01/20/2005

Honorees Named for AU Ag Alumni Association's Hall of Honor Awards

AUBURN, Ala. — Five outstanding Alabama agriculturalists will be honored on Feb. 15 when the Auburn University (AU) Agricultural Alumni Association holds its 2005 Annual Meeting and Hall of Honor Banquet in Auburn.

This year’s inductees into the Hall of Honor, which pays tribute to living Alabamians for their contributions to Alabama agriculture, are Ann Barr of Auburn, Gerald Bailey of Cullman and James Cook of Evergreen.

Ms. Barr, the former state 4-H program leader for girls, retired from the Alabama Cooperative Extension System in 1984 after 33 years of service to Alabama’s youth. Bailey is the former live production manager for Gold Kist Inc.; he retired in 2001 and is a prominent leader in the state’s poultry industry. Cook is a dairyman from Evergreen who has been involved for more than 50 years in the dairy industry’s development on the state and national levels.

The late Hoyt Adair, who operated Classical Fruits orchard in Moulton, and Henry Orr, a beloved AU horticulture professor who lived in Opelika, will be added to the list of Pioneer Award winners, who are honored posthumously for their contributions to the state’s agricultural sector.

The awards will be presented during the banquet, which will be held at the AU Hotel and Dixon Conference Center in Auburn. Registration for the banquet begins at 5:30 p.m. and the banquet will begin at 6:30 p.m.

Tickets to the banquet and awards ceremony are $40 per person and must be purchased by Feb. 10. For the first time, the association is offering corporate sponsorships that help fund the banquet. Gold Corporate sponsorships are available for $500. Gold sponsors receive two complimentary tickets, a commemorative plaque and recognition in the banquet program. Silver Corporate sponsorships also are available for $250. Contributors at this level will be recognized in the banquet program.

Prior to the banquet, the Ag Alumni Association will hold its annual meeting and board of directors meeting in Room 109 of Comer Hall on the AU campus beginning at 1:30 p.m. All interested Ag Alumni members are invited to attend.

For more information about the banquet or meetings, contact Elaine Rollo at 334-844-3204 or at rollome@auburn.edu.

-30-

News from:

Office of Ag Communications & Marketing

Auburn University College of Agriculture
Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station
3 Comer Hall, Auburn University
Auburn, AL 36849
334-844-4877 (PHONE) 334-844-5892 (FAX)

Contact Jamie Creamer, 334-844-2783 or jcreamer@auburn.edu
Contact Elaine Rollo, 334-844-3204 or rollome@auburn.edu

For immediate release