IFT NEWS

Mary K. Schmidl becomes IFT’s 2000–01 President
Mary K. Schmidl was chosen by the members of IFT as President-Elect of the Institute of Food Technologists for 2000–01. Succeeding Charles H. Manley, Schmidl, who is Principal of National Food and Nutrition Consultants (NFNC) and Adjunct Professor, Dept. of Food Science and Nutrition, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, will take office as IFT’s 61st President on September 1, 2000.

She earned her Bachelor of Science from the University of California, Davis, then received an M.S. in food science and Ph.D. in food chemistry from Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y. With a major interest in the interface of food science and nutrition, her career history includes positions as research chemist and department head at A.G. Bayer; Director of Research, Novartis Nutrition Corporation; and Vice President of Science and Technology, Humanetics Corporation. She became Principal of NFNC in 1997.

Mary Schmidl has played a major role in the professional ranks of IFT since she joined the Institute as a student member in 1974. At the Regional and Division level, offices held have included Chair of the Nutrition Division, the Minnesota Section, the By-Laws Committee of the Sensory Evaluation Division, and the Midwest Food Processors Conference. In addition, she has served on numerous committees within those entities and the Northern California Section. At the Institute level, she has served as Councilor Representative to the Executive Committee, Scientific Lecturer, Awards Committee member (Chair Designate/Chair, 1990–93), Samuel Cate Prescott Award Jury (Chair, 1992–93), ad hoc Committee on Headquarters (Chair, 1988–89), Annual Planning Committee (1982), Student College Bowl Judge and Moderator (1986–87, 1989, and 1991), Assistant Treasurer of the Institute, Associate Editor of the Food Chemistry and Toxicology section of the Journal of Food Science, member of the Committee on Science, Communication, and Government Relations, and the IFT Foundation Board.

She has been recognized numerous times for outstanding achievements. Among her awards, she received the 1995 UC–Davis College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences Award of Distinction; was the first recipient of the Live Oak High School (California) Wall of Pride, 1995; and was 1993 recipient of the IFT Babcock-Hart Award for her contributions to food technology which resulted in improved public health. Schmidl was named an IFT Fellow in 1996 and a Fellow of the Institute of Science and Technology, United Kingdom, in 2000. Most recently, she was elected to the Board of the Council for Scientific Society Presidents, an organization representing more than 1.5 million scientists and scientific educators.

She has published over 40 papers, patents, and consumer articles, and is co-author of the book, Essentials of Functional Foods. She also represents part of the first husband/wife team in the history of IFT to become IFT President. Her husband, Theodore P. Labuza, served as 1988–89 IFT President. They reside in St. Paul, Minn., with their three children, Theodore, Peter, and Katherine.

During the past five years, in the quest of creating a new, streamlined organization ready to meet the needs of the 21st century, IFT has made efforts to implement a new leadership structure as well as revamp its policies and procedures and improve its communication tools. Schmidl cautions that it will be important to remember that concerns for food safety, nutrition and health, and global regulatory issues have reached a new awareness level, not only with government policymakers, but with consumers.

As President, Schmidl plans to review and assess the results of this work along with the IFT strategic plan and determine if indeed our desired goals have been met and how they might be more effectively met. During her term as President-Elect, she interviewed, discussed, and held meetings to explore this in depth and updated the Institute’s Strategic Plan, creating a final document known as “IFT Vision 2020" which is available on the IFT web site (www.ift.org). This process of self-examination has been difficult but necessary, especially for such a large and complex organization. IFT must meet the needs of its members and remain as a key resource in food science and technology, poised for global leadership roles on a number of forthcoming issues while being acknowledged and respected as a supporter of organizations with common interests.

Philip E. Nelson chosen IFT President-Elect for 2000-01
Philip E. Nelson, Head of the Department of Food Science at Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind., was chosen by the members of IFT as President-Elect of the Institute of Food Technologists for 2000–01. Nelson, succeeding Mary K. Schmidl, will take office as IFT’s 62nd President on September 1, 2001.

After he received a B.S. degree in agriculture from Purdue, Nelson worked as plant manager for the Blue River Packing Company for four years, then re-entered Purdue to study for his Ph.D. in food technology, which he received in 1967. He began his academic career at Purdue in 1961 as an instructor in horticulture and rose through the faculty ranks until, in 1984, he was appointed Head of Purdue’s newly established Department of Food Science, the position he holds today.

Nelson is known in the food industry for innovative scientific breakthroughs which have revolutionized the industry, particularly in the area of aseptic technology, for which he has received at least ten patents. He was a member of the Purdue research team that won, along with Bishopric Products Co., the 1976 IFT Industrial Achievement Award for aseptic bulk storage and transportation of partially processed foods. It was the first time this award had been given for university involvement. In addition to his research and his many publications and patents, he is known for his contributions to food science education and was the moving force behind the new state-of-the-art Food Science Building on Purdue’s campus, also the product of innovative ideas and considered one of the best in the country.

Nelson joined IFT as a Student Member in 1961, taking an active role in the Institute from the beginning. He served the Indiana Section as Chair and member of the section’s Executive Committee from 1974 to 1977, and as Councilor from 1995 to 1997. He is also a member of the Fruit and Vegetable Division.

At the national level, he has been a member of the Task Force on CEO Involvement and the Task Force on IFT/NRA Alliance, the Long-Range Planning Committee, the Strategic Planning Task Force, the Research Committee, the Awards Committee, Nominations Committee, Constitution and By-Laws Committee, and was a member of the Expert Panel on Food Safety and Nutrition and a Scientific Lecturer. He served as Member Representative to the IFT Executive Committee from 1986 to 1989. Nelson’s many awards include the Recognition Award for Outstanding Contributions to Food Technology from the Indiana Section (twice), Philadelphia Section Award, Minnesota Section Award, Fred Tanner Lecturer of the Chicago Section, USDA Secretary of Agriculture Achievement Award, Gamma Sigma Delta Award of Merit, and the National Award of Agricultural Excellence. He is listed in American Men & Women of Science and has at least five other “Who’s Who” entries to his credit.

In 1995, Nelson received IFT’s most prestigious award, the Nicolas Appert Achievement Award, which honored him for his contributions to food technology. He was named an IFT Fellow in 1980.

Lulay and Bidlack named IFT Councilor Representatives
Dicki Lulay and Wayne R. Bidlack were named Councilor Representatives to IFT’s Executive Committee for the period September 1, 2000, to August 31, 2003.

Lulay earned an MBA in marketing and finance from St. Mary’s College and a B.S. in food science from Oregon State University. An IFT member since 1977, she contributes regularly and enthusiastically to IFT activities. Lulay was Chair of the Long-Range Planning and the Annual Meeting Committees at a time when IFT made a major shift in identifying long-range critical issues and changing the format of the Annual Meeting technical program. Other national committee work included serving as member or Chair of the 50th Anniversary Committee and the Committees on Membership and Professional Affairs, Awards, Constitution and By-Laws, Fellows Affairs, and Short-Range Planning; plus the Task Force on CEOs and the Foundation Board. Currently, she is Chair of the IFT Committee on Nominations and Elections, member of the Task Force on Implementation of Governance, and Councilor of the New York Section. She also served as Chair of the New York Section and Chair-Elect of the Oregon Section, having contributed a great deal to both Sections and earlier to the Northern California Section. She was named an IFT Fellow in 1996.

Bidlack, who is Dean of the College of Agriculture at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, Calif., earned his Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of California at Davis; his M.S. in food science from Iowa State University, Ames; and a B.S. in dairy science from The Pennsylvania State University, University Park.

An IFT member since 1979, Bidlack currently serves as a member of the IFT Continuing Education Committee. He has also been an IFT Scientific Lecturer, an ad hoc reviewer, a Regional Communicator, and a Member of the Expert Panel on Nutrition and Food Safety. In 1980, he helped found the Toxicology and Safety Evaluation Division, in which he has held nearly every possible office from Newsletter Editor to Chair. He is also active in the Nutrition Division and the Southern California Section, having served SCIFT as Section Chair, Program Committee Member, Councilor, and member of several committees concerned with education, nutrition, and food safety. He received the SCIFT Distinguished Achievement Award in 1990 and was named an IFT Fellow in 1998.

Schellhaass and Doyle elected IFT Membership Representatives
Sheri M. Schellhaass and Michael P. Doyle were elected Membership Representatives to IFT’s Executive Committee for the period September 1, 2000, to August 31, 2003.

Schellhaass, who is Vice President, Research and Development, General Mills Incorporated, Minneapolis, Minn., earned a B.S. in food science from the University of Wisconsin at River Falls, and a Ph.D. in food science from the University of Minnesota, St. Paul.

A member of IFT since 1974, when she joined the Institute as a student member, Schellhaass has served at the national level as a member of the Long-Range Planning Subcommittee (Chair, 1997); the Annual Planning Subcommittee; the Functional Food Pavilion Task Force; and was a member of one of the awards juries. Currently, she serves on the Publications Committee, and is Chair of the Task Force on Enhancing Publication Efforts.

At the regional level, Schellhaass serves as Alternate Councilor of the Minnesota Section. Other section activities include serving as Awards Committee Chair, Councilor, and as a member of the Macy Award, Scholarship, Nominations, and Planning Committees.

Doyle earned a B.S. in bacteriology and his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in food science, all from the University of Wisconsin,Madison. Currently, he is Regents Professor of Food Microbiology and Director of the Center for Food Safety and Quality Enhancement, University of Georgia at Griffin.

His IFT activities since 1973, when he joined the Institute as a student member, includes service as a Scientific Lecturer, membership on the Annual Meeting Program Committee and one of the award juries, co-author of two Scientific Status Summaries, and ad hoc reviewer for both Food Technology and the Journal of Food Science. He has been a Food Science Communicator since 1998 and is currently a member of the Task Force on Chief Research Officers Involvement. He is also a member of the Food Microbiology Division and served as Alternate Councilor for the Wisconsin Section.

Doyle has received numerous awards for his contributions to public health. Among these are IFT’s 1987 Samuel Cate Prescott Award and 1996 Nicolas Appert Award. He was named an IFT Fellow in 1999.

IFT Foundation
The IFT Foundation extends a grateful thank you for recently received contributions to the Foundation, as follows:

To McCormick & Company, Hunt Valley, Md., for a $50,000 gift to establish an endowed scholarship for students majoring in IFT-approved food science programs. The initial $1,000 scholarship will be awarded for the 2002–03 school year. The amount will increase each year until 2004, after which a $2,500 scholarship will be available annually.

To Kraft Foods, Glenview, Ill., which has committed to donate $200,000 over the next three years to support the Foundation’s activities to advance food science and technology. The donation will enable IFT to further its efforts to be a worldwide resource for scientific and professional-based science and technology information, and an advocate for the scientific perspective on food-related issues.

To the New York Section of IFT and to Bud Denton for their $1,000 contribution, and to the Chicago Section for its $5,000 contribution.

To Richard L. Hall, for donating his 2000 Bernard Oser Award to the Foundation, and to Dee Graham for donating his 2000 Calvert Willey Distinguished Service Award to the Foundation.

92 Emeritus Members receive 50-year pins
Ninety-two Emeritus Members who joined IFT in 1950 have been awarded 50-year pins to commemorate their long association with the Institute of Food Technologists. They also received a letter of congratulations signed by IFT President Charles H. Manley and IFT Executive Vice President Daniel E. Weber.

This year’s 50-year honorees, listed alphabetically according to their IFT Section or Subsection, are:

Ak-Sar-Ben—Harvey L. Lewis, Omaha, Neb.; British Columbia, Canada—Gerald J. Heddinger, W. Vancouver, B.C.; John A. Kitson, Summerland, B.C.; and D.R. MacGregor, Summerland, B.C.; Bluegrass—William H. Werling, Henderson, Ky.; Cactus—Clarence M. Harper, Sun Lakes, Ariz.; Central New Jersey—Ira Litman, Jamesburg, N.J., and Tommy Nakayama, W. Windsor, N.J.; Central New York—Nell I. Mondy, Ithaca, N.Y.; Chicago—A.B. Habighurst, Morton Grove, Ill.; Edward K. Kuhles, Wilmette, Ill.; Gordon J. Krueger, Naperville, Ill.; Edward F. Levin, Chicago, Ill.; George B. Pratt, Barrington, Ill.; and Don Scott, Elk Grove Village, Ill.; Dixie—Darshan S. Bhatia, Atlanta, Ga.; Aaron L. Brody, Duluth, Ga.; Cordelia A. Ellis, Wrens, Ga.; and Juan M. Navia, Birmingham, Ala.; Dogwood—A.T. Adams, Raleigh, N.C., and Joseph M. Stukis, Hendersonville, N.C.; Florida—Simon S. Jackel, Tarpon Springs, Fla., and Omer R. McDuff, Winter Haven, Fla.; Great Lakes—Theodore Wishnetsky, E. Lansing, Mich.; Rudolph W. Hirzel, Climax, Mich.; Hawaii—Michael M.S. Chan, Honolulu, Hawaii; Indiana—Hormoz K.F. Broumand, Indianapolis, Ind.; Iowa—Allen A. Kraft, Iowa City, Iowa; Kansas City—E. Beth Fryer, Manhattan, Kans.; Keystone—Donald L. Schott, Lewisburg, Pa.; Lake Erie—Mary K. Trump, Cleveland, Ohio; Lewis & Clark—Mahlon C. Tatro, Walla Walla, Wash.; Long Island—Ismar M. Reich, Merrick, N.Y.; Maryland—Richard L. Hall, Baltimore, and John E. Phillips, Fallston, Md.; Minnesota—Elwood F. Caldwell, Arden Hills; Richard E. Goldstrand, Edina; Irving J. Pflug, Minneapolis; and George C. Youland, Plymouth; Northeast—Edward R. Baush, Scituate, Mass.; Robert V. Decareau, Amherst, N.H.; Irving T. McDowell, New Boston, N.H.; and F. Miles Sawyer, Amherst, Mass.; Northern California—A.W. Brant, Davis, Calif.; Ruth M. Chesbro, Berkeley, Calif.; Edward I. Feigon, San Rafael, Calif.; Chester E. Kean, Lafayette, Calif.; James Krueger, Moraga, Calif.; Martin W. Miller, Davis, Calif.; Carroll F. Neff, El Cerrito, Calif.; Harold Redsun, Walnut Creek, Calif.; Hidetoshi Takahashi, San Jose, Calif.; William K. Walker, Sunnyvale, Calif.; and Daniel H. Wing, Jr., Millbrae, Calif.; Nutmeg—Alan Cornell, Bloomfield, Conn.; New York—A. Cantor, Guttenberg, N.J.; George E. Spaulding, Jr., Wayne, N.J.; Albert Spiel, Yonkers, N.Y.; and John T. Turchick, Wyckoff, N.J.; Ohio Valley—Mary Eloise Green, Columbus, Ohio; John H. Litchfield, Columbus, Ohio; and Edward Makstell, Cincinnati, Ohio; Oklahoma—R.L. Henrickson, Stillwater, Okla.; Philadelphia—David S. Campbell, Haddenfield, N.J.; George R. Harman, Levittown, Pa., and Frances O. Van Duyne, Bay Head, N.J.; Pittsburgh—Elroy C. Hagberg, Verona, Pa.; Puget Sound—R.B. Maguire, Bellevue, Wash.; George M. Pigott, Kirkland, Wash., and Francis L. Summers, Coupeville, Wash.; Rocky Mountain—Robert H. Henderson, Loveland, Colo.; South Florida—Daniel Issenberg, Boynton Beach, Fla.; Southern California—J. Donald Clerkson, San Diego, Calif.; Jacob C. Hill III, Morro Bay, Calif.; Willard G. Mumford, Santa Maria, Calif.; Donald L. Paul, Apple Valley, Calif., and Thayne R. Pipes, Santa Ana, Calif.; St. Louis—Noel R. Cooper, Highland, Ill.; Margaret W. Mangel, Columbia, Mo., and James O. Mavis, Creve Coeur, Mo.; Volunteer—Ivon McCarty, Clinton, Tenn.; Washington, D.C.—R.G. Garner, Alexandria, Va., and Robert C. Wiley, College Park, Md.; Western New York—Grace McCormack, Rochester, N.Y., and John M. Newton, Lewiston, N.Y.; Wisconsin—E.M. Foster, Madison, Wis., and Roland J. Kuhn, Elkhart Lake, Wis.

Those 50-year members with no section affiliation are: Arabindo N. Bose, Calcutta, India; H.C. Rudolf Heiss, Munich, Germany; William Saenz, Bogota, Colombia; Allan E. Crawford, Mississauga, Ont., Canada; and Ellis Byer, Reno, Nev.

What’s New on IFT’s Web site? Take a look . . . www.ift.org

Daily NEWS
For the latest food industry news, analysis & trends check out . . . www.ift.org/dailynews/index.html

by BETSY BAIRD
Assistant Editor