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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Shirley Luna Ð September 8, 2004
SFA College of Forestry fills endowed professorships
Six faculty members have been named to endowed ÒdistinguishedÓ professorships
in the Arthur Temple College of Forestry at Stephen F. Austin State
University. Dr. Scott Beasley, dean of the college, recently announced
the following appointments:
Dr. Mike Legg Ð R.E. ÒJudgeÓ Minton Distinguished Professor;
Dr. Hans Williams Ð Kenneth Nelson Distinguished Professor;
Dr. James Kroll Ð Joe C. Denman Distinguished Professor;
Dr. Gary Kronrad Ð Bone Hill Distinguished Professor;
Dr. Michael Fountain Ð Laurence C. ÒLarryÓ Walker Distinguished Professor;
and
Dr. Kenneth Farrish Ð Dr. Hiram and Gloria Arnold Distinguished Professor.
Funding to endow the professorships was provided during a four-year period by
grants from the T.L.L. Temple Foundation and matching grants from the Bone Hill
Foundation, Dr. Hiram and Gloria Arnold of Lufkin, and by friends and former
students of Dr. Laurence C. Walker. According to Beasley, the endowments creating
the six professorships total almost $2 million.
The T.L.L. Temple Foundation named three professorships in honor of individuals
who had distinguished careers with the Temple familyÕs Southern Pine Lumber Co.,
now known as Temple-Inland. The R.E. ÒJudgeÓ Minton Professorship, filled by
Dr. Mike Legg in 2003, was named in honor of a man who served as legal counsel
for three generations of Temples beginning with Thomas Lewis Latane, Arthur TempleÕs
grandfather.
The Kenneth Nelson Professorship was named for the Southern Pine Lumber Co.Õs
first forest manager.
The Joe C. Denman Professorship was named for a man who Arthur Temple said deserved
much of the credit for the companyÕs phenomenal growth in the 1960s and Õ70s
when Denman served as vice president, executive vice president and president
of Temple Industries.
The grant from the Temple Foundation also provided ÒchallengeÓ funds to establish
three additional professorships that were to be named by donors providing matching
funds, Beasley said. The Bone Hill Foundation, located in Center, Texas, provides
scholarships and educational support for public schools and universities from
revenues earned from forestland.
Dr. Hiram Arnold, a retired gynecologist who practiced in Houston for almost
40 years, now manages family forestland in Sabine County. He and his wife, Gloria,
reside in Lufkin.
The late Dr. Laurence C. ÒLarryÓ Walker is credited with building a small department
into one of the largest and strongest schools of forestry in the nation while
serving as head, and later dean, from 1963-1975.
Dr. Mike Legg, whose specialization is forest recreation, has been on the SFA
faculty since 1973. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in forestry from Auburn
University, and a Master of Science and Ph.D. from Michigan State University.
Dr. Hans Williams, whose areas of specialization are forest eco-physiology and
urban forestry, joined the faculty in 1993. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree
from Purdue University, a Master of Science degree from Clemson University and
a Ph.D. from Auburn University.
Dr. James Kroll, whose specialization is forest wildlife management, joined the
faculty in 1973. He earned Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees
from Baylor University and a Ph.D. from Texas A&M University. Kroll also
serves as director of the Forest Resources Institute and director of the collegeÕs
new Columbia Geospatial Service Center, recently funded by a $4.1 million appropriation
through the U.S. Department of Defense.
Dr. Gary Kronrad, a forest economist, joined the faculty in 1989. He earned a
Bachelor of Science degree from C.W. Post College, and a Master of Science degree
and Ph.D. from the University of Massachusetts. Kronrad is a leading expert on
carbon sequestration in forests, the natural process in which trees extract carbon
dioxide, a ÒgreenhouseÓ gas, from the atmosphere and convert it into wood.
Dr. Michael Fountain, associate dean of the college, joined the faculty in 1981.
He earned his bachelorÕs and masterÕs degrees in forestry from SFA and a Ph.D.
from West Virginia University.
ÒDr. Fountain is a fitting choice for the Walker Professorship since he was a
student, an employee, a colleague and friend of Dr. Walker over a 30-year period,Ó
Beasley said.
Dr. Kenneth Farrish, a soil scientist, came to SFA in 1996 from Louisiana Tech
University, where he had served on the faculty of the Division of Forestry for
10 years. He earned his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees from
Michigan Technological University and a Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota.
Farrish also serves as the director of the SFA Division of Environmental Science.
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