Posted: June 29, 2018
Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences held a retirement party for Barbara Christ on June 16, 2018, at Millbrook Marsh. Christ retired on July 1, 2018, after 33 years of service and leadership at Penn State.
Mary Palm, left, and Elwin Stewart, right, celebrate the retirement of Barbara Christ, former special assistant to the deans in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, center. IMAGE: NANCY WENNER
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences held a retirement party for Barbara Christ on June 16, 2018, at Millbrook Marsh. Christ retired on July 1, 2018, after 33 years of service and leadership at Penn State.
Christ joined Penn State in 1984 as assistant professor and has held various positions of leadership including head of the Department of Plant Pathology and Environmental Microbiology, interim dean for the College of Agricultural Sciences and most recently, special assistant to the deans.
Many of the 129 registered attendees presented their perspective of Christ's impact on Penn State and the agricultural community. Among those who reflected on Christ were Richard Roush, dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences at Penn State, Bruce McPheron, former dean of the college, as well as major leaders in the industry - Marc Wach, Penn State alumnus and vice-president and director of research at Sylvan Inc., and David Masser, president and COO at Sterman Masser Inc.
"At the retirement celebration, it was clear how many lives Barb positively impacted during her time at Penn State. Colleagues, mentees, family members, friends from in and out of graduate school, all shared glowing remarks about her ability to listen to the needs of her community and be a source of motivation and vision," said Amanda Mainello, graduate student in Plant Pathology and Environmental Microbiology. "It was an honor to celebrate a woman who was such a steward to our department and our college and I'm happy to see her legacy live on."
In lieu of gifts, Christ asked that friends and colleagues make a donation to the Elwin L. Stewart and Barbara J. Christ Plant Pathology Graduate Studies Enhancement Fund. The purpose of this fund is to provide general support to enhance graduate studies programs in the Department of Plant Pathology and Environmental Microbiology. Gifts may be made online through the Office of Annual Giving.
