Texas A&M agriculture, life sciences college bestows alumni awards

COLLEGE STATION — Five graduates of the Texas A&M University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences were honored Oct. 13 with outstanding alumni awards.

Allan Marburger, Horace McQueen, Dr. Jimmy Cheek and the late Roscoe Dooley were given Outstanding Alumni awards. Rachel Cutrer and Cari Rincker were presented Outstanding Early Career Alumni honors.

“It’s gratifying as I look at the careers of these graduates over time – from the late 1930s until 2002 – and see the positive impact on society,” said Dr. Mark Hussey, vice chancellor and dean of agriculture and life sciences. “Their legacies and the education one receives in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences will continue in future generations.”

Marburger, a native of Paige, earned a bachelor’s in agronomy in 1960. He was a statistician for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Crop Reporting Service and later was a production credit loan officer. He returned to the family ranch in 1979 and continues to raise cattle and farm there. He has been active in numerous community associations, local government and Paige 4-H.[youtube]http://youtu.be/KMGEdn2uRL8[/youtube]

McQueen graduated with a bachelor’s in agricultural journalism in 1960 and started his career with National FFA magazine and later Farm and Ranch Magazine. He was an informational specialist for the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service in Lubbock where he discovered his talent in farm broadcasting. He had agricultural news shows in Lubbock, Big Spring, Abilene, Tyler and Lufkin and was named Farm Broadcaster of the Year in 1980. He has been active in numerous community and state agriculture-related entities and raises cattle and timber in East Texas.[youtube]http://youtu.be/mXJqnXPw-P8[/youtube]

Cheek, the chancellor of the University of Tennessee, earned a bachelor’s in agricultural education in 1969. He earned a master’s in guidance and counseling from Lamar University in 1972 and then returned to Texas A&M for a doctorate in interdisciplinary education in 1975. Cheek was a faculty member and administrator at the University of Florida for 34 years before going to Tennessee. He has received numerous awards for his career in education, including President Emeritus and the President’s Medallion from the University of Florida.[youtube]http://youtu.be/uiOhVbRSMe8[/youtube]

Dooley, who earned a bachelor’s degree in agricultural education in 1939 and was commissioned a second lieutenant, taught agriculture at Aspermont High School for three years before volunteering for active service in World War II. He received a Bronze Star and battle stars from five major campaigns in the Pacific Theater. He earned a master’s in agriculture education at Texas A&M in 1946 and taught on the faculty for one year before becoming head of the agriculture education department at San Angelo Junior College, now Angelo State University. He retired after 30 years in that position, and the school’s mascot – Roscoe the Ram – is named for him. Dooley died in 2005.[youtube]http://youtu.be/mxPCgUYR6BE[/youtube]

Cutrer, a seventh-generation Brahman breeder, is president of Ranch House Designs, a livestock advertising business. She is a guest lecturer at Texas A&M and numerous other agricultural conferences and is the author of “Livestock Merchandising,” which is used as a textbook in many U.S. and Canadian colleges. She earned a bachelor’s in animal science from Texas A&M in 2001. After earning a master’s in communications from Michigan State University, Cutrer returned to Texas A&M to coordinate the “Century of Success” effort for the 100th anniversary of the animal science department. She now devotes her full time to livestock merchandising, the cattle business she operates with her husband and numerous livestock associations.[youtube]http://youtu.be/SV2L1i2nIRU[/youtube]

Rincker earned a bachelor’s in animal science in 2002 from Texas A&M, then got her master’s in ruminant nutrition from the University of Illinois and her law degree with certificates in environmental and international law from Pace University School of Law in New York. While at Texas A&M, Rincker was All-American in livestock judging and was an agricultural intern for U.S. Rep. Kevin Brady. She was a consultant at the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization in Rome. She established Rincker Law PLLC in New York City and co-owns Rincker Cattle Co in Shelbyville, Ill.[youtube]http://youtu.be/TEQDxcmmKMo[/youtube]
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