2008 Alumni News 

H. Michael AMike@ Barnes, '65 B.S.F., '68 M.S. forest products technology, has been named Fellow of the Society of Wood Science and Technology, an honor he received for his work at Mississippi State University in wood preservation. Mike received a doctorate from the State University of New York. He was Alumnus of the Year 2004, LSU Forestry, Wildlife, & Fisheries Alumni Association.

James P. Barnett, '57 B.S.F., '63 M.F. is now Emeritus Scientist, USFA Forest Service, Southern Research Station, Pineville, La.  He has written about 20 human interest articles about forest workers in the South, some of which have been published.  He is now considering producing a book containing these interesting sketches.

Bob G. Blackmon, '69 Ph.D. forestry and former RNR School Director, is proud of his son, a writer, who has been in the news this year. Douglas A. Blackmon has written a book, published in 2008:  Slavery by Another Name: The Re-Enslavement of Black Americans from the Civil War to World War II. 469 p. Doubleday. Douglas is Atlanta bureau chief for the Wall Street Journal. He was interviewed on PBS ATalk of the Nation@ March 25, 2008.

Robert H. Chabreck, '56, B.S.F '57, MSGM jointly with R.Greg Linscombe, BSF '70, MSGM '72, shared an award this year: the Distinguished Service Award for the Advancement of Spatial Analysis in Louisiana. The award was made by the 24^th La. Remote Sensing and G.I.S. Workshop. Bob is retired from LSU and lives in Baton Rouge with his wife, Merle.  He reported that his son David O. Chabreck, BSF '77, continues to work for the U.S. Forest Service in Gloster, Miss. David's son, Bob's grandson, had a baseball scholarship in a Mississippi college, where he earned a master's degree. He is now employed by the Border Patrol.

Poo Chow, '61 M.F., has retired from the University of Illinois after a long and distinguished career. He taught a forest products course at the University of Illinois during the second semester of 2007-2008.  He is now Professor Emeritus in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences.

Wade J. Dubea, II, '97 B.S.F., has been appointed State Forester effective March 11, 2008, replacing Paul D. Frey, '74 B.S.F., who retired at the end of 2007.  Wade, a native of New Roads now living in St. Francisville, headed the Information and Education section in the Louisiana Office of Forestry before he was promoted.

John M. Dunn, '73 B.S.F., is starting his 35^th year with Roy O. Martin Lumber Co., based in Alexandria, La. John began his employment with Martin in May, 1973, in Glenmore, La. as an Assistant District Forester. In December, 1976, John was transferred to Pineville, where he became District One Forest Manager. He has been married to Jennifer Lynn for 37 years.  They have one son, Christopher John, who resides in Walker with his wife Reneé.

Erica Smith Ecassut, 1998 B.S.F., visited Dr. Quang Cao and Dr. Burns at the School on June 6, 2008, along with her two young children. She had just returned from France.  She reported that she married a Frenchman.  She has a new job teaching French at Delgado College in New Orleans.

Paul D. Frey,'74 B.S.F. retired at the end of 2007 as State Forester of Louisiana. He was appointed State Forester in 1989 and was chosen as Alumnus-of-the-Year 1990 by the LSU Forestry-Wildlife-Fisheries Alumni Association. 

Claude H. AGrits@ Gresham, Jr., 1949 B.S.F., 1950 M.S.G.M., died Feb. 18, 2008 in his hometown of Natchitoches.  A veteran of the U.S. Army Air Corps, he was famous as a writer and a television personality. He was author of eight books, host of Shooting Sports America on ESPN, and shooting editor of Sports Afield magazine. His many awards include Alumnus of the Year 1978, LSU School of Forestry & Wildlife Management, and induction into the La. Sports Hall of Fame and the LSU Alumni Association Hall of Distinction.

Susan E. Harp, '79 B.S.F., visited Drs. Burns and Chambers at the School in November 2007. She earned the M.B.A. from LSU and now works for AForce Protection,@ an armament company in Charleston, So.Carolina.

Keith E. Hawkins, '86 M.S. forestry, visited the School in October 2007 and again in June 2008. He is Extension Forester, living in DeRidder, La.

 

Chung-Yun Hse, '63 M.S. forestry, is a wood scientist with the U.S. Forest Service at Pineville, La. This year he has been editing the proceedings of a wood products meeting held in China. Since the proceedings are to be in English, he prevailed on Dr. Burns to help the authors present their reports in good English.

Amy Shilling Hood, '93 B.S.F., continues her work as a forester for International Paper Co., Shreveport. Her husband is an electrical engineer employed by International Paper Co. at one of its plants in eastern Texas. Their second child was born April 30, 2008.

Shih-Chang ATony@ Hu, '71 Ph.D. forestry, has gone back to work as a restauranteur. Several years ago he sold his restaurant, ATaste of China,@ located in Baton Rouge on Airline Highway near Old Hammond Hwy, and retired to a country home near Clinton. However, the buyer was unable to keep up with his payments to Tony, so Tony and his wife Pai-Cha are back in business at the old location. Dr. Burns ate supper there recently and highly recommends the food and service.

Jeff D. Hughes, Jr.,'49 B.S.F., came to the School for undergraduate scholarship interviews, along with C.A. ABuck@ Vandersteen (honorary alumnus) in April 2008. Jeff is retired and lives in Bogalusa. Buck is the Executive Director of the La. Forestry Association, headquartered in Alexandria.

Charles H. Lewis, Jr., '39 B.S.F., died at Conroe, Tex., in April 2008. He was a retired forester with La. Pacific Corp. and a former Executive Director of the La. Forestry Association.

John E. Martel, '73 B.S.F, retired April 4, 2008 after 34 years of service in the La. Office of Forestry.  He recently wrote that he was in charge of Alexander State Forest at Woodworth for the past 20 years. Triggering his letter was a report to Dr. Burns by a forest landowner who owned a few acres near the State Forest, and who said that he thought there was a lack of pine regeneration in a recent State Forest harvest cut. Not surprisingly, John wrote Dr. Burns that he had used the seed-tree regeneration method, and that he noticed last winter that there was plenty of pine regeneration poking through the brush. John went on to say that with more funds available, AFinal harvests are now aesthetically-engineered clearcuts with genetically superior seedlings planted back.

Jack T. May, '32 B.S.F., died Nov. 27, 2001 in Athens, Ga, according to a recent note written to Dr. Burns by his sister, Mrs. Catherine M. Martin, who resides in the same retirement center as Dr. Burns. This was the first notice of his death which our School received. Jack received a master=s in forestry from the University of Georgia in 1937 and a doctoral degree from Michigan State. He taught silviculture and forest soils at Auburn University, then at the University of Georgia. 

Chellie P. McCallum, Jr., '59 B.S.F., died March 19, 2008. A native of Prairieville, La, he was 74 years old. He had worked for Haynes Brothers Lumber Co. in Prairieville, and was living in Jackson, Miss. when he passed away. 

James D. Nichols, '73 M.S.G.M., was presented the Alumnus-of-the-Year award by the School=s Forestry,Wildlife, and Fisheries Alumni Association in 2007.  He is a Wildlife Biologist/Senior Scientist with the USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center in Laurel, Md. Dr. Nichols=s major professor at LSU was Dr. Robert Chabreck.

James P. APat@ Price, '67 B.S.F, died in January, 2008 in Baton Rouge.  He had worked in the life insurance business. Pat=s father, James P. AJimmy@ Price, was professor of journalism and Director of the School of Journalism at L.S.U. 

Kenneth F. AKenny: Ribbeck, '82 B.S.F., . 84 M.S. wildlife, was elected President of LSU=s Forestry, Wildlife, and Fisheries Alumni Association in 2007. Antionette ATony@ DeBosier '98 B.S.F., '00 M.S. forestry, was elected Vice President.  Other members elected to the Association's Council were Ronald K.AKevin@ Mizell, '85 B.S.F., and George A. Tiley, '74 B.S.F.

Edward J. Robichaux, '68 B.S.F., has temporarily taken over John Martels duties as manager of Alexander State Forest, near Woodworth, La.

Terry Thomas Rogers, '85 B.S.F., visited the School in December 2007. She reported that she and her husband, a Lt. Colonel in the Army, and their son plan to move from Hawaii to Louisiana in about six months. They were looking for a college for their son to attend.