Smith Recognized for Service to Groundwater Industry

When Frank Smith began his career in groundwater service in the drought-stricken 1950s, he was a popular source of advice for Nebraska farmers desperately searching for water to keep their crops and livestock alive.

On March 12 he received a big "thank-you" from a lot of friends in the groundwater industry.

Smith, groundwater geologist and associate professor emeritus with the UNL Conservation and Survey Division, received the Maurice Kremer Groundwater Achievement Award at the annual Nebraska Water Conference in Omaha.

The award, given annually by the Lincoln-based groundwater foundation to individuals who have created a beneficial legacy of groundwater service in Nebraska, was presented to Smith at an awards banquet at the Red Lion Hotel.

Smith said his lifetime of service was a joy to perform.

"It was always pleasing to be able to provide the people, towns and villages with a service that was helpful to him," Smith said. "I got a great kick out of it and I always enjoyed it."

Coming here from Newfoundland, Smith received his B.S. in geology from UNL in 1951. He served in the U.S. Air Force from 1951 to 1955 before joining CSD in 1956. Much of his work involved test drilling throughout the state during the summer, in addition to gathering, analyzing interpreting and filing geologic and water data obtained from drilling in the off-season.

"In the early days, we helped extensively with well drilling information in the state," Smith said. "We provided a service that was needed, and it was really wide open for us to come in and help people with that."

Smith officially retired in 1994, but keeps an office at CSD and remains active by answering some service calls and helping his replacement, hydrogeologist Scott Summerside, when necessary. CSD is part of the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources at UNL.

"If I'm in the office and the phone rings with someone who needs help, and no one else is available, then I'll talk to them and carry on just like I used to," Smith said.

Smith said his most important contribution to groundwater studies in Nebraska during his 40-year career at CSD was his work on county test-hole log books and groundwater reports. The test-hole log books are compilations of state test-drilling data. The groundwater reports are inventories of geologic and groundwater supply information for individual counties, organized and explained in maps and test.

This information, which includes description of sediment size, water levels and geologic formations for each hole, is important because well drillers in Nebraska need it to find water effectively, Smith said.

Once the data were collected, reports were drafted and county cross-section drawn indicating prime areas for drilling, Smith said.

"People were really appreciative because they could easily see where it was profitable to drill, and where it wasn't," Smith said. "It saved people a lot of time."

Tidball Award Honors Gorham, Parker

A counselor with UNL's Office of Multi-Cultural Affairs' Educational Talent Search program and a residence hall custodian were named the 1996 recipients of the Sue Tidball Award for Creative Humanity during ceremonies March 10 at St. Marks' on-the-Campus.

Joan Mendoza Gorham, Educational Talent Search counselor, and Kathy Parker, custodian at the Burr-Fedde Residence Hall on UNL's East Campus, were first honored along side four other nominees for the 1996 award, and then announced as the award recipients for the year.

The award program, named in honor of a former staff member of United Ministries in Higher Education at UNL, is sponsored by the UMHE campus ministry and conducted by an independent committee of UNL students faculty and staff. The award seeks to identify, honor and encourage persons from the campus who are recognized by their peers and others as making significant contributions, beyond role expectations and job descriptions, to the development of a humane, open, caring, educationally creative and just community on the UNL campus.

Gorham, before her work with Multi-Cultural Affairs Educational Talent Search, was a counselor with the Upward Bound program. She was cited for her dedication to giving personal help to students, in finding jobs, looking for financial aid, and aiding them in staying in school. She coordinates an after-school tutorial program within nine of Lincoln's public schools, having developed an approach to provide tutorial homework help in cooperation with UNL departments, school administrators, parents and students.

Parker was noted for her work in a residence hall composed of a mix of graduate, married, international and adult students. Her nominator noted the challenges of the job, which included hauling cleaning supplies and trash up and down three flights of stairs due to the lack of trash chutes and elevators. In this situation Parker developed new and resident-sensitive procedures for cleaning and maintenance. She became an advocate for new service to the halls, and was invested deeply in the interests of the students and in making Husker Hall an environment that best helped educational endeavors. In addition, she gave personal attention to the residents and made them feel at home, building trust and many friendships in the process. Among the international students she came to be known for her interest in learning about cultural backgrounds, beliefs and interests.

UNL's Stetson Named as Fellow of IEEE

LaVerne Stetson, professor of biological systems engineering at UNL, has been elected as a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.

Stetson has served as an agricultural engineer with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service since 1962.

The IEEE board of directors elected Stetson to the elite group for his contributions to electrical safety and irrigation load control and the development of electrical codes and standards.

A native of Crawford, Stetson graduated from UNL with B.S. and M.S. degrees in agricultural engineering. He has written or co-written 213 publications and has made more than 175 invited presentations at major meetings and conferences. He is considered a national authority on electrical codes for agriculture.

Sheffield Named 101st Honoree of NHAA

Leslie Sheffield of Lincoln, recognized for his contributions to the development of Nebraska's water resources, has been selected as the 101st honoree of the Nebraska Hall of Agricultural Achievement.

The retired UNL agricultural economist joins a distinguished group of honorees.

Sheffield will be recognized at a 6:30 p.m. banquet March 29 in the East Union. Irv Omtvedt, IANR vice chancellor, will present the tribute to Sheffield.

The former coordinator of outreach programs for the Water Center/Environmental Programs Unit at UNL, Sheffield is known for his involvement in the Nebraska Water Conference Council and the annual Nebraska Water Resources Tour. During a combined 38 years of service to UNL, Sheffield served as assistant to the dean of what is now the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources and subsequently as UNL foreign student advisory from 1961 to 1966. he was named superintendent of what is now the NU West Central Research and Extension Center at North Platte in 1966 and returned to UNL in 1971 as coordinator of the Irrigation Development Program.

From 1975 to 1984, he served as assistant to the vice chancellor for agriculture and natural resources to provide liaison with water resource agencies.

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