Source(s):
Don Poucher info@gnv.ifas.ufl.edu, (352) 392-0437
E.T. York york@atlas.ifas.ufl.edu (352) 392-6545
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — E. Travis York, chancellor emeritus of the State University System of Florida, has been named as an “International Scientist of the Year” for 200l by the International Biographical Centre in Cambridge, England. He is being recognized for his outstanding efforts to combat world hunger.
In announcing the award, the center said, “this prestigious award will be made to only a few illustrious individuals whose achievements and leadership stand out in the international scientific community.” York also will be included in the organization’s publication recognizing “2000 Outstanding Scientists of the Twentieth Century.”
York, who became provost of agriculture and vice president for agricultural, natural and human resources at the University of Florida in 1963, has been an advocate for the use of international agricultural development as a weapon against world hunger and malnutrition.
In an effort to more clearly reflect the land-grant university’s unique mission of teaching, research and extension, York brought together the UF’s College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, the Cooperative Extension Service and the Florida Agricultural Experiment Station under the single administrative umbrella of the present Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.
He established UF’s Center for Tropical Agriculture, which extended the institute’s international influence. He also founded the SHARE (Special Help for Agricultural Research and Education) private support program, which has generated more than $100 million in gifts from thousands of donors.
After a period as executive vice president and interim president of UF, he served as chancellor of the State University System of Florida from 1975 to 1980. Since then, he has dedicated himself full time to a wide range of activities related to the problems of world hunger and malnutrition.
York is the author of more than 100 technical papers and books, and has lectured at more than 40 universities throughout the nation and around the world. He was appointed to prominent advisory positions by Presidents Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford and Reagan, by various foreign governments and by a number of U.S. government agencies.
Among his many honors, York has received honorary degrees from UF, Auburn University and The Ohio State University. He also is a member of the Alabama Agricultural Hall of Honor and the Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame. In 1987, York was named A Great Floridian by the Florida History Associates in recognition of state, national and international service and contributions.
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