LIA Briefs

Congratulations to Adam Clark, Class 38, his wife Kylee, and their family who recently moved into a new house near Menan. Adam farms with his family and is the Chairman of the Board for Valley Wide Cooperative having served for the past ten years. Only one director, Jim McCall, Class 24, has served longer than Adam. Adam may still hold the record as the youngest serving chairman of the board for a cooperative in Idaho.

Congratulations to Nicholas Purdy, Class 42, and wife Katie on the birth of their daughter Loretta Ann, September 30. Nicholas is employed at Picabo Livestock Company.

Speaking of Valley Wide Cooperative, congratulations to Courtney Beene, daughter of Britt, Class 36, and Andrea Beene who received one of the 2023 Eric Beck scholarships. The scholarship was established after the passing of Eric Beck, Class 12, who battled cancer for a number of years. A total of 15 scholarships were awarded.

Ashlee Struble, Class 43 has recently been elected a board member for Riverglen Jr. High PAWS. PAWS is a support group for parents and students who attend the school. Ashlee works for the Idaho Grape Growers and Wine Commission where she serves as Industry Relations Manager.

If you were at the University of Idaho Homecoming Parade, a familiar face was honored as Grand Parade Marshall, Steve Johnson, Class 2, and his wife Claudia. Steve is the former Director of Alumni for the U of I and prior to that served as Executive Director of the Idaho Grain Producers Association. Their son Brad Johnson graduated in LIA Class 43 and works for The Nature Conservancy.

We recently learned of the passing of mothers of the following: Louis Zamora, Class 31, whose mother was 83 and Quintin Cammack, Class 41 whose mother was 88. Both men are employed at Twin Falls Canal Company.

At a recent meeting of the LIA Board of Trustees it was determined that the Congressional Aides Tour for August 2024 will be held in the Magic Valley. Co-chairman of the committee to plan and execute the tour will be Malia Miller, Class 36, and Britt Beene, Class 36. If alumni living in the Magic Valley would like to serve on the planning committee, please contact Rick Waitley at [email protected].

Traditionally LIA applicants for a class have completed a short essay explaining why they wanted to participate in the program. However, Class 44 applicants submitted a 3-5 minute video which allowed the selection committee to meet them in a totally different dimension. The videos and other application materials were sent to members of the selection committee in advance of the selection. Thanks to Sarah Freeman, Class 27, and Nic Gibson, Class 37, in our office who coordinated all of the necessary elements to make this happen.
 
For several years, LIA Alumni have made a trip to our Nation’s Capitol for what is called the LIA Washington, DC Experience. The Experience was cancelled in 2020 due to COVID and has not restarted since the operations in the Capitol City has had some challenges as our federal government resets following COVID. We are sensing that things are getting back to normal. The Experience is for LIA Alumni and spouses that would like to join us. The event happens on a Sunday – Friday. Cost is $1500 per person for lodging, meals and ground transportation once you arrive in DC. Each participate must secure their own plane ticket to and from Washington, DC. We are exploring moving the tour from the month of May to June before the humidity and higher temperatures hit the DC area. In determining the future of the trip, we need to see what the interest is in taking a group in June of 2024. If you are interested, please send your name to Rick Waitley at [email protected]. That is not a commitment that you will attend but more of an indicator that you would like more information. If you have specific questions feel free to reach out to Rick or Kendra [email protected] for further explanation. 
 
The 2023-2024 LIA Directory is off to the printer. We anticipate the directory back around November 1 when it will be mailed to all Lifetime and annual LIA Alumni members. If you have not paid your alumni dues, please do so ASAP to receive the new directory. Thanks everyone for your contribution of information for the directory.
 
Development Director Kendra Dustin, Class 32, will be traveling to Virginia next week to attend the International Association of Programs for Ag Leaders (IAPAL). Part of Kendra’s responsibility in attending is preparing the way for Idaho to host the National group in October 2024. Representatives from a program similar to LIA, will be coming to Idaho for the first time. The group has only met in the west in the states of Wyoming, Washington, and California. Idaho will have the opportunity to showcase what we do best in our state – AGRICULTURE.