1999 Outstanding Alumni Award
William J. Bowers, '69
State Conservation Engineer
USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service
Bowers has held several engineering positions with USDA's Natural Resource Conservation Service (formerly the Soil Conservation Service) since graduating from Penn State with a bachelor's degree in agricultural engineering in 1969. Since 1987, Bowers has been state conservation engineer, overseeing all engineering work done by USDA-NRCS in Pennsylvania, including the design of waste management systems, mine reclamation, and flood control projects. Under his guidance, the agency has issued or updated several important technical guides, policies, and procedures that are the foundation of Pennsylvania's effort to reduce pollution in the Chesapeake Bay. Bowers is a member of numerous professional societies and has won several awards for outstanding accomplishments, service, and leadership. He also has been active in support of Penn State students, faculty, and programs.
William H. Carlson, '63, '64g, '66g
University Distinguished Professor of Horticulture
Michigan State University
As a member of the Michigan State faculty for 32 years, Carlson has been responsible for educational programs serving commercial florists. These initiatives led to the formation of the Professional Plant Growers Association, a nonprofit trade group of more than 2,500 growers, wholesalers, and retailers of bedding plants in the United States, Canada, and 29 other countries. His research focuses on the physiology of annual and perennial flowering crops. He has published more than 30 scientific articles on the physiology of geraniums, chrysanthemums, poinsettias, roses, bedding plants, and perennials. A Pennsylvania native, Carlson received his bachelor's degree in 1963, his master's degree in 1964, and his doctorate in 1966, all in horticulture and all from Penn State.
Dean B. Girton, '60
President, Girton Manufacturing, Inc.
After earning his bachelor's degree in dairy science from Penn State in 1960, Girton joined his family's business, which is an internationally recognized manufacturer of dairy and food processing equipment. He has served as the International Association of Food Industry Supply chairman of the board and a member of 14 committees. Girton has filled leadership roles in many Penn State organizations, including the Penn State Food Industry Group, the College of Agricultural Sciences Alumni Society, the Penn State Ag Council, and the Dairy Stakeholders. In addition, he is active in the community, serving on many local government, business, civic, and educational boards.
I Miley Gonzalez, '82g
Undersecretary of Agriculture for Research, Education, and Economics
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Gonzalez oversees USDA's Agricultural Research Service, the Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service, the Economic Research Service, and the National Agricultural Statistics Service. Before his appointment in 1997, Gonzalez held several positions in the College of Agriculture and Home Economics at New Mexico State University, including associate dean and director for academic programs, assistant dean and deputy director of cooperative extension, and head of the agricultural and extension education department. He previously was an assistant director of international agriculture programs at Iowa State University and was an extension 4-H specialist at Penn State, where he received his doctorate in 1982. He belongs to several professional associations and has been honored with numerous awards. He recently was named to a list of the top 100 Hispanic Leaders of America.
Bob Kintigh, '43
Retired Oregon State Senator
Kintigh recently retired after serving three four-year terms in the Oregon State Senate. As the only forester to have served in the Senate, Kintigh focused attention on forestry issues, landowner rights, and sound forest and agriculture management practices. He also sponsored the Adopt-a-Highway and Adopt a-Park programs in Oregon and worked on salmon restoration issues as a member of the Joint Legislative Committee on Salmon and Stream Enhancement. Kintigh graduated from Penn State in 1943 with a bachelor of science degree in forestry and from the University of California in 1947 with a master of forestry degree. That same year, he moved to Oregon and during the next 13 years he worked for two different consulting forestry firms, a pole company, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and for several years operated his own woodworking business. Since 1960 he has operated a family business producing timber products, nursery stock, and Christmas trees. A tree grown by Kintigh was chosen for display in the White House in 1992. Kintigh has won numerous awards and has held leadership positions in many professional organizations.
Stuart Patton, '43
Adjunct Professor in both the Department of Neurosciences at University of California-San Diego
and in the Foods and Nutrition Program at San Diego State University.
Patton is known internationally for his research and teaching in the fields of milk chemistry and the biological processes that regulate milk synthesis in the mammary gland. He received his bachelor's degree in dairy husbandry from Penn State in 1943 and went on to earn his master's and doctorate from The Ohio State University. In 1949, he joined the dairy science faculty at Penn State and became the college's first Evan Pugh Professor of Agriculture in 1966. Since retiring from Penn State in 1980, he has continued to publish actively in the scientific literature. Patton holds membership in numerous professional societies and has received several prestigious awards during his distinguished career.
