulatory Affairs for Arysta LifeScience, North America, Cary. Neil is head of the Plant Sciences Department at the University of Tennessee.
- Dr. Mark Sliwkowski (Ph.D. 1981, Biochemistry), San Carlos, Calif.: senior scientist at Genentech in San Francisco, Calif., specializing in research oncology.
- Reggie Strickland (Associate of Applied Science in Agribusiness Management, 1987), Mt. Olive: president of Strickland Farms Inc
- Dr. Todd L. Talarico (Ph.D. 1989, Microbiology), McKinney, Texas: senior director of development for vaccine company AlphaVax.
- Dr. Thomas B. Whitaker (B.S. 1962, M.S. 1964, Agricultural Engineering), Cary: CALS Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering.
- James F. Wilder (B.S. 1961, Agricultural Education), Raleigh: retired executive vice president, North Carolina Soybean Producers Association.
Outstanding Young Alumni
- Dr. Kate Barger (B.S. 1998, Animal Science and Poultry Science), Springfield, Ark.: manager, Central America/Mexico for Cobb-Vantress Sales and Technical Service; president, the Arkansas Poultry Veterinary Association.
- Cynthia Gigandet (Associate of Applied Science in Agribusiness Management, 1998; and B.S. 2001, Agricultural Business Management), Apex: senior marketing manager, Professional Pest Control products at BASF’s Crop Protection Division, Research Triangle Park.