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CORVALLIS - Frank Tubbs of Adams and Lou Levy of Pendleton are two of the 28 men and women recently honored as 1998 Diamond Pioneers by the Oregon State University College of Agricultural Sciences.

The 1998 group will be added to the college's Diamond Pioneer Registry that honors those 75 and older for their contributions to agriculture and natural resources. The registry started in 1983 when the college observed its 75th anniversary.

This is the latest salute from OSU to Tubbs, who received the university's Distinguished Service Award in 1981, the same year he was inducted into the Agricultural Hall of Fame.

For the past 52 years, Tubbs has coordinated and managed his ranch, while serving as a leader in various activities, such as helping found Western Wheat Associates that later combined with the Great Plains Wheat Associates to create U.S. Wheat Associates. He has been president of the Oregon Wheat League, chair of the Oregon Wheat Commission and Oregon Board of Agriculture, and a director of the Pacific Northwest Grain Producers Association, among other organizations.

In 1995 and 1996, he participated in meeting in India and China at the request of the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center. He has been recognized as an "Outstanding Farmer" by the Ford Almanac and as a "Top Farmer" by the Top Farmer Association of America.

Levy returned to ranching after service in World War II. In 1946, he became involved with the family's operation, serving as vice president and manager of the Cunningham Sheep Company. He is still involved in the operation. The company is considered an international leader in Rambouillet sheep.

Levy is one of the founders of the Eastern Oregon Livestock Show in Union and has been a longtime director and trustee of the Pacific International Livestock Exposition in Portland. Horses have also been a big part of his career. For many years, he taught equitation at Blue Mountain Community College, is an approved American Quarter Horse Association judge and served as a volunteer 4-H horse club leader for more than 20 years. He has bred, shown and raced quarter horses and thoroughbreds on the West Coast circuit, is a past chair of the Oregon Racing Commission, and was awarded a life membership in the National Association of State Racing Commission.