USDA Spotlights Its "Unsung Heroes"
by Ron Hall, Office of Commmunications

     USDA recognized six individual employees and one group of 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. In addition to OPEDA, current sponsoring groups include the Association of Technical & Supervisory Professionals, USDA's Employee Services & Recreation Association, the National Association of Federal Veterinarians, and the USDA Chapter of the Senior Executive Association.

     This is the 14^th year of the contest, which was conducted USDA-wide. Thompson said that following a Departmentwide solicitation, 40 employees and groups were nominated, either by fellow USDA employees or by customers of USDA programs and services. The final selection was made in April by a team of USDA officials.

USDA's "unsung heroes" for 2001 include:

1. Jeff Aldrich, the research leader with the Agricultural Research Service's Chemicals Affecting Insect Behavior Laboratory in Beltsville, Md., who helped to establish new affiliations between ARS and the Department of Defense's Walter Reed Army Institute of Research in Silver Spring, Md., to explore mosquito repellants and attractants. This affiliation is already yielding new chemical leads for repellants and attractants to combat mosquitoes in the U.S., including those transmitting the West Nile virus.
   
2. Sue Beckman, a supervisory management analyst with the Farm Service Agency in Washington, DC, who donated her left kidney to her 73-year-old father in a successful operation. In addition, while being absent from her job a minimal amount of time during the pre-operative preparation period and the post-operative recovery period, she continued to manage both her staff and numerous national FSA projects.
   
3. Richard Mankin, a research entomologist with ARS's Center for Medical, Agricultural, and Veterinary Entomology in Gainesville, Fla., who has introduced high school and college students to science through his leadership in the Florida Foundation for Future Scientists, his direct involvement in local and state science fairs, and his personal efforts as a mentor to aspiring young scientists. Several former students with whom he worked in such efforts subsequently completed their education and took positions with ARS, including an electrical engineer, a computer network administrator, and a graduate of Florida A&M University.
   
4. Julie MacSwain, a district conservationist with the Natural Resources Conservation Service in Stillwater, Minn., who, in her capacity as the [then] president of Minnesota's Soil & Water Conservation Society, planned and chaired a conference, co-sponsored by 45 federal, state, local, public, and private organizations, titled "Sharing the Heartland." It was held in Bloomington, Minn., and over 300 participants from around the country focused on strategies to preserve and protect Minnesota's farmland and natural resources.
   
5. Anna Pierce, a personnel management specialist with the Food Safety and Inspection Service in Washington, DC, for her efforts as the coordinator and major fundraiser behind FSIS's activities to support its "adopted school," the Lincoln Multicultural Middle School in Washington, DC. As an example, she has worked to ensure that funds raised by agency employees for that school are not only used for school supplies but also for functions which show its students that FSIS supports their academic achievements. In support of that goal she recently organized a fundraising event to have a pizza party for the students who participated in the school's science fair--at which FSIS employees often serve as judges.
   
6. A.B. Whitley, a district conservationist with NRCS in Edgecombe County, N.C., for his responsiveness in support of office activities, USDA customers, local residents, and farm animals in Edgecombe County, in the aftermath of the destruction caused by Hurricane Floyd. This included using topographic maps and directing military pilots on search and rescue efforts for stranded individuals. He also personally located a 110-head herd of cattle after several hours of paddling and navigating a canoe through treetops in flooded waters, and then initiated measures to dispose of the animals which had perished.
   
7. the Information Services Unit of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's National Wildlife Research Center in Fort Collins, Colo., whose technical information specialists use creative strategies to provide information to the public on how to avoid or minimize damage caused by wildlife. Such initiatives have included developing teacher training materials and web pages for children; organizing international symposia on subjects such as wildlife fertility management; hosting numerous tours of the National Wildlife Research Center; maintaining a public access library; and staffing an educational booth at university career days, the Colorado State Fair, and the National Western Stock Show.