[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 147 (Thursday, November 14, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2001-E2002]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTE TO DR. DONALD A. HOLT

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. TIMOTHY V. JOHNSON

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, November 13, 2002

  Mr. JOHNSON of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Dr. 
Donald A. Holt, a highly respected citizen of Champaign, Illinois, who 
is retiring from his position as Senior Associate Dean of the College 
of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences at the University 
of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Dr. Holt's positive influence in 
biotechnology, systems modeling, computers in agriculture, organization 
of agricultural research, and development of funding strategies, 
continues to be strongly felt on the University of Illinois campus, as 
well as throughout the state of Illinois and the nation.
  As a student in the University of Illinois Department of Agronomy in 
the 1950's, as a manager of his family farm near Minooka, Illinois, 
from 1956 to 1964, and as a cuttingedge researcher and teacher at 
Purdue University from 1964 to 1982, Don Holt honed his skills to serve 
science and society as an enlightened, visionary leader of agricultural 
research in Illinois.
  In his pioneering research and teaching activities at Purdue, Dr. 
Holt built his programs with a ``systems perspective'' that he began 
developing while operating his family farm in northern Illinois. There 
he developed a comprehensive research program in forage physiology and 
management that contributed to increasing crop production. Dr. Holt 
also pioneered the use of anhydrous ammonia and organic acids as hay 
preservatives. He was an early implementer of computer modeling and 
used it to develop and commercialize software for crop yield 
forecasting.
  When Dr. Holt returned to the University of Illinois in 1982, he 
quickly began to leave his imprint on the college's research and 
teaching systems by improving the college's resource base and 
infrastructure and building a partnership between the college and its 
stakeholders in the food and agricultural sectors throughout the state.
  Since his return to the University of Illinois, Dr. Holt has made 
great contributions to enhancing Illinois' food and agriculture 
sectors. His leadership in the college as a department head, associate 
dean, director of the Illinois Agriculture Experiment Station, and 
senior associate dean is unparalleled.
  Dr. Holt led the effort to mold the college into a leader in 
biotechnology research by securing funding for the Center of Excellence 
in Crop Molecular Genetics and Genetic Engineering and for the Edward 
R. Madigan Laboratory. He also led the effort to improve the state and 
national investment in value-added research for Illinois producers. 
This led the remodeling of the Agricultural Bioprocess Laboratory and 
the establishment of the National Soybean Research Center.
  Dr. Holt laid much of the groundwork to redesign public agricultural 
research in Illinois through landmark legislation called the Illinois

[[Page E2002]]

Food and Agricultural Research Act of 1995 leading to the creation and 
funding of the Illinois Council for Food and Agricultural Research (C-
FAR). He subsequently promoted public involvement in research priority 
setting through C-FAR representation, a move that attracted national 
attention as a model for re-energizing land-grant universities and 
empowering their constituents.
  Dr. Holt's past contributions to Illinois and U.S. Agriculture have 
brought about a firestorm of progressive change. With his unique but 
clear vision of the future, he is able to see the changing nature of 
agriculture beyond the horizon and can anticipate how educational and 
research institutions can best prepare to meet the needs of individuals 
who will conduct business in the changing environment.
  Mr. Speaker, Dr. Donald A. Holt has had a long and distinguished 
career that will have an impact on agriculture far into the future. I 
ask my colleagues to join me in honoring this distinguished gentleman 
for all he has done for agriculture and for the country.

                          ____________________