7575June 1998

• 75 Years of History• 1997 JBT Recipients• Three Generations of

Ag. Engineers• Gift from Paul and Lorennie

Bateman• Bernard C. Mathews/Mathews

Company Award• Graduate Fellows Recognition• Ag. Engineering Graduate

Named to Prestigious NationalHeritage River Panel

• Awards• Department News• History Book Preview• Alumni News• Donors• 1997 Farm Progress Show• Let Us Know

I am feeling nostalgic while preparingthis welcome to all our alumni andfriends. It is not only because anotheracademic year has been successfullycompleted but mainly due to readingour new book, “AgriculturalEngineering on the Prairie: IllinoisStyle.” The book describes the entirehistory of the Department ofAgricultural Engineering at theUniversity of Illinois from 1921through 1997.

Your name is in the 380-page book. Infact, not only are the names of 1,837graduates listed, but also the names of153 faculty, 35 academic professionals,42 support staff, 122 clerical staff, 385graduate student employees, and 71external advisers are included.

The history book has informationrelating to agricultural engineering backto the formation of the University in1868. The major portion of the bookpresents the progress of teaching,extension, research, and internationalprograms since the department wasstarted in 1921. In the chapter onstudents, we have included numerousexamples of student creativity includingexcerpts from the first Agrineerprinted in 1937. The faculty and staffsection includes profiles of faculty youhad in class and likely have since retiredfrom the department.

Over the years the department hasoccupied facilities in Davenport Hall,the Agricultural Engineering Building,and now the Agricultural EngineeringSciences Building. The history bookcontains over 100 pictures including allthese facilities plus various activitiesthat have taken place over the years.

The history book is dedicated toProfessor Emil W. Lehman andDr. Frank B. Lanham. These twogentlemen served as Head of theDepartment from 1921 through 1978.My dream is to establish an endowedchair in the department in their honor.

We have received a donation to initiatethe special endowed chair fund.Anyone contributing $100 or more tothe fund will be sent a complimentarycopy of the history book. Individualcopies are also available for $25.00.Pages 6 and 7 in the newsletter providea preview of the history along with anorder/donation form.

Have a great summer and stop by for avisit if your travel takes you through theChampaign-Urbana area!

Loren E. BodeHead of Department

June 19982

1997 JBT Recipients inAgricultural Engineering

The Jonathan Baldwin Turner (JBT)Scholarship Program is a merit-basedscholarship that recognizes scholarlyexcellence, good citizenship anddemonstrated leadership. All highschool graduates enrolled in theUniversity of Illinois College ofAgricultural, Consumer andEnvironmental Sciences (ACES) areeligible for a JBT AgriculturalScholarship. Students receive individualscholarships of $1,000 a year renewablefor up to four years provided by privatedonors.

Recipients in Agricultural Engineeringinclude:

Jeremiah Adams Joshua MerdianGregory Bohman Kyle RichardsonPeter Groves Anton SpatzJennifer Humphrey John TannerThomas Jenks

Three Generations of Ag.Engineers

December 5, 1997 presented a uniqueopportunity for the Department to bringtogether three generations of one familyrelated to the Department. Theoccasion was the 19th J.B. TurnerAgricultural Scholarship RecognitionBanquet and the three generations wereDr. Ben Jones, Professor Emeritus ofthe Department (MS '50, BS '49), son-in-law George Richardson (BS '75) andgrandson Kyle Richardson.

The faculty of the Department supportscholarships each year through theirpersonal contributions to the Universityof Illinois Foundation. Kyle wasselected to receive the department’sScholarship this year.

Gift from Paul and LorennieBateman

Lorennie Bateman recently announced avery generous bequest of $160,000 thatProfessor H. Paul Batemen left in hiswill to our department. Funds from theendowed gift will be used for ourresearch programs in addition to helpingstudents through the JBT ScholarshipProgram and the H. Paul BatemanCongeniality Awards. The department isvery appreciative of this gift andacknowledges the confidence Paul andLorennie have placed in our programs.

Professor Bateman served on theAgricultural Engineering faculty from1936 to 1968 and passed away onAugust 2, 1997. (Our Department 1997newsletter presented a tribute to theaccomplishments of ProfessorBateman.) The Bateman’s have beengenerous to the University for manyyears and this gift will provide acontinuing influence for our studentsinto perpetuity.

New Bernard C. Mathews/Mathews Company Award

The Bernard C. Mathews/MathewsCompany has presented the departmentwith a gift that established a newendowed award. This award is merit-based and is presented annually to anAgricultural Engineering junior whoseprimary interests are indesign/development of farm equipment,including crop dryers. The awardemphasizes high scholastic achievementand leadership potential. Andrew D.Greenlee is the first recipient of theBernard C. Mathews/MathewsCompany Award.

Kyle Richardson, George Richardson, and Ben Jones.

June 1998 3

Graduate Fellows Recognition

The Illinois Chapter of Gamma SigmaDelta (the Honor Society of Agriculture)and the College of Agricultural,Consumer and Environmental Scienceshonored graduate students holdingfellowships in the Department ofAgricultural Engineering at a specialrecognition program November 13,1997 in Urbana, Illinois.

(Front row left to right) Linglei (Leslie) Xu, RuthBook, and Eric R. Benson. (Back row left toright) Dr. Loren E. Bode, Head of theDepartment, Brian L. Steward and William J.Northcott. Not pictured, Ana Maria Garcia.

Ag. Engineering GraduateNamed to Prestigious NationalHeritage River Panel

On April 8, 1998, President Clintonnamed P. Kay Whitlock (BS '70) toserve on the American Heritage RiversInitiative Advisory Committee. TheCommittee is charged with reviewing126 nominations received andrecommending 10 waterways to thePresident for the designation asAmerican Heritage Rivers.Ms. Whitlock of San Jose, Californiaserves as the Assistant General Managerof the Santa Clara Valley Water District.Whitlock is responsible for oversight ofthe flood control program serving 1.6million residents and a 1300 square milearea known as the Silicon Valley.Congratulations Kay!

Gerald L. Riskowski,Professor and Section Leader,Bioenvironmental Engineering,was inducted into the RuralBuilder Hall of Fame on March11, 1998. The award waspresented at the NationalFrame Builders Conference andRural Builder Show held inPhoenix, Arizona. The award is

given in recognition of leadership, foresight and outstandingcontributions to the rural construction industry. Each year,only one educator is inducted into the Rural Builder Hall ofFame, all other award winners must come from industry.

Rural Builder Hall of Fame Award

June 19984

• Melissa R. Dry and Vincent L.Reincke received the TSMSophomore Advisor Award.

• Katherine A. Flahive received theJonathan Pierce Memorial Award.

• Lisa M. Foster was the recipient ofthe Frank W. Bauling ScholarshipAward.

• Andrew D. Greenlee received theBernard Mathews/MathewsCompany Award.

• Christopher R. Kallal received theBateman Congeniality Award forTSM.

• Todd D. Maertens was therecipient of the Espy Prize forExemplary Service Award.

• Nathan A. Marsh received theTSM Outstanding Junior Award.

• Michael C. Mendoza waspresented with the J.A. WeberMemorial Award.

• Brian J. Reimer received the TSMOutstanding Senior Award.

• Sheila Sahu was the recipient forthe Karl J.T. Ekblaw ScholarshipAward.

Professor Emeritus Honored

Carroll J.W. Drablos, ProfessorEmeritus in the Department ofAgricultural Engineering, was named the1997 Recipient of the OverholtInternational Drainage Hall of FameAward. Dr. Drablos was presented theaward on Wednesday, January 7, 1998 inColumbus, Ohio. His leadership in theagricultural drainage field has long beenknown to many, but we are very happyto see his many years of diligent workrecognized by this prestigious award

Fallow Fertile Furrow Award

Ted L. Funk, Assistant Professor, is the1998 recipient of the Fallow FertileFurrow Award. This award is given toa faculty member who does somethingabove and beyond, but rather foolishly… for example, having to file twoaccident reports in the same day. (Ted'swinning performance ☺.)

• Kevin P. Short and Kyle M.Schumacher received the TSMFreshmen Advisors Award.

• Gary F. Sierens received the AGEBateman Congeniality Award.

• Micah Y. Steele was presented withthe John Deere FoundationScholarship Award.

1998 Spring Award Winners

At the ASAE and Ag. Mech Spring Banquets held in April, the following awards were presented to our students.

Professional Staff Award for Excellence – Innovationand Creativity

At this year's Funk Awards Banquet, Robert E. Wolf, Extension Specialistin Power and Machinery, received the Professional Staff Award forExcellence – Innovation and Creativity for his work and leadership for thePesticide Applicator Training (PAT) program. Wolf also works closely withthe Agricultural Retailers Association in offering Professional ApplicatorInstitutes (PAI) each year. His position, creativity, professionalism andwork ethic have made the PAT program one of the best in the country. Akey reason for the success of Wolf’s PAT and PAI programs is hisimaginative development ofmultimedia teaching materials. Acrossthe United States and Europe, Wolfhas spoken to many public andprivate groups about pesticideapplication. His efforts inpesticide drift reduction came tothe fore in 1997 when he wasasked to develop a nationaltraining video for use in applicatortraining.

June 1998 5

Phil Buriak, Michael C. Hirschi, andKent Mitchell have been included onthe "Incomplete List of TeachersRanked as Excellent by Their Students,Spring 1998."

Mary Schultze joined the department inFebruary of 1998 as the divisionsecretary in 360 AESB for Power andMachinery and Food and BioprocessEngineering. Mary lives in ruralSadorus, Illinois with her husband, Alan,and their two children, Kyle andMeghan.

Pam Warsaw joined the department inJune of 1997 as secretary to Dr. Bode.She lives in Mansfield, Illinois with herhusband, Pat, and their three daughters,Kristina, Maranda and Felicia and theirpug dog, Chubby. Pam is active withher daughters' activities and enjoysgardening, taking walks, basketball andgoing to flea markets.

Henry G. Schaper Retires after 34 Years! Henry joined theDepartment in September 1964 after completing training as anelectronics technician at Iowa State University. At the time, Henrywas hired as a temporary employee; becoming permanent in July of1966. During the next 34 years, Henry worked with many facultymembers and graduate students in the department.

Dorothy Dowell Retires After 11 YearsOn December 31, 1997, Dorothy Dowell retired after 11 years withthe University of Illinois, the last five years with our department. Asmany of you will remember, Dorothy was the section secretary forthe areas of Power and Machinery and Food and Bioprocess.Dorothy's dedication and hard work have been greatly appreciatedby the faculty, staff and students in our department. CongratulationsDorothy on a job well done!

After 16 years of service to the department, Bob Fry retired on May 31, 1998. Bob joined the department in January 1982 to work with Carroll Goering on an alternative fuels for

diesel engines project. At the end of that project, Bob assisted thedepartment by coordinating the move intoour new Agricultural Engineering SciencesBuilding in 1983-84. Since that time, Bobserved as the business manager in the mainoffice of the department. We wish Bob andVicki well as they now spend more timewith the grandchildren!

Retirements in the Department

Dog Gone It! Bob Fry is Retiring!

Henry and Ravewan Schaper

Mary Schultze

Pam Warsaw

June 19986

“The Northwest Ordinance, passed by Congress in 1787, committed the United States to higher education; however, it was near the middleof the nineteenth century before people in Illinois demonstrated support for that commitment. Certainly, the idea of applying higher education andengineering principles to some agricultural production problems occurred very early, but before 1850 most pioneers were too busy wrestling a livelihoodfrom the soil to worry about higher education.

By 1850 the situation was changing, however, …”

So begins your journey through Agricultural Engineering on the Prairie: Illinois Style; a history of the University ofIllinois Department of Agricultural Engineering from 1921 through 1997. The department, from its inception in 1921 until1996 – the 75th Anniversary, was at the forefront of the advances in engineering that helped change the United States from anagrarian society to an industrial society. Today it continues to lead Illinois farmers into the high technology world ofagriculture.

As your journey through the past begins, you shouldn’t miss the tribute to “A Friend.” – the IHC Farmall of 1924, theadopted daughter of Professor Shawl. She spent her early life on the South Farms, getting her education in the AgriculturalEngineering Department’s tractor lab each winter.Continuing on, meet the “rainmaker.”

Browse through 30 pages of pictures ranging from class photos to springbanquets, to classroom scenes, to the New Agricultural EngineeringSciences Building. Of special interest to alums should be the names andjob titles of all of their classmates.

This history is dedicated to Emil W. Lehman and Frank B.Lanham, the first two department heads who providedleadership for the department for 57 of the 75 yearscovered. A dream of the department’s is to establish anendowed chair in their honor.

Don’t miss your chance to own a copy of this importanthistory. Your name is in it! Your friends’ names are in it!Your Professors names are in it! The antics of the Class of‘37 are in it! Surely you will want it!

Read on to learn how you can get it!

The tractor lab in the late 1920’s.

John Siemens atop his “rainmaker” machine for testing soilerosion in the field.

The completed Agricultural Engineering Sciences Building, June 8, 1983.

June 1998 7

To receive your copy of Agricultural Engineering on the Prairie: Illinois Style, please complete the order blank belowand mail to:

Agricultural Engineering Department HistoryAttention: Mary Beth Munhall1304 West Pennsylvania, Room 332 AESBUrbana, IL 61801

Name: Class:

Address:

City/State/Zip:

Phone: E-Mail:(area code)

Agricultural Engineering on the Prairie: Illinois Style

Please check one:

( ) Please send me one (1) complimentary copy.I am enclosing my contribution check for $100 or more toward the Endowed Chair in honor of Emil W. Lehman and Frank D. Lanham. Checks should be made payable to: The University of Illinois Foundation.*

( ) Please send me ______ copy(ies) of the history @ $25.00 each. Make checks payable to: The University of Illinois.

Total amount enclosed:Amount of check to University of Illinois Foundation $Amount of check to University of Illinois $

Total Amount $

Comments for the next Department Newsletter. Your classmates like to hear from you.

*For tax purposes, your gift receipt from the University of Illinois Foundation will indicate your donation minus the $20 value of thehistory book.

"

June 19988

Michael M. Beeler (BS '98) isworking for New Holland NorthAmerica, Inc. in New Holland,Pennsylvania as a Service Trainee.

Ryan D. Funk (BS '98) has taken aposition as Design Engineer withNACCO MHG, Inc. in Danville,Illinois.

Timothy W. Gowler (BS '98) is aService Trainee with New HollandNorth America in New Holland,Pennsylvania.

Jeffrey S. Hammill (BS '98) is aSenior Analyst with FinPro, Inc. inLiberty Grove, New Jersey.

Ian W. Mann (BS '98) has accepteda position as Project Engineer withthe DIGALOG Corporation inVentura, California.

Richard D. Osborne (BS '98) isworking for Caterpillar as a DesignEngineer in Decatur, Illinois.

Mark A. Pulokas (BS '98) recentlylet us know he accepted a positionat Bell Sports, Inc. in Rantoul,Illinois as an AutomotiveManufacturing Process Engineer.

Kyle N. Struck (BS '98) accepted aService Technician position withBirkey's Farm Store in Urbana,Illinois.

Will R. Willmes (BS '98) is workingin Danville, Illinois for NACCOMaterial Handling Group as anAfter Market Engineer.

Dean R. Searls (BS '37) let usknow that he has been stayingactive during the summersoperating a steam engine on asawmill at county fairs and othergatherings. He also uses the engineand a steam kettle to cook ham andbeans at the Adams County OldeTyme Show.

Herman J. Finkel (BS '40)responded to our request forupdate information in the lastnewsletter issue. Dr. Finkel justcelebrated his 80th birthday! Hewrites that his son and grandsonare agricultural engineers and thathe is currently keeping busydeciphering the code to a piratetreasure buried in South America.

Randall L. Beasley (BS '48) wroteus to indicate how pleased andproud he was to have graduatedfrom the University and theDepartment of AgriculturalEngineering. He now has agrandson attending the College ofEngineering.

William E. Rohaly (BS '53) retiredfrom Panduit Corporation is nowself-employed in his own marketingbusiness. Rohaly enjoys travelingand watching his eight grandchildrengrow. He stays active in the IllianaPond Club and the ChicagolandGarden RR Society.

John L. Goodenough (BS '65). Werecently heard from John that he isdoing well and getting back to workafter an illness last year. John divideshis time between his wife, Marilyn,who is a resident of the SherwoodNursing Home in Bryan, Texas andhis daughter and grandson in Alvin,Texas.

Michael F. Walter (MS '70, BS'68) wrote to invite any Illinoisfriends to visit if they are ever inIthaca, New York.

John L. Roll (MS '73, BS '71)recently sent their annual holidayupdate informing us that John andhis wife, Sarah, moved fromOklahoma to the great white northlast fall. They are now living inPewaukee, Wisconsin and learningto cope with their "first real winterin seven years." John is continuingwith private consulting work andcompleted his Ph.D. at OklahomaState in December 1995.

Leon W. Wendte (MS '75, BS '74)was named the 1997 "Urban AgLeader of the Year." Wendte isthe District Conservationist withUSDA's NRCS for ChampaignCounty, Illinois. He was cited forhis many outstanding achievementsin natural resource management,soil conservation andenvironmental stewardship inChampaign County, in the State ofIllinois and nationwide.

John C. Schmitt (BS '78) visitedthe department on January 6, 1998.He has been farming at Ursa,Illinois since 1985. John and hiswife Mary Ann have a daughterand three sons. John says this washis first visit to the departmentsince we moved into theAgricultural Engineering SciencesBuilding.

John S. (Steve) Carr (BS '80)started a consulting engineeringfirm in 1996 specializing inconsulting engineering services formanufacturing and heavy industry.

1998

1930 - 1950

1960 - 1980

June 1998 9

Dale W. Brockamp (BS '88)transferred to the Illinois Departmentof Natural Resources on January 1,1998 after working at the IEPA for 9-1/2 years. Dan is the department'sDam and Bridge Safety Coordinator.The department is responsible forinspecting and providing thenecessary repair work to all dams andbridges in the state parks and otherstate-owned recreational areas.

Alexander L. Breen (BS '89). As ofNovember 1997, Alex is the Managerof Onsite Consulting/CCSONetwork Analyst at the University ofIllinois, Urbana, Illinois.

Xinqun Gui (PhD '89) is currentlySenior Project Engineer in charge ofthe Advanced Research Group atNavistar in Melrose Park, Illinois.His group develops new enginetechnologies and the company nowhas a contract to supply engines forFord trucks through the year 2012.Xinqun and his family live inNaperville. In his free time, heteaches the Chinese language andculture to the children of Chinesedescendents who live in Naperville.

Glen Hall (BS '89) has recentlychanged jobs to be a Senior ProjectEngineer at Cooper Automotive'sWagner Lighting Division inHampton, Virginia.

Douglas A. Awe (BS '90) respondedto our last newsletter request forupdated information, by informing ushe has changed residences. He isnow living in Bluffs, Illinois.

John "Big Jack" W. Ryan, Jr. (MS'91, BS '90) has been with Caterpillarfor six years and currently is itsChassis Design Team Leader for theCAT Challenger belted ag tractors.

Todd W. Wachtel (BS '93) is theStructures Department Manager withthe Effingham-Clay Service Companyand farming the family farm. Toddand his wife, Lynelle, are expectingtheir first child this April.

Jeffrey D. Samet (BS '94) recentlychanged careers. He is now workingfor AGCO in Batavia, Illinois.

John F. Curran (BS '95). We recentlylearned that John is about to graduatelaw school from Northern IllinoisUniversity and is looking forward togoing to a couple of football gamesthis fall.

Jesse R. Middagh (BS '95). As ofJanuary 1998, Jesse was promoted tothe position of Test OperationsSupervisor covering all projects at theCase Corporation Engineering Centerin Burr Ridge, Illinois. He isresponsible for a group of 25 peoplewith tasks including test planning,scheduling, resourcing and equipmentprocurement. Jesse is also workingtoward completing an MBA programspecializing in Project Managementfrom the Keller Graduate School ofManagement in Chicago, Illinois.

Thomas I. Burenga III (BS '96) iscurrently the Territory AftermarketManager for the John Deere Companyout of Columbus, Ohio.

Matthew F. Rademacher (BS '96)let us know he had started atNACCO in Danville, Illinois as adesign engineer in September 1996.His job duties include valueimprovement projects and newproduct options for lift trucks.

Timothy T. Schaberg (BS '96) andBlythe Ridder were married onOctober 4, 1997. Tim is withKomatsu Mining Systems in Peoria,Illinois. The Schaberg's will beresiding in Washington, Illinois.

Chia-Hui Chou (MS '97) is currentlyworking for a manufacturer inTaiwan, where he recently completedthe design and development of a newhigh pressure cooling system forvehicles. He will also be involved inselling the system to customers. Heand his family miss the University ofIllinois and hope to visit sometime.He wishes all of us a happy ChineseTiger year; the Chinese New Yearbegan on February 1, 1998 and is theYear of the Tiger.

Loren P. Honegger (BS '97) marriedJennifer L. Johnson in November 1997.The Honegger's are making their newhome in Remington, Indiana. Loren isworking in material take-off in thedesign department of FBI Buildings,Inc.

Seetha Sarasworthy (MS '97) had ababy girl on December 1, 1997andhas named the baby Smritha Devan.Seetha and her family reside inFairfield, Ohio. Congratulations!

1990 - 1997

In Memory …

Lloyd E. Reeser (BS '43) passed away March 2, 1998 at home. Mr. Reeser wasa former president of Weldon Co-op Grain Company for several years and heserved on the DeLand-Weldon school board for nine years. He is survived byhis wife, Irma, two sons and two daughters and 12 grandchildren.

June 199810

During the past year the followingalumni and friends have donatedmoney to the department. Thesefunds are used to help providescholarships to deservingstudents, defray travel costs toprofessional meetings and supportstudent projects for our openhouses each spring. Somedonations have been specificallydesignated to one of severalspecial funds in our department.For more information on donoropportunities, please contact thedepartment at 217.333.3570.

We would like to extend ourgrateful appreciation to all of youfor your generous support of ourprograms.

Mr. Melvin G. AdenMr. Charles W. AndersonMr. and Mrs. Gary L. AsherMrs. Lorennie BatemanMr. Randall L. BeasleyMr. Paul G. BolandMr. Donald L. Brakensick

Mr. Dana and Ms. Elizabeth CChristensen

Mr. Scott E. DavisonDr. Floyd E. DowellMrs. Alice E. Espenschied

Dr. Walter Cecil HammondMr. and Mrs. David J. HoekstraMr. and Mrs. Larry F. HugginsMr. and Mrs. Robert C. HughesDr. Raymond J. Huhnke

Mr. John N. JednoralskiMr. T. Michael JohnsDr. and Mrs. Benjamin A. Jones, Jr.

Dr. Ann L. KenimerMr. Michael D. KnicelyMr. Thomas D. Langston

Mr. Edwin R. MartinBernard C. Mathews/Mathews

CompanyMr. and Mrs. Donald G. Miller

Mr. Gerald A. NueseMr. and Mrs. David J. OlsonMr. and Mrs. Leroy K. PickettMr. Kenneth RamseyMr. Thomas and Ms. Cheryl RonanMr. James F. Rowley

Mr. David R. SchmidDr. and Mrs. John C. SiemensMr. and Mrs. Daniel L. SmithDr. and Mrs. David W. SmithMr. and Mrs. Roger M. SmithMr. and Mrs. James R. SteffenMr. Lyle E. StephensMr. and Mrs. David W. SucoeDr. Kenneth Sudduth

Mr. James A. VerplaetseMr. and Mrs. Peter L. ViallMr. and Mrs. David W. WeirMr. Roy D. WendteMr. and Mrs. Gregory D. Woodworth

The 1997 Farm Progress Show:

June 1998 11

The Agricultural Engineering Newsletter is a publication of the Public Relations Committee. Correspondence may be sentto:

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The University of Illinois is an affirmative action, equal opportunity institution.

It’s here! The history book, Agricultural Engineering on the Prairie: Illinois Style, is now available. Thebook is a complete history of the University of Illinois Department of Agricultural Engineering from 1921 through 1997.

Look inside for details on ordering your copy!!