2/6/03

AU AG ALUMNI ASSOCIATION TO BESTOW HALL OF HONOR, PIONEER AWARDS

AUBURN -- Five men who have made significant contributions to Alabama agriculture will be honored on Feb. 18 by the Auburn University Agricultural Alumni Association.

William A. "Bill" Jordan of Fort Payne, John T. "Tom" Ingram of Opelika and Pete Turnham of Auburn all will receive the association's Hall of Honor awards, which are given annually to living Alabamians who have made significant contributions to Alabama agriculture. The late Homer B. Tisdale and William D. Salmon also will be honored posthumously as Pioneer Award winners for their contributions to the state's agricultural sector. The banquet will be at the AU Hotel and Dixon Conference Center, starting with registration at 6:30 p.m. The banquet begins at 7 p.m

Jordan owned and operated Jordan Hatchery, Inc., the largest privately owned hatchery in the United States, for 35 years until he sold it in1995. He continued to work in the poultry industry as regional manager of Cumberland Hatchery Systems until he retired in 1999. He is now mayor of Fort Payne.

Ingram, a native of Lee County, graduated from Auburn in 1950 with a degree in agricultural education. He has farmed cotton in the Marvyn community for more than 50 years, starting his career in 1946 after returning from service in World War II.

Turnham, who served as state representative from House District 79 for 40 years, grew up on a farm in Chambers County and was active in 4-H and FFA as a youth. He received a bachelor's degree in 1944, a master's degree in 1948 and an honorary degree in 1994, all from Auburn. He was also a dairy specialist with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System from 1948 to 1954.

Salmon, a Kentucky native, was a nutritionist in Auburn's Department of Animal Sciences who made major contributions to the field of knowledge in nutrition and biochemistry. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Kentucky and his graduate degrees from the University of Missouri before joining the Auburn faculty in 1922, where he was a faculty member for 43 years and twice served as head of the AU Department of Animal Husbandry (now Animal Sciences).

Tisdale received his bachelor's degree from Auburn and did graduate work at Cornell University. He spent 42 years in the Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station at Auburn as an agronomist and plant breeder, focusing his research on cotton. Tisdale is credited with helping save the cotton industry in the Southeast during the 1950s by developing "Auburn 56" cotton, which was disease- and pest-resistant and became an industry standard.

Tickets for the banquet are $30 per person and can be reserved by sending a check to Ag Alumni Association, 107 Comer Hall, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849-5401.

For more information on the banquet or the awards, contact Martha Patterson, 334/844-3595.

# # #

feb03:AU-hall CONTACT: Patterson, 334-844-3595.