1993 Martin A. Massengale

Martin Massengale is a textbook example of the qualities that should entitle a person to be chose for the Nebraska Hall of Agricultural Achievement. He is agriculture – from his beginning to this very day. Born in Monticello, Kentucky almost 60 years ago, his very existence is rooted in rural America and all that agriculture embodies.

With the strong encouragement of his family, he enrolled in Western Kentucky University in 1949. At age 19, he graduated from this University – with high honors – and was admitted to the graduate program at the University of Wisconsin. At the remarkably young age of 22, Martin Massengale received his Doctor's degree in Agronomy from this distinguished University – one of the youngest recipients of the PhD in the history of the University.

His career has been nothing short of phenomenal – and the honors he has been awarded have matched his upward spiraling achievements. In his 18 highly successful years at the University of Arizona, he was promoted five times and was serving as Associate Dean of Agriculture and Associate Director of the Agricultural Experiment Station when we lured him away in 1976 to become Vice Chancellor for Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. His talents and leadership did not go unnoticed and he was chosen by the Board of Regents to become Chancellor of the Lincoln campus in 1981. His performance in this position caused the Board to appoint him President of the University of Nebraska System in 1991.

This thumb nail sketch of Martin Massengale's career is nothing more than a shell that contains the real qualities of our honoree.

Colleagues refer to him as a "workaholic" – a title which flows easily for those who serve on his staff. An example is drawn from the 1988 Fiesta Bowl experience. We lost a heart breaker to Florida State University on the afternoon of January 1. Realizing that he had an important meeting in Lincoln on January 3, he drove, non-stop from Phoenix, Arizona to Lincoln – arriving at his office on campus at midnight on January 2 and then worked for two hours in order to be prepared for his meeting the next day. Similar tales of his work habits are legion. Yet, despite this unqualified commitment to his job, he – along with his lovely and gracious wife, Ruth – share an undeniable and appropriate pride in the achievements of their two children – Alan and Jennifer.

A few years ago, there was a popular song "Love is a Many Splendored Thing". Martin Massengale is, himself, a "many splendored" academic leader. Even though his personal identification with the arts has been limited, he gave strong and constant support to the construction of the Lied Center for Performing Arts. Those closest to the project will state that without his unwavering support it is doubtful if this magnificent hall would exist today. He gave it his unqualified support because he knew that it would serve the students of the University and the people of Nebraska – a constant concern throughout his administration.

A further sample of his multiple talents is his service as a member of the President's Commission of the National Collegiate Athletic Association – serving from 1988 to 1991 as chairman of this powerful body overseeing the entire range of intercollegiate athletics in America, and he served – as usual – with distinction.

Martin Massengale has brought to his academic duties, both in the classroom and in his many roles in administration, a commitment to duty and to integrity that make him unique. It is unlikely that any chancellor in the 125-year history of this institution has been as much a part of agriculture as has Martin Massengale. From birth through college and throughout his career he has had his roots in the soil.

Martin Massengale is truly a text book example of the type person who is a natural to be chosen for the Nebraska Hall of Agricultural Achievement.