College of Agriculture & Natural Resources Department of Forestry

Louis Gildemeister | BS ‘65
I graduated with a degree in Forest Management. After graduation I worked for the State of Montana Forestry Dept., Western Fire equipment and Perimeter Solutions. Perimeter produces fire retardant worldwide and foam products. I have been with Perimeter Solutions for 46 years and turned 88 years old in June, 2026.

Ron Humphrey  | BS ‘65, MS ''68
I graduated with Honors, March 1965, and began my 33 year Forest Service career as a Multiple-Use Forester on the Rapid River Ranger District, Hiawatha National Forest. I returned to MSU to receive a MS in Resource Development with Honors in 1968. I then went on to an assignment in the Jobs Corps in MI, followed by assignment in WA, OR, MT, NV and AK. I had two District Ranger jobs in MT and OR, Deputy Forest Supervisor on the Toiyabe NF, Forest Supervisor on the Tongass NF and on the Olympic NF. I retired in 1999 to Ennis MT and then on to Lacey WA in 2023. It's been a great run with a great start at MSU Forestry and the MSU Honors College, with leadership training in the MSU Residence Halls. I also spent six years in the US Army Reserves.

J. Keith Gilless | BS '78
After stepping down as Dean of Berkeley's Rausser College and retiring in 2000, I struggled through the pandemic running California's Board of Forestry and Fire Protection from my home office, and thought that I'd be fully retired from academia and public service in 2025 when I stepped down from that position. To my complete surprise, the campus talked me into coming back as the Interim Director of the University and Jepson Herbaria. I'd be happy to give a tour to any plant geeks who stop by, it's easy to find me – there is a T-Rex skeleton just outside my door. We are searching for a permanent Director now, and I'll have a second go at retirement next summer (hopefully), and try to spend more time under the redwoods.

Joseph Colwell  | MS ‘79
After reading about the Old Growth Forest Network and MSU's participation in it in a recent edition of MSU Forester, I liked the idea and applied. My 40 acres of ancient Utah juniper forest was accepted and it is the first private forest in the Old Growth Network in Colorado. I am currently working with their regional representative to try and get more public forests in this area into the network. You can read about my thoughts about a Sense of Place in this ancient forest ecosystem in my latest book Flight of the Raven. It is the 8th book I have published since my retirement 28 years ago from the Forest Service.

Brian Oswald   | BS '79
I retired from Stephen F. Austin State University in August 2026 after 30 years on the forestry faculty. My professional journey took me to Arizona (MS at NAU, 5 years teaching at a Junior College on the Navajo Reservation), Idaho, (Ph.D. At University of Idaho), and Alabama (faculty at Alabama A&M University) before landing here at SFA. Working with 47 graduate students and numerous undergraduates over the years has been extremely rewarding, and I will miss those interactions. While recognition is not why I have done anything in forestry, I have been fortunate to receive the Carl Schenck Award from SAF (2002), entered the University of Idaho Alumni Hall of Fame (2016), and was named the Dwight Patterson Alumnus of the year by NAU (2021).  At SFA I was the Joe C. Denman Distinguished Professor, named a Regents Professor, received the SFASU Foundation Distinguished Professor and the SFA Alumni Association Distinguished Professor. I was active for decades with the Biennial Southern Silviculture Research Conferences here in the south, and was a long-time Board member of served as President of the Association for Fire Ecology. As far as I am concerned, none of this would have occurred without the incredible education and experiences I had at MSU. GO GREEN.

Steven Babcock  | BS '82, MBA '86

Steven is currently the Vice President of Supply Chain at Columbus McKinnon Corp in Charlotte, North Carolina. Steven would love to hear from fellow alums at stevenbb304@gmail.com.

Eric McCumber | BS '87

I enrolled at MSU in 1980, but after 2 years, I ran out of money and ambition. I completed a tour in the army and returned to MSU, where I finished my BS in 1987. I started my career in the panhandle of Florida, doing forestry under a CRP grant, followed by a move back to Michigan to serve as a County Forester. In 1990, I was hired by the Michigan Department of Agriculture as a field inspector doing nursery and agriculture inspections. I stayed with the department for 33 years, retiring in 2023 as a field supervisor in the pesticide section. I enjoy running, biking, hunting, and snowboarding. My wife Keri and I live in Traverse City and enjoy traveling.

Anna Dunnebacke  | BS '25

Anna started an MS program this fall at Iowa State University majoring in Wildlife Ecology with Dr. Landon Jones as her major advisor. Her masters project will be on modeling toucan movement and fruit tree seed dispersal patterns.