Twice this week I heard a reference to baseball. Someone referred to Babe Ruth as the ‘home run king' while also holding the ‘strikeout king' title. I heard a similar statement in reference to Reggie Jackson. I'm not sure which one of them is/was the true ‘king'. Clearly, some are ready for baseball. I suspect Bill Frost is one of them.
Congratulations to Dan Putnam! Dan is the 2021 recipient of the James H. Meyer Distinguished Achievement Award, awarded by the UC Davis Academic Federation. A number of his colleagues from UC Davis and UC ANR were responsible for the nomination. We are all pleased to see Dan receive this important recognition!
Highlights of recent activity with the 4-H Military Partnerships Program were shared with NIFA. My favorite part of the report was a quote from one of the many youth participants, "I always thought I was a leader but now I know how to be a better leader." Congratulations to the team across the state for their successes in this program. It has been difficult during the pandemic, but the successes are mounting nonetheless.
I hear there was something of a mass gathering of UC ANR personnel at a vaccination clinic in Woodland this week. That leaves some taking a bit of a sigh of relief with one dose down and one to go. The new CDC guidelines suggesting that those vaccinated can cautiously resume some activities is welcomed news! I know we all look forward to resuming our networking time and in-person activities. Let's keep getting those vaccination appointments scheduled!
The Dean's Council met this morning. I believe the Deans enjoyed the virtual Hill visits this year and had nice things to say about the ANR team that participated, under Anne's leadership. In a side chat with Bill Frost last week, he lamented over missing the social time together in DC and shared how impressed he was with those he worked with to make office visits. Thanks to Missy, Ryan, Karmjot, and all who made time for the meetings. Tiring, I am sure, but much easier than the days of running between the Cannon and Rayburn buildings.
I have some reading to do later this week and through the weekend. I hope the rain keeps up throughout so that I don't feel guilty for not doing any yardwork. I spoke with a colleague in Kentucky earlier today and he mentioned talk of isolated wildfires in Kentucky. While technically possible, it feels far too early in the year for talk about that.