By MEGGIE. I. FOSTER
Assistant Editor

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Every year Purdue University College of Agriculture alumni from across America reunite to celebrate college memories and career success and enjoy a dinner with colleagues during the 60th annual Purdue Fish Fry.

“This is the biggest ag alumni event in the nation that is not associated with an athletic event,” said Donya Lester, executive secretary of the Purdue Agricultural Alumni Assoc. And this year, for the first time in nearly a decade, both pork and fish made up the menu on Feb. 7.

While the meal is an attraction for many Boilermaker grads, the opportunity to re-network with college pals and listen in to the event’s annual featured speaker is also a big draw.

For 2009, Andrea Mitchell, the anchor of MSNBC’s The Andrea Mitchell Hour and chief foreign affairs correspondent for NBC News, presented her keynote, The View from Washington, based on her background in foreign affairs and political races dating back to the Nixon administration.

Mitchell offered her insight into life and work on the Hill, adding that “these are tough times we’re facing ahead, and I hope we can pull together as much guts and creativity as possible to weather the toughest economic storm of all time.”

Despite her gloomy outlook, Mitchell went on to describe her experience with the 2008 presidential election of President Barack Obama.

“It was an amazing day in Washington (D.C) the day the president was inaugurated. It was bigger, colder, more historic and filled with more spirit for one leader than any inauguration I’ve ever been a part of. Unfortunately, the last two weeks, the White House has made some serious stumbles,” Mitchell added, referring to difficulties in passing and developing the $820 billion stimulus bill.
Mitchell said Indiana was important in electing President Obama. “Indiana’s contribution played a huge role in the presidential debate between Obama and Hillary Clinton and later with Sen. John McCain,” she said, detailing the numerous trips she made to the Hoosier state throughout the election season. “It’s from these roots, people like we have in Indiana, we can draw the strength and knowledge to move us forward in this economic struggle.”

Moving forward now that the election and the subsequent inauguration festivities have passed, Mitchell warned that “the worst is yet to come, but we need come together in a spirit of bipartisanship.”

Despite it all, “Obama has brought together many different views on economic policy. You could call it his economic advisory team of rivals. Together they came up with the package they hope combines the best of tax cuts and stimulus. We can only hope in the end it will be best absorbed in the final stimulus package presented,” she stated. “Somehow the best and the brightest will come together and renew the spirit of America that Obama has promised them.”

Other guests included Gov. Mitch Daniels, Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman, Purdue President France A. Cordova, Past President Martin Jiscke and Purdue Glenn W. Sample Dean of Agriculture Jay Akridge. Daniels offered his encouraging comments saying “there is always going to be uncertainty in the agriculture industry, whether its short term or long term, we have to survive on the optimism in the ingenuity of agriculture such as hybrids and new technologies.

“I’d love to see farmers making money on things as free as air,” he said, referring to the many acres of wind turbines in Benton County, Ind. “People in agriculture wherever you find them are so smart, tech savvy, forward thinking. These are the things we’re proud of here in Indiana, and we owe it all to Purdue agriculture.”

Cordova cheered on the Boilermakers seated in the pavilion at the State Fairgrounds adding that “Purdue agriculture is increasingly important to the state of Indiana including economic and community development. One of our major goals moving forward is to launch the next generation of leaders in agriculture.”

Skillman, who also serves as the secretary of agriculture and rural affairs said “we do have the wisdom to get through this economic challenge together. When crisis averts, Indiana agriculture will come out ahead, I guarantee it.”

Certificates of Distinction

The afternoon meal was sponsored by the Indiana Soybean Alliance and Indiana Packers Corp. Also presented were nine certificates of distinction. These awards, presented by Jim Beaty, of West Lafayette, Ind. who serves as the vice president of the Purdue Ag Alumni Assoc., were given to some of the brightest graduates of Purdue University’s College of Agriculture.

The list of award winners included the following: Robert Brinson, of Michigantown, Ind., whose service included a 37-year career in agriculture education and administration; Thomas Daugherty, of Amboy, Ind., whose career included 37 years as an agricultural educator, where he developed several curricula that are used statewide; William E. Field, of Lafayette, Ind.; who has served over 32 years as a member of Purdue’s faculty, where he specialized and revolutionized the Breaking New Ground Resource Center to serve farmers and ranchers with disabilities; Ralph Heine, of Tampa, Fla., who retired after 43 years as the owner of Gobbler’s Retreat, his family’s successful turkey and dairy farm in Whitley County, Ind.; Ned Kalb, of Indianapolis, Ind., who is an accomplished consultant specializing in agricultural and economic development for several projects include Uzbekistan, Taijkistan and Afghanistan; Robert Lyons, of Portland, Ind. who retired after a 46-year career teaching biology and vocational agriculture in Jay County, Ind.; Max Miller, whose service included a 36-year career as a county extension educator, whose legacy included the establishment of an industrial park, two wetland park reservations ranging in 1,200 acres along the Wabash River; James Smoker, of Wanatah, Ind., who is semi-retired from Smoker Farm, his family’s successful beef and grain operation in LaPorte County; Terry D. Strueh, of Lafayette, Ind., the retired vice president of government relations for Purdue, capping a 36-year career at the university; and finally Robert L. Thompson, of Champaign, Ill., whose career has included serving as Purdue’s Dean of Agriculture, president and chief executive officer of Winrock International Institute for Agricultural Development, senior advisor at the World Bank and finally his current position as the Gardner Endowed Chair in Agricultural Policy at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.