John Adema (B.S.F. ’48)

Adema graduated from LSU with a bachelor’s degree in 1948 and went to work as a surveyor for the Southern Forest Experimental Station. Subsequently, Adema worked for the Bureau of Reclamation, the U.S. Forest Service and the Army Corps of Engineers. Adema oversaw the building of bridges, dams and various water and flood control projects during his 32-year career, which included stints as a civilian military liaison in Vietnam (1969-70) and in Nuremberg, Germany (1978-85), modernizing a German military hospital.

H. Michael “Doc” Barnes (B.S.F. ’65; M.F.P. ’68)

Barnes received a football scholarship to LSU and earned his forestry and material science forest products technology degrees before attending the State University of New York School of Environmental Science and Forestry to receive his Ph.D. in wood material science. During his career, he received many professional awards including the 2016 Regions Bank-MSU DAFVM Superior Faculty Award for Service, 2015 LSU School of Renewal Natural Resources Hall of Fame, 2008 Society of Wood Science and Technology Distinguished Service Award, 2008 Forest Products Society Distinguished Service Award, 2007 Society of Wood Science and Technology Fellow, 2006 International Academy of Wood Science Fellow, 2006 Railway Tie Association Award of Merit, 2005 MSU Office of Research and Economic Development Ralph E. Powe Research Excellence Award, 2004 LSU School of Renewable Natural Resources Alumnus of the Year, 2004 American Wood Protection Association Award of Merit, 2002 Forest Products Society Gottschalk Award and 1988 Institute of Wood Science (now Institute of Mining, Minerals and Materials) Fellow. Besides the many distinguished awards he received over his career, he was most proud of the students he impacted worldwide, having received the Teacher of the Year from the Mississippi State University Forest Products Society Student Chapter.

Don Bethancourt (B.S.F. ’63; M.S. ’65)

Bethancourt later studied wildlife biology at LSU and obtained his master’s. He then began a long career with the U.S. Forest Service. He spent his life doing what he loved: being outdoors, watching birds, feeding animals and being immersed in nature.

Gilbert Whitney Bourgeois (B.S.F. ’62; M.F.P. ’64)

Bourgeois graduated from Catholic High in 1957 and LSU with an undergraduate and a master’s degree in forestry. He also served as a First Lieutenant in the U.S. Army stationed at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. His professional life was spent at a paper mill in Saint Francisville, Louisiana, where he worked for 30 years. Subsequently, he started a landscaping business and provided expert lawn care for his clients.

Jim Capel (B.S.F. ’58)

Capel received his bachelor’s degree in forestry from LSU in 1958. He enjoyed a long career in the forestry industry and was a member of the Society of American Foresters and the Texas Forestry Association. Upon his retirement, he and his wife developed and opened Tankersley Gardens in Mt. Pleasant, Texas.

Robert Carroll (B.S.F. ’52)

Carroll graduated in 1952 from the LSU School of Forestry. Carroll worked over 32 years with International Paper Co., 18 years as owner and operator of Carroll Timber Co. and seven years with the Southern Forest Heritage Museum. He had more than 67 years of membership with the Louisiana Forestry Association and the Society of American Foresters.

James Boyer Ebert Sr. (B.S.F. ’49)

Ebert, age 96, of Lumberton, North Carolina, died on Sunday, May 23, 2021, at the Wesley Pines Retirement Community in Lumberton. Ebert was born in Ashland, New Jersey, on July 1, 1924. He graduated from Haddonfield Memorial High School. After serving in the U.S. Army Air Force during World War II, he received a Bachelor of Science in forestry from LSU. Ebert received a master’s degree in botany from Duke University. During his 47-year tenure as a professor of biological science at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, he received an honorary Doctor of Science Degree from UNCP. Ebert served as Dean of Student Affairs and Assistant to the President from 1962 to 1966 and as a biological science professor from 1956 to 2003. Among his campus honors was Pembroke State University Indianhead Dedication in 1962. He created the College Foundation and received Pembroke State College’s first federally funded grant. Ebert was recognized by the Presidents and Deans of American Colleges and Universities in 1964 to 1965; named Outstanding Educator of America in 1974; nominated for the Distinguished Professor Award in 1985, 1988 and 1989; elected Professor Emeritus in 1990, served as Charter Chairman of the PSU/UNCP Retirement Club for 13 years; and, for several years, served as a member of the UNCP Chancellor’s Club Executive Advisory Board. Ebert is the author of Laboratory Studies in Biology, which was adopted for biology education classes in the Biology Department for many years. Ebert served under five University Chancellors and sponsored the James Boyer Ebert and Eleanor Lewis Ebert Biology Scholarship at UNCP.

Robert “Rob” Eddy (B.S.F. ’77)

Eddy graduated from LSU with a bachelor’s degree in forestry and a master’s in business administration from the University of Southern Mississippi. Eddy’s career included procurement forestry, consulting forestry, retail management and security for USM sporting events. He also dedicated much time, talent and love to his family’s Christmas tree farm at Hurricane Creek, Mississippi.

Rudolph Flack (B.S.F. ‘68)

Flack obtained bachelor’s and master’s degrees attending LSU, Clemson, UAB and UTEP, resulting in forestry and education degrees. Flack spent four years in the U.S. Air Force, specializing in electronics and radar. Flack’s professional career encompassed multiple disciplines, including forestry, real estate, motel ownership, mortgage broker and teaching in public and private schools.

John Wade Hoffpauir (M.S.G.M. ’69)

Hoffpauir graduated from East Jefferson High School in Metairie, the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg and LSU Baton Rouge with a master’s degree in wildlife biology. He taught at Clay High School in Cove Springs, Florida, for 30 years. While teaching, he started a plant nursery business and, after retirement, devoted himself to building the Transplant Nursery in Green Cove Springs for many years.

Luther Floyd Holloway (M.F.I. ’69)

Holloway received a bachelor’s degree in wildlife management from Louisiana Tech in Ruston, Louisiana, attended Oklahoma State University, and received a master’s in fisheries biology from LSU. He earned his Ph.D. in Plant Pathology from LSU in Baton Rouge in 1971. Holloway strongly advocated education and mentored and encouraged many young people in school. He was an environmental consultant running his consulting firm, Holloway Environmental Services, in Harrisonburg, Louisiana.

Mark Hurst (B.S.F. ’86)

Hurst graduated from LSU with a Bachelor of Science in forestry. He owned Hurst Forestry Services, where he worked alongside his brother for 38 years. The brothers followed in their father and great-grandfather’s footsteps in the field of forestry.

Christopher Ingram (SFISH ’86)

Ingram received his bachelor’s degree in zoology (1976) and a master’s degree in wildlife biology (1986) from Southeastern Louisiana University. He had a long career in environmental science. As vice president of Gulf South Research Corporation, he led large multidisciplinary teams. Ingram was involved in over 600 environmental projects across 38 states and several U.S. territories conducted for various federal and state agencies and private industrial clients.

Howard Lee Jones Jr. (B.S.F. ’60)

In 1960, after graduating from LSU with a degree in forestry, Jones became a third-generation employee of J.M. Jones Lumber Company. He brought new life and energy to the company. Jones traveled the world to work with timber markets in Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Vietnam and China.

Charles Matherne (B.S.F. ’71)

Matherne was a U.S. Air Force veteran of the Vietnam War and graduated from LSU with a Bachelor of Science in forestry. He retired after 36 years serving as Chief of Reforestation for the state of Louisiana. He was an avid duck hunter, fisherman, cook and storyteller. With a kind and caring spirit, Matherne believed deeply in serving others.

Jerry P. McIlwain (B.S.F. ’60; M.S. ’65)

McIlwain was a lifelong employee of the U.S. Forest Service. His assignment included work on National Forests in Illinois, Tennessee, Florida and Oklahoma. He continued his forestry and wildlife conservation career with assignments in the Forest Service’s National Office and regional offices for California, Hawaii, the southeastern U.S. and Puerto Rico, along with his final assignment in the Pacific Northwest Research Stations in Oregon, Washington and Alaska. He was well known for creating innovative solutions and developing strong partnerships among organizations and agencies. He mentored many biologists in their careers.

William “Bill” Miranda (B.S.F. ‘1960)

Miranda’s love of nature began as a young child, spending time with family in the countryside of Oak Grove, Louisiana, hunting and fishing. This prompted him to pursue a forestry degree from LSU and a career in forestry management in east Texas. Miranda was in the ROTC program at LSU and then served proudly in the U.S. Army at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, achieving the rank of Captain in field artillery. In his lifetime, Miranda fought forest fires in Oregon, estimated timber in the jungles of Honduras and marked timber all over Louisiana and the East Texas Piney Woods. Miranda progressed into management at Southwestern Timber Company in Jasper, Texas.

Robert Olsen (M.W.I. ’72)

Olsen graduated from the University of Massachusetts, Boston, with a bachelor’s degree in biology and a master’s degree from LSU in Wildlife Management in 1972. After graduation, he worked for multiple companies in his field of expertise, including Foster Wheeler. Later, he worked for Home Depot in semi-retirement before turning full-time to his long-time love for Shetland sheepdogs. Olsen founded Bare Cove Shelties in 1978. A dedicated breeder, Bare Cove produced many champions.

Jack Scoggins (B.S.F. ’65)

Scoggins was a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps and a graduate of LSU with a degree in forestry. He was also a successful businessman, owning and operating Scoggins Supply Company in Mer Rouge for almost forty years. He was also dedicated to his community, serving on the boards of directors of Morehouse General Hospital, MEDCO and the Morehouse Chamber of Commerce.

Joseph Lewis “Joe” Weber Jr. (B.S.F. ’75)

Weber graduated with a Bachelor of Science in forestry and wildlife management from LSU in 1975 and earned a doctorate in forestry with a minor in genetics from North Carolina State University. His professional career spanned several decades, starting as a Silviculturist with Simpson Timber Company in Shelton, Washington, from 1978 to 1998. He became the Forest Operations Manager for Boise Cascade in DeRidder, Louisiana, from 1998 to 2005. Weber was well-regarded for his deep knowledge of forestry and his commitment to sustainable land management.

Ray Wilkins (B.S.F. ’63)

Following high school graduation, Wilkins played football for one season at Texas A&M, then LSU for his final three seasons. Wilkins was a running back for the Go Team that won the 1961 SEC Championship, were Orange Bowl Champions in 1962 and Cotton Bowl Champions in 1963. Wilkins received his bachelor’s degree in forestry in 1963 and joined the U.S. Forest Service. He fought wildfires in the western states on numerous occasions. Wilkins was co-owner of two forestry firms before his retirement.