PULLMAN, Wash. — Three prominent alumni of Washington State University’s department of animal sciences were honored Friday, April 11.
Gordon W. Davis received the Distinguished Service Award, Richard Meyer was presented with the Outstanding Alumnus Award, and Ron Randel was honored with the Distinguished Graduate in Science, Education, and Technology Award.
Davis, a 1969 graduate of WSU, decided to become a teacher at the age of 15. At WSU, Davis was an active member of meat judging teams and was named High Individual at the Cow Palace competition in 1968. He was also a member of the western regional championship Meat Animal Evaluation team in 1969. Davis went on to coach two national championship teams in 1973 and 1989. In 1984, he founded CEV Multimedia, which soon became the world’s largest career and technical education company. Davis has given over three million dollars in endowments to Texas Tech University; his generosity has funded more than 200 animal science students with scholarships. “It’s all about the kids,” said the veteran educator.
Meyer, a 1968 graduate of WSU, is one of the founders of the WSU Friends of Animal Sciences alumni association. After earning his Ph.D. in food science from Cornell University, Meyer worked for numerous food companies (Nestle, Armour, Sara Lee, Nalley’s and McCain Foods) and is the holder of 65 patents. He is an active prion researcher, working with the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and the National Institutes of Health. Meyer has served WSU as a member of the WSU Foundation Board of Trustees and as an advisor to the dean of the College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Science.
Randel earned his B.S. degree from WSU in 1965 and is professor of reproductive physiology of beef cattle at Texas A&M University. He has conducted research on reproductive efficiency, endocrine control of reproduction and the nutrition-reproduction interaction in cattle while mentoring nearly 60 graduate students. He received the TAMU Department of Animal Science Outstanding Service Award (1994), the American Society of Animal Science Physiology and Endocrinology Award (1996), the Build East Texas Award of Excellence in Research and Extension (1998), and was named a Texas Agricultural Experiment Station Faculty Fellow in 1999. In 2007, Randel was selected as an American Society of Animal Scientists Fellow.
“These scientists have made important contributions to animal science and education. They’ve helped insure a safe and abundant food supply for people all over the world and have made positive impacts on the lives of young people through their teaching and outreach efforts,” said Margaret Benson, chair of the department of animal sciences. “We’re very proud to be able to honor these distinguished alumni.”
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