A former dean who was instrumental in the planning and construction of the Agriculture/Forestry Centre died last December. He was 91.
John Bowland, a professor of animal nutrition specializing in swine, served as dean of the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry from 1975 to 1983 during a career that spanned 36 years.
"He did a lot of research on amino acids and protein requirements of growing pigs," said Robert Christopherson, a professor emeritus of animal physiology.
Bowland's work provided important basic research to the industry, said Christopherson, because there was disagreement at the time over which amino acids were critical for growth.
Bowland also evaluated early varieties of rapeseed - just prior to it being renamed canola - to identify various toxicities and the crop's suitability as animal feed. Canola is now used the world over as a major animal protein source.
"He was quite meticulous, a good organizer who got on well with everybody," remembered Mick Price, a fellow professor emeritus of animal science.
That conscientiousness is manifest in the proper name of the Ag/For building, as it is colloquially known and which opened in 1981.
"He insisted on it being called the Agriculture/Forestry Centre, never Agriculture and Forestry," said Price, who speculated that the dean wanted to emphasize that the foresters, who had become part of a merged faculty in 1970, were important equals.
Among Bowland's other notable contributions was the establishment of the Farming for the Future program in 1979. It made funds available from the Alberta Heritage Savings Trust Fund for agriculture researchers to do applied research.
Not only did it put more emphasis on projects that had a practical outcome for farmers, those projects received far more robust provincial funding than had been previously forthcoming from the federal government, said Christopherson.
"It was a way of kick-starting a new era of research funding," he said.
However, whether overtly or not, to establish the program Bowland had to negotiate the hand-over of a piece of land on the university farm, near the corner of 113th Street and 71 Avenue. The province wanted to build its new agriculture headquarters there. Having government researchers nearby strengthened ties between the agriculture ministry and the university but the transaction required much diplomacy, since many faculty members were reluctant to support losing any portion of the university farm, said Price.
Bowland is also remembered affectionately for entertaining every professor in the faculty at his house, every year, by inviting groups of six or eight to dine virtually every Sunday.
"That was an outstanding thing to do," said Price.
Born and raised in rural Manitoba, John Patterson Bowland earned his BSc from the University of Manitoba, his Masters in Animal Nutrition from Washington State University and his PhD in Biochemistry and Animal Nutrition from the University of Wisconsin.
A celebration of his life will be held on April 1, from 3 to 5 p.m. at the University of Alberta Faculty Club.
John Bowland, a professor of animal nutrition specializing in swine, served as dean of the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry from 1975 to 1983 during a career that spanned 36 years.
"He did a lot of research on amino acids and protein requirements of growing pigs," said Robert Christopherson, a professor emeritus of animal physiology.
Bowland's work provided important basic research to the industry, said Christopherson, because there was disagreement at the time over which amino acids were critical for growth.
Bowland also evaluated early varieties of rapeseed - just prior to it being renamed canola - to identify various toxicities and the crop's suitability as animal feed. Canola is now used the world over as a major animal protein source.
"He was quite meticulous, a good organizer who got on well with everybody," remembered Mick Price, a fellow professor emeritus of animal science.
That conscientiousness is manifest in the proper name of the Ag/For building, as it is colloquially known and which opened in 1981.
"He insisted on it being called the Agriculture/Forestry Centre, never Agriculture and Forestry," said Price, who speculated that the dean wanted to emphasize that the foresters, who had become part of a merged faculty in 1970, were important equals.
Among Bowland's other notable contributions was the establishment of the Farming for the Future program in 1979. It made funds available from the Alberta Heritage Savings Trust Fund for agriculture researchers to do applied research.
Not only did it put more emphasis on projects that had a practical outcome for farmers, those projects received far more robust provincial funding than had been previously forthcoming from the federal government, said Christopherson.
"It was a way of kick-starting a new era of research funding," he said.
However, whether overtly or not, to establish the program Bowland had to negotiate the hand-over of a piece of land on the university farm, near the corner of 113th Street and 71 Avenue. The province wanted to build its new agriculture headquarters there. Having government researchers nearby strengthened ties between the agriculture ministry and the university but the transaction required much diplomacy, since many faculty members were reluctant to support losing any portion of the university farm, said Price.
Bowland is also remembered affectionately for entertaining every professor in the faculty at his house, every year, by inviting groups of six or eight to dine virtually every Sunday.
"That was an outstanding thing to do," said Price.
Born and raised in rural Manitoba, John Patterson Bowland earned his BSc from the University of Manitoba, his Masters in Animal Nutrition from Washington State University and his PhD in Biochemistry and Animal Nutrition from the University of Wisconsin.
A celebration of his life will be held on April 1, from 3 to 5 p.m. at the University of Alberta Faculty Club.