On Thursday, October 10, CALS celebrated five friends of the college at the annual Honorary Recognition Banquet and Ceremony.

This year’s honorees, pictured here with Dean Glenda Gillaspy (second from right) were (left to right):

• William “Bill” Bruins, Honorary Recognition Award
• Elle Grevstad, Distinguished Recent Graduate Award
• Michael Finley, Distinguished Alumni Award
• Ann Palmenberg, Honorary Recognition Award
• John Goeser, Distinguished Recent Graduate Award.

View an online album with photos from the awards program.

Here in Madison, I learned a lot. One of the things that really stuck with me was that farming is a big deal. We not only feed our family, but today we’re feeding about 350 million Americans and a lot of people around the world. Farming is a big deal. And that’s the zeal that I went home with to the farm.

Bill Bruins

UW and CALS didn’t just provide me with an education. They offered a broader vision of the world and my place in it. My experiences here taught me that the values of hard work, perseverance and community are the foundations, not only of a successful career, but also of a meaningful life.

Michael Finley

I learned how to build the foundation and approach critical decisions in life. That’s what’s been most important to me and what the University of Wisconsin and the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences taught me over the years…and now I have earned the opportunity to push others forward.

John Goeser

My siblings and I are the first from my family to earn four-year degrees. My parents instilled in us learning and service values that carry us through, and that’s the reason I chose Wisconsin to come to graduate school… I couldn’t have done it without the support of incredible people who are dedicated to service.

Elle Grevstad

There is a moral foundation here…and I found that the art of discovery, the science that I wanted to do is absolutely meaningless unless you translate it back into teaching, mentoring and information for the public. And that is enshrined here in the Wisconsin Idea.

Ann Palmenberg