- Author: Jodi Azulai
What can equip you to better serve your Cooperative Extension community? The Ohio State University extension educator Jami Dellifield and program assistant Amanda Raines believe that mental health awareness is a critical tool. View the hour-long eXtension webinar they gave on June 22, 2016 to find out
- What mental health is
- Mental health statistics
- Your role as an Extension professional
- How to discuss without offending
- Referral resources
The reason it matters to your work is that people in your community with mental health problems and the people closest to them don't always know how to ask for help.
For more information:
Awareness of Mental Health Issues Increasingly Important for Extension Professionals (eXtension)
www.mentalhealth.gov (federal website)
Mental Health, Yours, Mine, Ours (University of Minnesota)
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
Despite these achievements, Wright said he counts the relationships he developed with local farmers, pest control advisers, consultants, private industry, university researchers, students, UC and county staff as his greatest career accomplishments.
“When I think over my career, I think of the people who I was privileged to work with more than the projects,” Wright said.
A native of San Diego, Wright earned a bachelor's degree in plant science at Fresno State in 1972. Upon graduation, he and his wife joined the Peace Corps, spending three years working with Guatemalan native farmers.
“I did research and extension work on corn, wheat and potatoes,” Wright said. “That's what motivated me to come back to California and do graduate work at Fresno State. I wanted to work in extension.”
He praised the opportunities afforded to him during his college days at Fresno State.
“They had all kinds of farm projects we could do,” Wright said. “I had grain, cotton and vegetable projects as a student. I was doing everything from planting to harvesting. In addition to working for the school farm and private farms, I owe a lot to the professors there, who offered the applied aspects of farming along with their teaching programs.”
While completing his master's degree in agronomy in December 1980, Wright began work with UC Cooperative Extension in Tulare County. His education and work experience was immediately applicable on the job, where he was hired to work with cereal crops. Two years later, when the UCCE weed science advisor retired, Wright's research and teaching experience with weed management allowed him to take on this additional responsibility in Tulare County. When the UCCE cotton advisor retired, Wright stepped up and began to also work with cotton. Wright was later given the opportunity to cover cotton and cereal crops work with Kings County farmers.
Besides focusing much of his research on all aspects of cereals and cotton production, he also worked on weed control projects in rangeland, irrigation districts, the first herbicide-tolerant crops and later herbicide-resistant weeds in both annual and permanent crops.
“The job got bigger and changed all the time,” Wright said. “I enjoyed working in different disciplines, from controlling yellow starthistle in the foothills, to working with large- and small-acreage farmers in Tulare and Kings counties. I thrived on that.”
Wright was involved with administration and committees, serving as president of UC Agriculture and Natural Resources Academic Assembly Council, UC ANR Program Council member, and president and honorary member of California Weed Science Society. He also coordinated the building and management of California Youth Soccer Association soccer fields in Visalia.
In retirement, Wright said he plans stay in Visalia and spend time taking long walks with his young chocolate Labrador retriever. He is seeking emeritus status with UCCE and plans to work part time continuing with a few research projects that are underway. He is planning on pursuing his passion for international volunteer work and recreational outdoor activities, including camping, snow skiing, going to Morro Bay, and enjoying three grandchildren.
Drouyor has worked for UC for 26 years, the last 15 years with ANR.
Her first job was with the UCLA Conference Center in Lake Arrowhead, before moving to UC Riverside for a position in the math department and later the business manager for the dean of the Anderson Graduate School of Management.
In 2001, Drouyor joined ANR as business manager for the Water Resources Center in Riverside. In 2010, when the Water Resources Center was closed, she moved to Oakland to work for ANR at UCOP. Two years ago she accepted her current position in Program Planning & Evaluation in Davis.
In retirement, she plans to work on her many hobbies, including jewelry making and mosaic coloring.
Underwood was initially hired in 1991 by the UCOP Facilities Management and Loan Programs to coordinate their computer services. He joined ANR in 1993 and became ANR's computer support.
As the Information Superhighway paved the way to the World Wide Web in the 1990s, Underwood put ANR on the web. He developed the Division's first website and searchable staff directory.
Virtually every ANR employee in Oakland and Davis worked with Underwood at some time. He helped new employees acquire computers, phones and printers. Every time employees moved offices in Oakland and around Davis, he oversaw getting everyone's computer set up. For many years, he was ANR's computer support department at UCOP.
“Dave was a master of serenity and patience,” said Dave Krause, who worked in Communication Services and Information Technology with Underwood. “He would always take the time, always try to help, no matter who you were on the food chain and what type of technical problem you had. He'd stay until your problem was resolved or, at the very least, you felt like you had help.”
In 2014, Underwood was appointed manager of Information Technology Infrastructure, responsible for the Division's information processing, operating hardware and software, network communication and assisting ANR employees with computer services. He retired June 30, 2015.
Underwood is survived by his wife Rebel of Sycamore, Ohio, and children Erica Underwood of Concord, Jody Pauley of Vacaville, and Kimberly Pauley of Antioch; sisters, Linda (Joe) George of Napa and Carla (Dan) Schafer of Benicia; and five grandchildren.
Underwood's family is planning a celebration of his life on Aug. 7 at the Martinez Marina at 1 p.m.
Memorial contributions can be made to the American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) in care of Walton-Moore Funeral Home, P.O. Box 350, Sycamore, Ohio 44882.
Krieger had served as a CE specialist at UC Riverside since 1994, specializing in pesticide exposure assessment and worker health and safety. He also was an adjunct clinical professor in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health at Loma Linda University.
Krieger's first academic position with UC was in the Department of Entomology and Nematology at UC Davis from 1971 to 1980. He was a founding faculty member of the UC Davis Department of Environmental Toxicology, according to emeritus professor James Seiber.
From 1981 to 1986, he was a professor of veterinary and comparative toxicology for the Washington-Oregon-Idaho Regional Veterinary Medical Education Program. In 1986, he became a staff toxicologist and later branch chief for Worker Health and Safety at California Department of Food and Agriculture. Before returning to UC in 1994, Krieger served two major Washington, D.C., consulting firms (1991-94) in exposure and risk assessment.
No services were scheduled at the time this was written.
To read more about Krieger's career, visit http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=21650.