DR. RICHARD L. WILLHAM
Retirement Event July 7

Dr. Richard L. Willham, Charles F. Curtiss Distinguished Professor in Agriculture, and Professor of Animal Science will retire this summer. A retirement coffee will be held at the Brunnier Gallery July 7, 3:00-5:00 pm. The public is invited to help celebrate the occasion. A program is planned for 4:00 pm.

      Dr. Willham has been a faculty member 38 years in both swine and beef cattle breeding research. He wrote and popularized the computer cow game as a way to interest undergraduate students in beef genetics, and worked closely with the beef industry in developing EPDs (genetic predictions).

      Dr. Willham spent his formative years in Oklahoma, earned his B.S. at OSU, served in the military, and began working on a swine project at ISU in 1959, earning his Ph.D. degree from ISU in 1960. He returned to Oklahoma State University's Animal Science Department. Dr. Willham joined the Department of Animal Science at Iowa State in 1966 in beef. He has primarily taught Our Livestock Heritage to undergraduates, for which he authored the book, "The Legacy of the Stockman", and, at the graduate level, Population Genetics and Applied Beef and Dairy Cattle Breeding. During that time, he has been major professor to 32 graduate students, including 27 Ph.D. students. Dr. Willham began working with the American Angus Association on performance programs for the Breed Improvement Committee. He has also given exemplary service to the Iowa Cattlemen's Association, the Blue Ribbon Foundation, Living History Farms, and the Beef Improvement Federation.

      As a 14-yr-old young man, Dr. Willham attended his first American Society of Animal Science meeting in 1946; he officially joined in 1957. Later, he served as the Breeding and Genetics Section Chairman. Dr. Willham has been widely recognized for his many contributions to the beef industry by the American Polled Hereford Association, Oklahoma State University, the Red Angus Association (Service Award), American Hereford Association (Heritage Hall of Fame) National Cattlemen's Association (Research Award), American Society of Animal Science (Industry Service Award), Beef Improvement Federation (Pioneer Award) and the American Angus Association (Heritage Foundation). He has received a Faculty Citation from Iowa State University, and in 1993 he received the Regents' Award for Faculty Excellence. BEEF Magazine recognized him as one of 25 that made a difference in the beef industry over the past 25 years, and, in 1996, the Iowa Farm Bureau cited him as one of 150 who made a difference in Iowa Agriculture.Who's Who has recognized his many achievements. He has visited Scotland, France, England, West Germany, New Zealand, Japan and Canada professionally.

      A personal high point for Dr. Willham was an invitation to him to be Guest Curator of "Art About Livestock," an exhibit held at the Brunnnier Gallery in 1990 in conjunction with the American Society of Animal Science Annual Meeting. Reflecting his avid lifelong interest in art will be a display of some two dozen items belonging to Richard and Esther Willham. The exhibit will include oil paintings, sketches, and cross-stitch works each has done, as well as commissioned works.

      With the addition to Kildee Hall well into construction and interior plan details being finalized, the Willham's are enthusiastically supporting the Livestock Heritage Center, a reading room for animal science students. Contributions to this project would be welcomed.

      Landmarks of Dr. and Mrs. Willham's personal history that follows was, of course, designed by Dr. Willham.