The Alumni Association of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences honored six alumni and two faculty members at the association's annual alumni awards banquet in September.
The recipients of the outstanding alumni awards are:
·Philip Coombe Jr. '58, Grahamsville, N.Y. Known for his long working hours with the corrections system, Coombe still has found time to help run a 1,200-acre beef farm with his brother, former State Assemblyman Richard Coombe '64, near Grahamsville.
·Richard E. Keene '57, Gilbertsville, N.Y. Keene has made countless contributions to the dairy industry and his community during the last 39 years, as the owner of Keeneland Farm in Gilbertsville. He is a longtime member of Cornell Cooperative Extension of Otsego County and has been involved with the Gilbertsville 4-H Club for 35 years.
·Richard T. Meister '39, Willoughby, Ohio. Meister is chairman and editor in chief of Meister Publishing Co., a publisher of agricultural magazines, in Willoughby, Ohio. Since he joined the family business in 1940, it has grown from a single title, American Fruit Grower, to more than 17 publications.
·J. Patrick Mulcahy '66, MBA '67, Clayton, Mo. Mulcahy joined the Ralston Purina Co. in 1967 and moved steadily through positions in marketing, product management and development, human resources, strategic planning and administration. He is corporate vice president of Ralston Purina and chairman and CEO of the Energizer Battery Co.
·Charles E. Wille '50, Montgomery, N.Y. The owner of Landsmere Farm in Orange County, Wille has been one of the agriculture industry's most committed and effective advocates. During his tenure as president of the New York Farm Bureau, he focused on many state and national issues that had direct impact on New York's farmers. In the 1970s he was one of the architects of New York's Agricultural Districts Law, landmark legislation that established programs to reduce property tax burdens and protect farmers' rights to farm. He guided the evolution of the law through the adoption of the Farmland Protection Act of 1992.
The young alumni achievement award winner is:
·Robin L. Baker '85, New York City, Baker graduated from the college with a reputation as one of the most accomplished speech and debate competitors in the history of the Cornell Forensics Society. She has put her talents to use as an attorney with the New York office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, where she has worked since receiving her degree from Columbia Law School in 1989.
The outstanding faculty award winners:
·George J. Conneman '52, MS '56. Conneman has been a member of the Department of Agricultural, Resource and Managerial Economics since 1956. He served as associate dean and director of academic programs from 1981 to 1994, carrying out his administrative duties while continuing to teach.
·Bernard F. Stanton '49. Stanton was a member of the college's Department of Agricultural Economics for 39 years, retiring in 1992 as professor emeritus. He served as chair of the department from 1968 to 1976 and was the college representative to the SUNY Faculty Senate from 1978 to 1984.