1995 Award of Distinction Recipients

James W. Andreas

(B.S. '54, Agricultural Economics)
CEO
J.D. Andreas & Sons, Inc.
Delano, California

James Andreas farms in two family partnerships. He consistently has promoted agricultural issues through his 25 years of volunteer leadership with the Raisin Bargaining Association, the Dry Bean Advisory Board and the Valley Production Credit Association. Andreas participates in Kiwanis and 4-H and was named "Man of the Year" in 1987 by the Delano Chamber of Commerce.

LeRoy Giannini

Grower
Top Shelf
Dinuba, California

LeRoy Giannini has been a benefactor of both California agriculture and the university through close relationships with UC Davis researchers. He donated the F. Gordon Mitchell Postharvest Facility at the Kearny Agricultural Center. Giannini is a grower in the nectarine industry and has served as chair of the Nectarine Administrative Committee for 30 years. He was named "Farmer-of-the-Year" in 1983 by the Tulare County Farm Bureau.

Charles Goldman

Professor and Director
Tahoe Research Group
Department of Environmental Science and Policy
UC Davis
Davis, California

Charles Goldman, professor of limnology and director of the Tahoe Research Group, came to UC Davis in 1958. He is founding director of the Institute of Ecology. Internationally recognized for his fresh water research, he has been awarded a National Science Foundation Senior Postdoctoral Fellowship for limnological research, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and the Antarctic Service Medal from Congress. The Goldman Glacier in Antarctica was named for him. Goldman was chosen UC Davis Faculty Research Lecturer in 1993, the highest honor for campus faculty.

Less Guthrie

(B.S., '66, Agricultural Economics)
Rancher and Farmer
Guthrie Farming & Cattle Co.
Porterville, California

Less Guthrie is past president of the California Cattlemen's Association and served as vice chair of the National Cattlemen's Association Agricultural Policy Committee. His many volunteer leadership roles earned him recognition as "Agriculturalist of the Year" in 1993 by the Tulare County Farm Bureau. He is a member of Class I of the California Agricultural Leadership Program and is a member of the UC Davis Chancellor's Club.

The Martini Family

Louis M. Martini Winery
St. Helena, California

Louis P. Martini (deceased April 10, 2000) accepted the Award of Distinction for his family, owners of the Louis M. Martini Winery in St. Helena, including his wife Elizabeth and their children, Patricia (B.A., '75, Economics), Michael (B.S., '78, Fermentation Science), Carolyn and Peter. The family's collective support by words, deeds and dollars has benefited the Department of Viticulture and Enology, as well as the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at UC Davis. Louis Martini's children have created a major research endowment at UC Davis to honor their father and to provide a permanent source of funding for research in viticulture and enology.

Justin Meyer

(B.S., '67, Fermentation Science; M.S., '68, Horticulture)
President
Silver Oak Wine Cellars
St. Helena, California

Justin Meyer (deceased) was known in the industry for his tireless and unstinting support of basic and applied research and of the UC Davis Department of Viticulture and Enology. Largely due to Meyer's leadership role as president, the American Vineyard Foundation raised an average of more than $500,000 annually for eight years for viticultural and enological research in California.

John Pucheu, Jr.

(B.S., '65, Agricultural Economics)
Pucheu Brothers Ranch, Inc.
Tranquility, California

John Pucheu, San Joaquin County cotton rancher, was chair of the 57-member board of Calcot, the cotton-marketing cooperative for the West Coast. He served as past president of the California Cotton Growers Association and president of the Board of Westside Farmers Co-op Gin. Pucheu served on the National Cotton Council Executive Committee and as regional director for the council's Producer Steering Committee. Pucheu is a member of Class VI of the California Agricultural Leadership Program.

Mary K. Schmidl

(B.S., '73, Consumer Food Science)
Director of Research
Sandoz Nutrition Company
Minneapolis, Minnesota

Mary Schmidl worked to improve public health through the development of medical foods, liquid diets and other nutritional products during her 20-year career with Sandoz. She is the recipient of the 1993 Institute of Food Technology Babcock-Hart Award which recognizes significant contributions in food technology for the benefit of improved public health. She has served as editor and reviewer for numerous professional journals.

Alfreda M. Sebasto

Young Alumna Category
(B.S., '90, Applied Behavioral Sciences/Agricultural Communications)
KPC Communiocations
Fresno, California

Alfreda Sebasto is a graduate of the California Farm Bureau's eight-month Agricultural Resource Training Program. She served on the board of directors and executive committee of the Fresno County Farm Bureau and was chair of the Fresno County Young Farmers and Ranchers Program. She was active with the California Farm Bureau Federation Young Farmers and Ranchers State Committee and the Roundtable for Women in Foodservice

M. Allen Stevens

Senior Vice President of Research
Petoseed Company
Woodland, California

Allen Stevens, former professor with the UC Davis Department of Vegetable Crops, is president of the American Society for Horticultural Science and chair of that organization's board of directors. He is active in international agricultural research and development. Stevens plays a critical role in fund-raising and advisory activities for the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. His participation was a major factor in establishing the Charles M. Rick Tomato Genetics Resource Center.

Emmy Werner

Professor Emeritus
Department of Human and Community Development
UC Davis
Davis, California

Emmy Werner, world-renowned authority on life-span behavioral development, joined the CA&ES faculty in 1962. In recognition of her efforts to translate research into policy and practice in order to improve the human condition, she was nominated to be a fellow at the prestigious Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences, and has been invited to present her work at scholarly institutions worldwide. Werner plays a key role in UNICEF, the Children's Defense Fund, and the World Heath Organization.