1992 Durward Belmont "Woody" Varner

I am very pleased to have this opportunity to say a few words about my good friend, and our honoree this year, "Woody" Varner. In consideration of the fact of his enormous contributions to the quality of life in Nebraska, the economic well-being of the State, and the ability of our University of fulfill the aspirations of Nebraska's citizens – then a great many words would certainly be appropriate.

Before we consider Woody's many contributions to Nebraska agriculture, it might be well to take note of the background which prepared him so well for his outstanding service to the people of Nebraska.

He grew up in the small town of Cottonwood in North Central Texas, the seventh and youngest child of the long-time school superintendent there. His father taught all of the high school classes in one room and was never paid more than $150 per month.

As a young 4-H club member, he visited the campus of Texas A & M. That visit aroused his interest in obtaining a higher education in agriculture. He later enrolled at that great land-grant university and became the most distinguished student in the class of 1940 – Valedictorian of the Class, Cadet Colonel of the Corps at that military school, and captain of the basketball team.

After graduation he served for a brief time as Assistant to the President of the Houston Federal Land Bank. He then entered active duty as a Second Lieutenant in the Army in 1941, at the beginning of World War II. He served with a tank destroyer group in the European theater and was a staff officer of the Corps which met the Russians on the Elbe River. He was relived from active duty at the end of the war with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.

He then enrolled in the graduate school at the University of Chicago for work in economics and political science, after which he joined the faculty of Michigan State as an Assistant Professor in Agricultural Economics. In 1952, he became Director of the Michigan State Cooperative Extension Service, and in 1955, he was promoted to a vice-presidency at Michigan State in charge of continuing education.

In 1959, the new Oakland University Campus was established at Rochester, Michigan, under the jurisdiction of the Michigan State Board of Regents. Woody was very much involved in the planning and development of the Oakland Campus from the very beginning, having been instrumental in obtaining the donation of a 1400-acre estate and a $2 million grant from private sources for that purpose. The University opened in 1959 with 570 students, and when he left to come to Nebraska in 1969, the enrollment was 6,000. It had developed an excellent academic reputation with a highly qualified faculty and had experienced a minimum of troubles in those tumultuous times. An acquaintance of mine presently serves as Chairman of the Oakland University Board of Regents. They are just now completing a search for a new Chancellor, and he tells me that Woody's service is still the standard by which Oakland judges the candidates for that position.

Michigan's loss certainly turned into Nebraska's gain. In the 22 years which have passed since the Varner's came to Nebraska, Woody and Paula have come to be what many people would call this State's "leading citizens." I served for 15 years on the Board of Regents from 1966-1980, and people have asked me, "What did you accomplish during this time?" The answer to that question should probably best be determined by others, but I always answer the question this way. "I take the most pride in having been a part of the Board of Regents which convinced Woody and Paula Varner that they should come to Nebraska."

I remember the circumstances of their coming to Nebraska very well. We did not want our leading candidate for the top position at the University, then called Chancellor, to be frightened away by having his identity revealed prematurely. Secrecy was a paramount concern. Our Chairman made careful arrangements to meet Woody and Paula in what Woody has called a "dirty motel" near the Chicago O'Hare Airport. The University at that time had the use of a rebuilt DC-3 which had been given to the University Foundation by General Motors at the time they modernized their corporate air force. Wishing to impress Woody and Paula, the Board flew to Chicago in that old, slow twin-engine propeller driven aircraft. As we entered the landing pattern at O'Hare, a 727 pilot bearing down on us from the rear called on the radio to tell our pilot to, "Please speed up that old gooney bird," if we wanted to avoid being overrun.

Our meeting was delightful, even in those dirty surroundings. We liked this charming couple very much, and Woody and Paula agreed to travel under assumed names for a clandestine visit to the University. Not long after their visit, we were overjoyed when they agreed to make the move to Lincoln on February 1, 1970.

Woody's first day on the job was exciting and included several meetings with various groups beginning with representatives of the press for an early breakfast. As the newly-elected Chairman of the Board, it was my responsibility to introduce him to the group of reporters. Woody stood up, and in his own special, laid-back way told of his background, experience, and aspirations for the University of Nebraska. He closed by introducing Paula. He said, "I think you will like her. She's a nice Texas girl, a graduate of Baylor, and a good mother to our 3 children. You should know, of course, that she swears a little when she gets drunk." There was a brief moment of stunned silence before the room burst into laughter. He has had the press in the palm of his hand ever since, and his great sense of humor under the most trying of circumstances has been enjoyed by all Nebraskans.

If you will remember, 1970 was a difficult time on most university campuses. It was the year of the Kent State tragedy, and much unrest because of the unpopular Vietnam War. We hired Woody – telling him that he would run the University. When he arrived here, he soon learned that the faculty thought that they should run the University. Not only that, but the students also thought they should run the University. Occasionally, the Regents got cantankerous and also wanted to run the University. And then there was the Legislature with their perennial concerns about the University spending too much money.

I remember a day in May of 1970 when I was right in the middle of corn planting and had just started a field behind the house. All of a sudden, I saw Eileen standing on the back step waving frantically. I stopped the tractor and called out, "What's the matter?" She hollered back, "They are burning the ROTC building."

"They are what?"

"They are burning the ROTC building."

"Who is burning it?"

"The students and the faculty."

I did not get any more corn planted that day. I could see my year as Chairman of the Board of Regents going down in University history as the year of the Great University Fire.

Woody soon proved to us that he had learned the art of maneuver under pressure very well. The fire was pout out before the building was damaged extensively, and a long series of investigations and due process actions followed. It was all ended many months later when a probationary faculty member was dismissed by the Board for his part in the disturbance.

I also remember that meeting very well. The large meeting room in corner of the Student Union was filled to capacity with restless students prepared to protest the expected dismissal. The University police stood by in the halls for any eventuality. The motion to dismiss was made, seconded, and approved unanimously. At that point, a bearded student wearing a fatigue jacket and carrying a knapsack threw his fist in the air and hollered__ ---- a four letter word that shocked me greatly – which is surprising when you consider that I had shoveled it, hauled it, and walked around in it for most of my life in the farm feedlot.

We got through that incident with minimum damage, but of course there were other sensitive problems to be dealt with. Woody successfully planned the strategy related to an internal problem which culminated n what came to be known by some as the "Scottsbluff Massacre." He proved that he had some of the traditional farmer's mentality when he attempted to acquire the property just across the fence on both sides of the UNO campus. It was needed for parking and new building sites. He dealt firmly and gracefully with formidable members of the gentler sex in this situation. Mrs. Gallagher stoutly defended the Elmwood Park Ravine as Chairman of the Friends of the Park on the eastern front. Mrs. Batt, the daughter of the famous "Mrs. B.," provided stubborn resistance on the West. Woody fought valiantly. Eventually the battle was won on the west and lost on the east.

He also saved the "Ag Campus from becoming the stag campus" when he held off another designing woman in her efforts to move the College of Home Economics to the City Campus – lock, stock, and coeds.

As all of these matters, and many others, were taking much of his time and attention, Woody quickly moved in support of agriculture. He recognized very clearly that agriculture was, and is, the basic industry in Nebraska, and that it was being supported by strong programs at the University College of Agriculture, the Experiment Station, and the Extension Service. He was very much involved in two initiatives in this area.

He strongly believed that these initiatives were needed to broaden the State's economic base, and thus provide a source of stronger support for al of the University's programs.

The first initiative was directed at research and education related to Nebraska's tremendous water resource. He believed that more effective management and utilization of this resource offered great potential for economic advancement. He furthermore believed that a more aggressive research program was needed to protect he quality and quantity of both surface and groundwater, and to determine all of the essential facts related to the resource. He called for the establishment of the Nebraska Water Conference which has been operating continuously since it was founded in 1972. The conference includes all water interests and conducts an annual two-day meeting on a selected subject of special interest in water resource management. The conference also sponsors an annual tour which has made interested Nebraska citizens perhaps the best informed in the United States on matters of water resource management. The Nebraska Water Conference has had, and continues to have, a tremendous influence on the evaluation of water policy in Nebraska.

Agricultural interests should take note of the fact that the Nebraska farmland with irrigation available has gone from 874,000 acres in 1945, to 4 million acres in 1970, to approximately 8 million at the present time. Woody predicted in the middle 1970's that the figure would eventually reach 10 million, and it probably will.

The second initiative dealt with the expansion of livestock production in Nebraska as a value-adding enterprise which should logically follow the increase in irrigation and feed production. Powerful forces in Nebraska were already moving in that direction, and Woody's effort and influence added momentum. Much statistical evidence of the expansion of meat production in Nebraska since 1970 could be recited. I will mention these:

Nebraska was the top state in cattle slaughtered in 1991, with 6.3 million head slaughtered.

Nebraska was the top state in cattle on feed in April 1991, with 2.3 million head on feed at that time.

Nebraska was the second state in total cattle inventory at the end of 1991.

Nebraska was the second state in cash receipts from livestock in 1991.

Nebraska's total hog inventories have gone from 2.5 million head in 1950, to 3.7 million head in 1970, to 4.4 million head last December 1st.

This expansion has been very beneficial to agriculture and the total Nebraska economy, despite the concerted efforts of many in this country to cut the consumption of red meat.

Rural development is a subject of great concern in Nebraska, and the United States today. I would note that Woody testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry on September 10, 1971, on that subject. Twenty years ago, he appropriately identified the agricultural research and cooperative extension teams at land-grant institutions as the key players in this effort. He also called for support from other colleges, such as business administration and engineering, for stepping up activity promoting rural development in rural America. His 20-year old message to the United States Senate would be good today.

These, and other agricultural products supported by Woody more than justify this event honoring him this evening. But perhaps the most important work that he has done in support of our agricultural industry has been the development of the University of Nebraska Foundation into one of the leading public university foundations in the nation. When we learned of Woody's intention to leave the presidency of the University in 1976, Eileen and I were briefly extremely depressed, until we told that he was moving to the position of Chief Operating Officer of the Foundation. This endowment had been making slow, but steady growth since its founding. With his tremendous ability to deal with people, we knew that he would be a great leader for the Foundation. Shortly after he took over, the Foundation embarked on a major fund drive. It surpassed the established goal by many millions of dollars, and the momentum built by that drive continues to this day. The assets of the Foundation were $25 million in 1976, and by last February 29th, they had reached $227 million.

Woody has the rare ability to talk to people openly and frankly about money without arousing the natural suspicion and resistance. A typical statement to a prospect is, "You have given some, but you should give a lot more." They love it, and they frequently give a lot more.

The agricultural industry and the University's ag programs have been significant beneficiaries of the Foundation's support. As of last December 31, the Foundation had $8.5 million in 276 funds earmarked for the benefit of IANR. This included 153 scholarships, 3 professorships and 32 research funds. This figure did not include the Gudmundsen Ranch valued at $1.4 million which is a life income fund.

This kind of private support fills the gaps which public government support frequently misses. If you feel that you need one last bit of evidence that Woody is a true agriculturalist, you should see his garden! It is huge, and diverse – including fruit trees, and perfect in every detail. If some plant is not productive, out it goes! Fortunately for Woody's friends, Paula has steadfastly refused to can the excess production from this enormous garden. He regularly supplies top quality produce all over town.

He has the "Greenest Thumb" in Nebraska. That could apply to either money or growing plants, as you wish.

Truly a man for all seasons, and a great many for Nebraska agriculture. Woody, and Paula, we salute you!