Four alumni of West Virginia University’s Davis College of Agriculture, Forestry and Consumer Sciences will be honored at the College’s Alumni Association annual banquet at 5 p.m. Saturday, April 29, at the Pines Country Club in Morgantown .
Three individuals will receive the association’s Distinguished Alumni Award. They are Gopala Krisha (Ph.D.,’84), Joe Harper (B.S.’65, M.S.’66) and Paul Lewis (M.S.’68, Ph.D.’73). Brian Wickline (B.S.’96, M.S.’00), will receive the association’s Young Distinguished Alumni Award.
Krishna received his doctorate in genetics and developmental biology studying under WVU Professor Joginder Nath. After post-doctoral studies at WVU , he began a career that led him through a career in scientific study at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Pfizer and Abbott Labs to his current position as director of toxicology for MGI Pharma, Inc. At MGI , he is accountable for all pre-clinical drug safety activities in support of drug discovery and development of new pharmaceuticals for global registration. Krishna resides in Ellicott City , Md.
Harper is part of the eighth generation to operate his family farm in Seneca Rocks. After earning degrees in animal and veterinary sciences, he worked in the meat industry, then returned to operate the family farm. The operation has grown significantly, and currently has a ewe flock of 400 head and more than 500 lambs, with more than 500 feeder cattle in the summers. He has served as president of the West Virginia Cattlemen’s Association and the West Virginia Sheep Industry Council. He has served as chair of the American Farm Bureau Federation Sheep Advisory Committee and is currently chair of the West Virginia Farm Bureau Sheep Committee. He serves on the American Lamb Board and the American Sheep Industry Association’s Predator Management Committee.
Lewis has been a member of WVU ’s faculty since completing his doctorate in 1973. Early in his career, he worked directly with farmers on the successful Allegheny Highlands Project. He has been an effective ambassador for WVU to West Virginia’s sheep and beef cattle industries and has conducted extensive research. He is best known as a mentor of students, serving as advisor and counselor to hundreds of undergraduate and graduate students throughout his career. He has also been recognized for his volunteer activities with awards such as the Heebink Award for Distinguished State Service. He is currently the director of the Division of Animal and Veterinary Sciences in the WVU Davis College .
Wickline is the WVU Extension agent for Monroe County , a position he began in 2004 after working with the Greenbrier County hydrologic unit and at the West Virginia Conservation Agency. In Monroe County , he has developed a broad-based agricultural program that has included livestock production, risk management, grassland and nutrient management, vegetable production and marketing, and farmland protection. Wickline was coach of the 2004 Monroe County Grasslands Team that won the National 4-H Grasslands Championship, and the 2005 4-H team that won both the National
Championship in Home Site Judging and the Reserve National Championship in Land Judging. He and his team will be enshrined in the West Virginia Agriculture and Forestry Hall of Fame in July.
The event will begin with a social hour at 5 p.m. followed by a banquet at 6 p.m. A silent auction will be held during the social hour to raise money for the association’s scholarship fund. Deadline for reservations is Thursday, April 20. For information or reservations, contact the WVU Davis College Office of the Associate Dean at 304-293-2691.