Alumni

July 30, 2020

History in Bloom

Successful efforts by a handful of energetic horticulture students in the late 1970s led to the planning and execution of an ambitious garden project located next to MU’s Agriculture Building. The space was dedicated as the Woodland and Floral Gardens in April 1980. A public celebration to mark the garden’s 40th anniversary and rededicate what remains of the original landscape as the Missouri Woodland Garden was scheduled to be held April 2020, but has been postponed until further notice. Project roots In late 1977, three horticulture students in a planting design class devised a garden plan for…

May 4, 2020

Livestock Legacy

As a student in the then-College of Agriculture at the University of Missouri in the late ‘50s and early ‘60s, Everett Forkner was able to attend an international competition in Chicago as part of the Mizzou livestock judging team. There he saw the Saddle & Sirloin portrait gallery for the first time. “I was really impressed,” Forkner said of seeing the great line of portraits. “Never in my wildest imagination would I have ever thought that my portrait could be hung with that group of people.” In November, Forkner will join those giants of the livestock industry,…

Dec. 12, 2019

From CAFNR to Career

As a senior in high school, Cathy East had two in-state offers for scholarships to play soccer, one from the University of Missouri-St. Louis and one from Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla, Missouri. Growing up in St. Louis, East knew she wanted to go somewhere new for college, so she chose Missouri S&T, with the intent to transfer to the University of Missouri-Columbia as a junior to enroll in the School of Journalism. At the time, MU did not have a women’s soccer team. When she came to MU as a junior, East found it…

June 11, 2019

A Life of Service and Innovation

Robert J. Jones, chancellor of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, has an inspiring list of professional accomplishments over his years in higher education, first as a researcher and teacher, and now as a leader. Still, he says the achievement of receiving an honorary degree from the University of Missouri last December was near the top of that list. Jones received his PhD from the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources in crop physiology in 1978. “I can tell you it was one of the highlights of my professional career,” he said of the honor, which…

Oct. 11, 2016

All in the Family

Everything in John Clay’s office has a story. In one corner, there’s the dictionary that dates back to 1934 that was used primarily for Scrabble word challenges by his great aunts and uncles. “It looked this new when I was a baby,” Clay quips of the giant book that rests on a stand that was once in the foyer of his family’s former homestead, built in 1892 by his great grandfather, John Moore Clay, and known as “El Moro.” The house accidentally burned down in recent years. On another wall, there’s a replica of fireplace mantle made…

April 29, 2013

The Burgers’ Bench

The Burger Family of California, Mo., warmed hearts the chilly morning of April 20 during the Morris and Dolores Burger tribute bench dedication hosted by CAFNR.