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Purdue College of Agriculture Releases New Book: Lowell Hardin: Mentor Extraordinaire, to Honor Late Professor

International Programs in Agriculture (IPIA) has released Lowell Hardin: Mentor Extraordinaire, a book published in honor of late Professor Lowell S. Hardin. The book accumulates Professor Hardin’s achievements and stories provided by individuals who worked with him throughout his tenure at Purdue University.

In May 2020, IPIA announced the Lowell S. Hardin Award for Excellence in International Agriculture award. The award recognizes significant contributions of College of Agriculture faculty members to international activities. The award recipients for 2019-2020 academic year are: Gebisa Ejeta, Distinguished Professor of Agronomy and 2009 World Food Prize laureate, Thomas Hertel, Distinguished Professor of Agricultural Economics, Jules Janick, James Troop Distinguished Professor of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Suzanne Nielsen, 150th Anniversary Professor of Food Science,  and John Sanders, Professor of Agricultural Economics.

 

“Lowell Hardin’s gift was to inspire others, to encourage and motivate them, and to open doors. He helped people quietly, in the background, and never called attention to what he did. Those of us who knew Lowell and were mentored by him owe him an unpayable debt.” - Tom Hertel, Distinguished Professor of Agricultural Economics at Purdue University and Larry Murdock, Emeritus Professor of Entomology at Purdue University.

Excerpt from Lowell Hardin: Mentor Extraordinaire

Award recipients (L to R): Gebisa Ejeta, Thomas Hertel, Jules Janick, Suzanne Nielsen, John Sanders Award recipients (L to R): Gebisa Ejeta, Thomas Hertel, Jules Janick, Suzanne Nielsen, John Sanders

Lowell Hardin, who was a professor of agriculture economics at Purdue University, was a mentor, confidant, counselor, and leader to numerous generations of colleagues at Purdue. Born in 1917 and passed in 2015, Hardin graduated from Purdue in 1939 with a degree in animal science, attended graduate school at Cornell University and returned to Purdue in 1943 as a faculty member. “Prof. Hardin passed away in 2015,” says Prof. Gerald Shively, Associate Dean and Director of International Programs in the College of Agriculture, “but his legacy of loyal service, generous insight, and shared knowledge to benefit humanity continues to endure across Purdue Agriculture, and this award both honors that legacy and recognizes the achievements of those who follow in his footsteps.”

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