Remembering past Director and Hall of Famer Leon S. "Bill" Pope
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Dec. 29, 2010 – Past Director and Hall of
Famer Leon S. “Bill” Pope, 87, passed away at his home in College Station, Texas, on Monday, December 27, 2010. Brother Pope was a teacher, researcher and administrator at three major land grant universities, and he received Alpha Gamma Rho Fraternity’s highest honor in Minneapolis, Minnesota on August 14, 2002 when he was inducted into the Hall of Fame.Philip Josephson, Executive Director, said, “Brother Pope has consistently pursued a goal to improve agriculture through the development of well-informed and capable leaders. His service to our fraternity and to young people in agriculture richly embodies the ideals upon which AGR was founded. He has been a great leader, brother, husband, father and family man.”
Born in Boise, Idaho, Bill was reared on a general grain and livestock farm near Addison, Michigan. He was active in both 4-H and FFA, involving primarily livestock projects. During WWII, Bill served Uncle Sam as a B-24 bomber pilot. He graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in Animal Husbandry in 1947 and subsequently earned his Masters and PhD degrees from Oklahoma State University in animal nutrition.
Brother Pope’s professional career began as a teacher and researcher at Oklahoma State and from 1964-68 he headed their Department of Animal Science. From 1968-76 he served as Associate Dean for Administrative Affairs, College of Agriculture, Texas A&M University. Beginning in 1976, he served as Dean of the College of Agriculture and Home Economics at New Mexico State University until his retirement in 1985.
Bill joined AGR as a member of Tau chapter at Michigan State in 1942 and was elected chapter president in 1946. He later served as chapter adviser at both Oklahoma and New Mexico State Universities. Brother Pope assisted in the establishment of the Texas A & M chapter and was their adviser for several years. He has been active in the affairs of the National AGR Fraternity in a variety of leadership roles – including a term on the National Board of Directors from 1986-92, the Housing Resources Trust board, as well as numerous committees.
Bill was Executive Secretary in the IAPAL (International Association for Programs of Agricultural Leadership) organization until his death. He did international programs with Argentina, Ethiopia, Egypt, Iraq and Israel. Bill received numerous awards during his career. Besides induction into the AGR Hall of Fame, he was a Fellow in the American Society of Animal Science. He was admitted to the International Hall of Fame for Adult and Continuing Education at the University of Oklahoma and served as a Director for the Central Bank for Cooperatives. He was nationally recognized as “Agriculture’s Ambassador of Goodwill.” He was an active member of A&M United Methodist Church and College Station Noon Lion’s Club.
Survivors include his wife, Vanna (Polly), of College Station, two sons, one daughter, and their spouses, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Memorial services will be conducted at A&M United Methodist church at 10:00 AM, December 30 with a gathering of friends and family from 9:00 AM until service time. Interment will follow at a later date in Marlow, Oklahoma. Cards and condolences may be sent to his wife and family if desired. Please call 816-891-9200 or email the Home Office at AGR@AlphaGammaRho.org for the family's contact information.
