A message from Jason Rowntree, Ph.D. and Allison Meyer, Ph.D -
In December, Dr. Gretchen Hill was notified that she would be the 2024 inductee into the Michigan State University Block and Bridle Hall of Fame. She will be honored at this year’s B & B Recognition banquet on March 23rd, 2024.
Dr. Hill’s career has been as a bridge between old and new and traditional versus technological. Growing up on an Ohio Hampshire hog farm and judging livestock for the University of Kentucky without question symbolizes her ties to production agriculture. Importantly, during her maturing years of the 1960s and ’70s, Gretchen succeeded in arenas primarily dominated by men. She is a tie to the legends of Herman Purdy, Ron Nelson, David Hawkins, and Harlan Ritchie. Gretchen is a three-species expert. While her primary ties are in the swine industry, she also excelled in beef cattle and sheep arenas, conducting beef research and serving as faculty coordinator of the MSU Sheep Unit. Because of her background and expertise, she carried a weight in the classroom like few in our industry have seen. She has mentored hundreds of students and served for many years as a B & B advisor. Gretchen’s care for students is surpassed by no one.
Dr. Hill is a highly deserving inductee for this esteemed award. In turn, we would like to see her legacy honored and amplified. Housed in the American Society of Animal Science (ASAS) Foundation, the “Gretchen Hill Appreciation Club” funds student competitions at the ASAS Midwest Annual Meeting (e.g. Undergraduate, M.S. and Ph.D. Oral/poster competitions). Gretchen has long been a champion of undergraduate and graduate student research, including mentoring many students to great success in these competitions and serving as a judge on numerous occasions. We would like to solicit donations for this Appreciation Club to help fuel Dr. Hill’s legacy of student engagement, and we ask for you to consider making a donation at: https://members.asas.org/donate/form.html. Scroll down a bit to find Gretchen’s Appreciation Club.
We are so excited to honor Dr. Gretchen Hill this spring!
