2001 Award of Distinction Recipients

Melvin D. Androus

Manager (retired)
California Rice Research Board
Yuba City, California

Melvin D. Androus was manager of the California Rice Research Board from its inception in 1969 until 1997. His leadership in California's rice research and promotion effort has been critical to that industry's success and survival. Androus served as chair of the California Commodity Commission for 13 years and represented California on the National Council for Agricultural Research, Extension and Teaching (CARET) executive committee. He has served on the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences' Dean's Advisory Council for 10 years. In recognition of his outstanding contributions, the California Rice Research Board created an endowment named the Melvin D. Androus Professorship for Rice Weed Control.

Luigi Chiarrappa

(Ph.D., '58, Plant Pathology)
Plant Pathologist
Davis, California

Luigi Chiarrappa began a distinctive career in international agriculture as a plant pathologist and later served in Rome as senior administrator for the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. As FAO's chief of plant protection, Chiarrappa established plant protection programs in developing countries throughout the world, including the International Council on Lethal Yellowing; the International Program on Horizontal Resistance; crop loss appraisal programs; and plant germplasm safe movement programs. He helped establish the International Council of Grapevine Trunk Diseases, now recognized as a subject matter committee of the International Society of Plant Pathology.

John "Jack" C. Corey

(M.S., '62, Water Science and Irrigation)
Manager
Department of Energy's Subsurface Contamination Focus Area at the Savannah River Technology Center
Aiken, South Carolina

John "Jack" C. Corey manages the lead laboratory for the Department of Energy's Subsurface Contamination Focus Area at the Savannah River Technology Center. Considered the U.S. authority on the remediation of subsurface contaminants, he led efforts to form a virtual laboratory organization of 10 DOE national laboratories. The organization provides flexible cost effective and rapid access to technical experts, a sound technical basis for clean-up operations, expert technical assistance to the DOE complex and long-range technical vision. Remediation of sub-surface contaminants is one of the most pressing environmental issues confronting DOE and Congress.

Dolph Gotelli

Professor
Department of Environmental Design
UC Davis
Sacramento, California

Dolph Gotelli is a teacher, designer, curator, collector, exhibitor, juror, author and lecturer. He joined UC Davis' Department of Environmental Design in 1970, bringing recognition and distinction to the campus through his passion for artistic interpretation and commitment to design excellence. He has designed hundreds of exhibitions throughout the world and served as judge, juror or visual consultant for art festivals, fine arts and crafts competitions, display contests and student competitions. Gotelli established The Design Museum at UC Davis (formerly The Design Gallery) and it's support group, Design Alliance. He is recognized worldwide for contributions to exhibition design, display, curatorial studies and design education.

James M. Lyons

(M.S., '58, Vegetable Crops; Ph.D., '62, Plant Physiology)
Professor emeritus
Department of Vegetable Crops
Davis, California

James M. Lyons is professor emeritus of the UC Davis Department of Vegetable Crops. He served as chair of the departments of vegetable crops both at UC Riverside and UC Davis, as well as associate dean of the UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. He was director of the Integrated Pest Management Program, a founding director of the Center for Pest Management and helped to establish the California Commodity Committee. Lyons served as assistant director of the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program in 1999-2000. He provides an essential link among the college, farm advisors and clientele in California production agriculture.

Craig McNamara

(B.S., '76, Plant and Soil Science)
Owner
Sierra Orchards
Winters, California

Craig McNamara is owner of Sierra Orchards, a diversified farming operation producing walnuts and grape rootstock. He is a California Agricultural Leadership Program graduate, American Leadership Forum senior fellow and College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Dean's Advisory Council member. McNamara helped structure a biologically integrated orchard system that became the model for UC/SAREP (Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program) and created the FARMS Leadership Program, introducing rural and urban high school students to sustainable farming, science and technology. He was one of 10 U.S. representatives at the 1996 World Food Summit in Rome.

Herman J. Phaff

deceased

Herman J. Phaff joined the UC Davis Department of Food Science and Technology faculty in 1954 when the department was transferred from the UC Berkeley campus. Recognized as an international authority on the biology of yeasts, he made contributions in both pure and applied areas, including his early studies on fruit dehydration. Two yeast genera and several yeast species, were named for Phaff by other yeast taxonomists, a rare honor and an indication of the high esteem of his colleagues. In 1996, the college and Herman's home department formally dedicated the Herman J. Phaff Culture Collection: Yeasts and Yeast-like Mocroorganisms as an official biological collection of the University of California. Phaff's widow, Diane Phaff, will accept his award posthumously.

George Rendell

(B.S., '55, Animal Science)
4-H Farm Adviser/Administrator (retired)
University of California Cooperative Extension
Long Beach, California

George Rendell is a retired University of California Cooperative Extension 4-H farm adviser and administrator. In 1979, he initiated the concept for the UC Master Gardener Program, now a statewide and national model. He organized numerous national meetings and initiatives on urban extension programs and put many of them into practice as the Los Angeles County UC Cooperative Extension director. Rendell strengthened academic and service programs for youth development and 4-H, for school and urban gardens and for nutrition and consumer sciences. He effectively mobilized political, academic and community supporters to expand UC Cooperative Extension's educational efforts.

Jeanette Van Emon

(Ph.D., '85, Agricultural and Environmental Chemistry)
Research Chemist
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Las Vegas, Nevada

Jeanette Van Emon is a research chemist with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Exposure Research Laboratory. She directs the immunochemistry program and is the agency's expert in immunochemistry and its application to environmental protection. She pioneered the development of immunochemical methods for environmental monitoring and human exposure assessment studies. In 1998, Van Emon was among seven scientists chosen by the National Council of EPA Women in Science and Engineering for inclusion in the WISE poster of women scientists and engineers who are environmental pioneers in the protection of our environment.

Robert Washino

(M.S., '56; Ph.D., '67, Entomology)
Professor emeritus
Department of Entomology
UC Davis
Davis, California

Robert Washino is professor emeritus in the UC Davis Department of Entomology. His efforts have provided important contributions to public health pest and vector issues at national and international levels, with continued emphasis on minimizing environmental impact and protecting agricultural workers and the public. Washino served as entomology department chair, associate dean of academic affairs and director of the Center for Pest Management. He has been a member of the Board of Trustees of the Sacramento-Yolo Mosquito Abatement District for 28 years. In acknowledgement of his contributions to mosquito research, the district's library building was named in his honor.