By ANDREA McCANN
Indiana Correspondent WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — When retiring Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service Director Dave Petritz’s colleagues talk about his distinguished career, superlatives lace the discussion – innovative, committed, experienced, well-grounded, caring, serving and encouraging.
They call him a visionary, a communicator, a problem solver and an advocate of leadership development.
“Dave always liked to use the latest technology,” said former Purdue extension director Hank Wadsworth. “He innovated on the computer end, encouraging use of programs he found from around the country.
“When cell phones came into widespread use, he was on it a lot of the time from anywhere in the country, even on vacation. Some of us didn’t think we needed to be called quite so often, but that was Dave, making sure he was on top of things and letting us know what was going on.
“He’s a great friend, and I’m proud of what he has accomplished as director,” he said. “I’m glad I was there in the beginning and to be here now as he finishes a great extension career ... Dave will receive the Ruby Award from Epsilon Sigma Phi, the national extension honorary, in September. This is the highest award that one can receive from that organization.”
The Distinguished Service Ruby is the most prestigious recognition presented by Epsilon Sigma Phi, according to the organization. It’s designed to acknowledge truly outstanding thinking, performance and leadership in cooperative extension. In his nomination, colleagues wrote: Dr. Petritz is a visionary leader who is not afraid to ask “Why?” and who works to improve any endeavor. He is a committed, caring, serving individual who continually puts others’ needs before his own.
Wadsworth was responsible for bringing Petritz to Purdue in 1972 after he earned his bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in agricultural economics from the University of Illinois-Urbana.
“At that time I was assistant head of the Department of Agricultural Economics,” Wadsworth said. “As I recall, we had had a retirement in the department and needed a livestock extension specialist. Fortunately for us, Dave was finishing his degree at Illinois, was well-grounded in Corn Belt livestock production from experience at home and had the desired economic training from a good department.”
Petritz said, “I moved a whole 95 miles and haven’t moved since.”
The new PUCES director will have some big shoes to fill. “Dave Petritz has had a huge impact on Indiana agriculture and the rural communities of Indiana for over 35 years,” Randy Woodson, Glenn W. Sample Dean of Agriculture, said. “Purdue Cooperative Extension Service is the envy of many in the United States, in that we’ve managed to keep extension strong during periods of very tight funding. I credit Dave with much of this success.
“As director, Dave worked to keep us connected to local communities and the extension boards that oversee county-based extension offices. We’ve certainly worked to keep traditional programs in Agriculture and Natural Resources, Consumer and Family Sciences and 4-H very strong.”
Still, Petritz said it was time to step down. “There are two parts to my retirement decision,” he said. “It seemed to be the right time for a change in leadership in extension. There are some retirements in administration, and it’ll be easier for a new director to put together his or her own team. Extension, I think, is in pretty good shape. I hope it’ll be attractive to a new director.”
The second part is related to his family. He has a four-year-old grandson with whom he’d like to spend more time. In addition, the family decided it’s time to sell the Illinois farm that’s been in the Petritz family since 1863. It hasn’t been actively farmed in four years.
“I’m an only child, and my children aren’t interested in it,” he said, adding much has accumulated there in the past 144 years, and it’ll take a lot of his time to prepare it for sale.
Laughing, Petritz added, “I don’t have to face the reality of what to do (after retirement) until next spring.”
This farm news was published in the Aug. 8, 2007 issue of Farm World, serving Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan and Tennessee. |
