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Alumni Fellow
The College of Forest Resources 2007 Alumni Fellow is John D. Hodges of Ashland. A 1959 forestry graduate, Hodges was one of the first students to earn a bachelor’s degree from the then-young School of Forestry. Hodges holds master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Washington. He joined the faculty in 1975 and taught silviculture and conducted research in the areas of hardwood silviculture, physiology, ecology, and wetland restoration until 1996. Hodges retired from Mississippi State and went to Anderson-Tully where he led the company’s land management program. In 2000, Hodges returned to MSU to run the hardwood forestry extension program.
Alumnus of the Year
James H. “Jim” Tidwell of Frankfort, Ky., is the 2008 Alumnus of the Year for the College of Forest Resources. A 1987 doctoral graduate in aquaculture, wildlife and fisheries, he is aquaculture division chair at Kentucky State University’s Aquaculture Research Center. Tidwell received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and a master’s from Samford University. As coordinator for aquaculture programs, Tidwell is responsible for oversight of all aquaculture programs (research, extension and education) at KSU. This includes coordination of schedules, allocation of physical resources, and maintenance and operations of the Aquaculture Research Center (ARC).
Alumnus of the Year
Charlie W. Morgan of Jackson is the College of Forest Resources 2007 Alumnus of the Year. A 1973 forestry graduate and former manager with International Paper Co, he was named to the State Forestry Commission leadership post in 2006. Under Morgan's leadership, the commission began reorganizing during Fiscal Year 2006. As a result, the commission has taken a business management approach to agency operations.
Alumni Fellow
Curtis Hopkins of Jackson is the College of Forest Resources 2006 Alumni Fellow. Hopkins is the conservation program director for Ducks Unlimited's Southern Regional Office and a 1971 forestry graduate. He received a master's degree in wildlife ecology in 1973 from MSU and earned a Ph.D. from Texas A & M University. Hopkins has been employed by Ducks Unlimited, Inc. for the last 26 years. In his current position, he oversees wetland and upland habitat conservation across 15 states.
Alumnus of the Year
Tim Rials is the 2006 College of Forest Resources Alumnus of the Year. Rials is professor and director of the Tennessee Forest Products Center, a component of the University of Tennessee. Rials received his bachelor of science in forestry from Mississippi State University in 1980. He received his master's and doctoral degrees in wood science and technology from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.
Alumni Fellow
Gerald Moore is the 2005 College of Forest Resources Alumni Fellow. Moore is the owner and president of Pine Belt Foresters in Petal, a forestry consulting firm. Moore is a 1963 graduate in forestry. He is president and board member of the Mississippi Forestry Association, serves on the membership committee for the American Forestry Association, and is a Fellow of the Society of American Foresters.
Alumna of the Year
Ruth Cook is the College of Forest Resources Alumna of the Year. Cook received her B.S. degree in forestry in 1982. She is the director of strategic planning for the Philadelphia-based Molpus Timberlands Management, LLC. Cook has previously served as the CFR Alumni Association president and been very active in supporting the college and MSU. Cook is a registered forester in Mississippi and Alabama, a certified professional logging manager and an active member of the Society of American Foresters. She is also a member of the Mississippi and Louisiana Forestry Association.
Alumni Fellow
Willie H. “Bill” Tomlinson Jr of Vicksburg recently was selected College of Forest Resources Alumni Fellow. Tomlinson received a bachelor’s degree in forest management and a master’s in wildlife ecology in 1972 and 1977, respectively. He is president of Wildlife Technical Services, a natural resource and environmental consulting firm.
Alumnus of the Year
Jim Tisdale has been named 2004 College of Forest Resources Alumnus of the Year. This alumni honor recognizes the achievements of outstanding alumni whose personal lives, professional accomplishments and community service best exemplify the Tisdale named CFR Alumnus of the Year mission of Mississippi State University. Tisdale recently retired after 41 years of service with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, including 18 years as manager of the Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge. He received his undergraduate degree in forestry and his master's degree in wildlife management from Mississippi State University. Tisdale's accomplishments for the refuge include helping start the Larry Box Environmental Educational Center with the Starkville School District and constructing a new $2 million Refuge Office and Visitor Center on the banks of Bluff Lake. He also helped bring the endangered red cockaded woodpecker up from 16 colonies to 45 colonies. Tisdale graduated in 1963.
Alumni Fellow
James L. "Jim" Sledge has been named 2003 Alumni Fellow for the College of Forest Resources. The Alumni Fellows program brings graduates of distinction back to campus to share their professional experiences and provide career guidance for current students and their faculty mentors. Sledge is a 1961 forestry graduate from Crystal Springs. He is the current Mississippi State Forester and formerly served as woodlands manager for Mead Corp.'s Stevenson, Ala., paper and saw mills. Sledge is the former president of the National Association of State Foresters.
Alumnus of the Year
Oktibbeha County native Adrian M. Blocker is the College of Forest Resources Alumnus of the Year at Mississippi State University. Blocker, who holds three MSU degrees, is the Savannah, Ga.-based director of strategic planning for International Paper Co. Blocker received bachelor’s degrees in forestry and general business administration in 1979 and a master’s in business administration in 1981.
Alumni Fellow
Robert A. Haupt of Hayward, Wis., is the CFR's 2002 Alumni Fellow. Haupt is a 1992 master's degree graduate in forest products. Today, he is global technology manager for Dynea Paper Overlays, a leading international manufacturer of adhesives, industrial resins, and other bonding products. Formerly of Aurora, Ill., he also holds a bachelor's degree in chemistry from the University of Illinois. During the 1990s, he held the rank of senior research chemist at the company's global research and development group in Norway, where his fluency in Norwegian, German, Hungarian, Russian, and Spanish proved an invaluable asset.
Alumnus of the Year
Brian T. Gray of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, is presented the College of Forest Resources Alumnus of the Year award by CFR dean Sam Foster. Director of conservation programs and information systems for Ducks Unlimited Canada, he earned a doctorate in 1992 in wildlife ecology. The annual awards program is sponsored by the MSU Alumni Association to honor graduates who are recognized leaders in their fields of endeavor. Gray joined DUC's headquarters in Stonewall in 1996 after working for a number of years as a wildlife scientist at Alberta-based Golder Associates.
Alumni Fellow
As project manager for Weyerhauser Engineering Services, Sally Cook manages the construction of capital projects in wood products and pulp and paper. She worked in North Carolina until late August when she moved to the company's Ontario, Canada, facility. That move, however, is only one of many in a 21-year career since she earned a bachelor's degree in forestry from MSU. Cook has held numerous positions in the industry and credits Mississippi State with providing a solid background. At MSU, she says, "It was not any ONE class or any ONE professor who made the difference. The COMBINATION of hands-on skill building in labs, teamwork in group projects, classroom discussions, and leadership experience in school activities all have been key in my career." Cook says her parents have been the greatest influences on bother her personal and professional life. "They taught all of my family that you can achieve anything you set your mind to strive for and gave us the encouragement through both successes and challenges." The Canton native lists her greatest accomplishment at MSU as obtaining a master of business administration degree while working full time.
Alumnus of the Year
Curtis "Skip" McCollough, a 1979 graduate of the College of Forest Resources, has been named 2001 CFR Alumnus of the Year. McCollough is president and owner of South Mississippi Forest Products of Mississippi Inc. which offers a variety of services to the timber industry. He also is president of Southern Timber Resources of Louisiana Inc. At MSU, he earned a bachelor's degree in forestry in 1979 with a minor in wildlife management. While building both companies to the level they are today, Skip also has taken time to mentor MSU forestry students and has several students co-op with his firms. In addition, he has hired CFR graduates as full-time employees with both of these companies. "I feel that I attended the greatest College of Forest Resources in the country," he said. In 1998, McCollough and his wife Julie established the Mississippi Forest Products Annual Scholarship in the CFR. Each year, the McColloughs' contribution covers the full cost of tuition and fees for two students enrolled in any department on the college. McCollough said that for his family MSU not only is a tradition - daughter Stephanie is enrolled - but also a way to a wonderful life. When asked about being named CFR Alumnus of the Year, Skip said, "To receive such a tremendous honor has been one of the high points of my life. Never in my wildest imagination would I have ever dreamed of being named CFR Alumnus of the Year."
Alumni Fellow
Tom Darden, a 1974 and 1980 graduate of the College of Forest Resources, is the College of Forest Resources Alumni Fellow for 2000. As regional director of wildlife and fisheries for the U.S. Forest Service, Darden oversees numerous programs and policies for some 12.5 million acres of forests and grasslands in 13 Southern states and Puerto Rico. If that's not enough, he has served as project leader since 1995 for a U.S.-India large scale assessment of Indian conservation management. The New Albany native is sure some of his professional success comes from his time at Mississippi State. Darden earned a bachelor's degree in forestry in 1974 and a master's degree in wildlife ecology in 1980. "MSU gave me a very sound technical background and helped me develop critical thinking skills," he says. Although he has had several "mentors" in his career, he acknowledges Dr's. George Switzer and George Hurst for their lasting impressions and help in guiding his development in land ethnics and science. In his professional life, Darden is most proud of the role he has played in promoting interaction among both forestry and environmental interests at international, national, regional, and local levels. In addition, he helped design the Forest Service's continuing education program, where he has served as instructor. The program has reached more than 3000 federal and state professional biologists and ecologists. While at MSU, Darden was recognized at both undergraduate and graduate levels for academic achievement. He also was active in research and taught courses in natural resources, zoology, and computer science. Among his fondest memories from his alma mater are "the people. The faculty and students ...mostly in forestry and wildlife, as well as the Trammel Computing Center." "Dorman Hall was the center of activity in those days," he recalled. Now an Atlanta resident, Darden is the father of two sons, David and Tom Morgan. When he has time away from the forest service, he enjoys fishing, sailing, birding, skeet shooting, and bird hunting. And, he claims to still be "a fair blues/jazz drummer and amateur photographer."
Alumni Fellow (1999) and Alumni of the Year (2000)
Jeff K. Easterling of New Orleans, La. received a bachelor's degree in wood science and technology and business administration from MSU in 1980. The Huntsville, Ark., native is vice president of marketing for Southern Forest Products Association in Kenner, La.
Alumni Fellow (1998) and Alumni of the Year (1999)
Tony Parks of Clinton.
Alumni Fellow (1997) and Alumni of the Year (1998)
Kenneth Stewart of Atlanta.
Alumni Fellow (1996) and Alumni of the Year (1997)
Steven A. Corbitt of Jackson received his bachelor's degree in forest resources from Mississippi State in 1976, is executive vice president of the Mississippi Forestry Association.
Alumni Fellow (1995) and Alumni of the Year (1996)
Alumni Fellow (1994) and Alumni of the Year (1995)
Thomas R. Terfehr of Stamford, Conn., vice president of materials at Champion International, School of Forest Resources. Terfehr received a master's degree in forest economics in 1975.
Alumni Fellow and Alumni of the Year
Dr. Billy Teels of Manassas, Va., a 1975 doctoral graduate and national biologist for the U.S.D.A. Soil Conservation Service.
Alumni Fellow and Alumni of the Year
Alumni Fellow and Alumni of the Year
Alumni Fellow and Alumni of the Year
