Newsroom

CORVALLIS - James Elings and James Kerns, both of Klamath Falls, are among the 41 men and women who were honored as Diamond Pioneers in October by the Oregon State University College of Agricultural Sciences.

These two and the others added to the College's Diamond Pioneer Registry for Agricultural Achievement were guests at a luncheon hosted by Dean Thayne Dutson at the CH2M HILL Alumni Center in Corvallis. Guest speaker was John V. Byrne, OSU president emeritus and a fellow 2003 Diamond Pioneer.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the registry, which honors those 75 years and older for their contributions to agriculture, their communities and OSU. The award, begun when the college observed its 75th anniversary, has been given to 746 persons, including this year's group.

Nominated by the OSU Klamath County Extension staff and the animal sciences department, Elings served 25 years with Extension in Oregon and California. He was first an Extension animal science specialist in both states and then was the director of the University of California Extension in Sacramento County. He was technical director of the California Beef Cattle Improvement Association.

Elings researched and developed plans and working procedures for large scale confined cow-calf operations. A consultant to farmers, ranchers, and agri-businesses, Elings was co-owner of a total management firm in California for 20 years that managed up to 90 farms and ranches.

Kerns, nominated by James Ottoman, was active in water affairs in the Klamath Basin. He started an irrigation business in conjunction with his father's farm equipment business after World War II.

In 1952, he was named to the Oregon Klamath River Commission that worked with its California counterpart to develop the Klamath River Compact Commission that wrote the Klamath River Compact prioritizing use of Upper Klamath Basin water.

Kerns chaired the off-stream storage committee starting in 1972 and worked for 30 years promoting deep-water storage. In 1991, he founded the Klamath Basin Water Users Advisory Committee, the first such group to have broad representation of Oregon and California interests. The group was instrumental in the 1993 purchase of the Wood River Ranch by the Bureau of Land Management to study water quality and marshland restoration. He retired in 2002 as a leader in changing irrigation practices from flood irrigation to more efficient sprinklers.

Others honored are Virginia Tubbs, Adams; Fred Warner, Baker City; Kenneth Beebe, Central Point; Don B. Anderson, Cornelius; Alfred Haunold, John V. Byrne, Charles Leach, William McGuire, H. Joe Myers, Burdett Peterson, Roger Peterson and Dale Weber, Corvallis.

Peter Jensen, Halsey; Vincent D. Dobbin and Glen Grossen, Hillsboro; Ralph Hart, Island City; Arlene Oliver, John Day; Andrew Greeley, Jordan Valley; Harold Youngberg, Keizer; John Shipley and Donald Thompson, Moro; Keith Gressley, Isao Kameshige and William Panike, Ontario.

Robert Ramig and Virgil Rupp, Pendleton; David Lowry, Phoenix; H. Ronald Cameron, Portland; Len Forster and Floyd Smith, Shedd; Don Grabe, Sisters; John R. Thienes and Eldon Wagenblast, The Dalles; Carl Froude and Beverly Froude, Tigard; Carl and Irene Bosch, Tillamook; John Bishop, Vale; and Everett Metzentine, Wamic.