USDANEWS
by Ron Hall, Office of Communications
USDA recognized six of its employees as "unsung heroes" during its recent observance of Public Service Recognition Week.
According to Otis Thompson, executive director of the Organization of Professional Employees, U.S. Department of Agriculture (OPEDA) and retired USDA public affairs specialist, the purpose of the "unsung hero" designation is to identify those employees who have been "unusually dedicated and efficient and had a positive attitude."
He noted that nominees as "unsung heroes" are based on actual "hands-on" activities rather than on supervisory or managerial efforts. "However," he added, "all USDA employees were eligible to be nominated."
The idea for an "unsung heroes" contest was developed in late 1987 by a group of six representatives of professional organizations in the Department. This is the 11th year of the contest, which was conducted USDA-wide. Thompson said that following a Departmentwide solicitation, 60 employees were nominated, either by fellow USDA employees or by customers of USDA programs and services. The final selection was made this past spring by a team of USDA officials.
USDA's "unsung heroes" for 1998 include:
(1) Andra Dickens, an agricultural engineer with the Agricultural Research Service in Athens, Ga., for a range of volunteer work in Oconee County, Ga., to include serving as president of the local Fireman's Association from 1992-95, working as a firefighter, rescue chief, and first-responder with the county's emergency services, teaching fire prevention classes in local schools, and teaching over 150 courses in cardiopulmonary resuscitation--resulting in over 1,200 federal employees and local citizens being certified to administer CPR.
(2) Phil Hogan, a district conservationist with the Natural Resources Conservation Service in Yolo County, Calif., for his efforts to link conservation hand-in-hand with agricultural productivity while "keeping a sharp eye" on land development. In all his efforts, his long-range goal is to stop needless local destruction of the land, whether during natural disasters or during the normal flow of events.
(3) Juan Lopez, a research entomologist with ARS in College Station, Texas, who has been studying crop insect pests and, in the process, coming up with new and novel ways to suppress them--while, at the same time, cutting back drastically on the use of insecticides. He is then making a point of sharing his findings with others involved in pest management programs at the federal, state, and local levels, as well as with agricultural producers and pesticide companies.
(4) Judy Orach, a plant protection and quarantine officer with the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service in Seattle, Wash., who realized that U.S. orchid growers participating in the Northwest Garden Show in Seattle were having a tough time selling orchids to Canadian visitors because of problems in the documentation needed for international trade in endangered species. So she developed a new form of customer service in which APHIS could provide the required documents at the garden show--which meant that U.S. orchids could thereby enter Canada without a problem.
(5) Betty "B.J." Thomas, USDA's HIV/AIDS education coordinator with the Policy Analysis and Coordination Center in Washington, DC, for her commitment to educate USDA employees about HIV and AIDS--to include use of training materials, workshops, and seminars--with the right measure of grace, style, sensitivity, and professionalism to enhance the effectiveness of her efforts. She again reflected this commitment through her coordination of USDA's participation in World AIDS Day on December 1, 1997.
(6) Dick Van Blargan, a compliance officer with the Food Safety and Inspection Service in Washington, DC, for his efforts in implementing markedly new enforcement mechanisms to address poor sanitation and inadequate food processing controls in meat and poultry plants around the country. When those plants posed a threat to public health, his efforts--which included developing enforcement programs and a trained team to implement them with an even hand--ensured that the enforcement procedures by FSIS inspectors were quick, effective, and fair. ¤
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