MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi State University’s Division of Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Medicine recognized three graduates as the latest Alumni Fellows inductees.

The newest College of Forest Resources Alumni Fellow is James Earl Kennamer of Edgefield, S.C. Kennamer is the senior vice president of conservation programs for the National Wild Turkey Association. Kennamer received his master’s degree in wildlife management in 1967 and a doctorate in wildlife management in 1970.

A former professor of wildlife, Kennamer has forged strong ties between hunters and wildlife agencies, corporations and conservation groups to help restore turkey populations across North America.

Joe Gordy of Brewton, Ala., is the most recent College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Alumni Fellow. Gordy graduated from MSU in 1963 with a degree in horticulture.

After graduating, he spent six years in the retail floral industry and eight in commercial and residential interior planning and design.

In the early 1990s, Gordy became the president of Natural Decoration Inc., a fabric flower and plant manufacturing company. Now retired, Gordy enjoyed a successful career with many awards and recognitions in the floral industry.

He served as one of three international judges for the 93rd annual Tournament of Roses Parade. In 1984, 1985 and 1986, Gordy enjoyed the distinction of decorating the Ronald Reagan White House for Christmas.

In 2004, the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences selected Gordy as its Alumni of the Year. Gordy now serves as the president of Gordy Development Inc. in Brewton. He is also the president of the Brewton Tree and Beautification Board.

Dr. Gary K. Allen of Biloxi is the College of Veterinary Medicine’s Alumni Fellow. A member of the college’s first class in 1981, he went on to earn a doctorate in microbiology at the University of Missouri. Allen completed post-doctoral work at Texas A&M University in immunology and biochemistry.

Allen returned to Missouri as a faculty member in the veterinary college. He helped pioneer the use of technology in the classroom and received teaching awards for his innovative approaches to learning and instruction.

In the mid-1990s, Allen received training in medical informatics and worked as an NIH-funded fellow at Missouri’s medical school. He oversaw the formation of the information technology unit within the veterinary college and later assumed responsibility for research computing across the entire campus.

Allen currently is the vice president for information technology for the University of Missouri system. He serves as chief information officer for the campus at Columbia, where he administers the computing and telecommunications operations. He also teaches bioinformatics to second-year students at Missouri’s veterinary college.