ATHENS, Ga. — A Colquitt County native was among alumni who were honored by the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Alumni Association.

Calvin Perry, superintendent of the University of Georgia’s C.M. Stripling Irrigation Research Park, received an Alumni Award of Excellence from the CAES Alumni Association at the association’s annual banquet Nov. 9. The award recognizes alumni who have achieved excellence in their chosen fields or in their communities.

“We are so lucky at CAES to be part of an alumni community with a truly diverse set of interests and areas of impact,” said Van McCall, 2018 president of the CAES Alumni Association. “But whether they’re in the field, in the boardroom or in the classroom, our alumni demonstrate outstanding leadership skills and commitment to making Georgia and the world a better place.”

Perry graduated in 1986 with a bachelor’s degree in agricultural engineering and master’s degree in 1988. His work promoting precision agriculture has made Georgia a leader in water-efficient farming, according to a press release from the university.

Perry joined UGA Cooperative Extension in 1989 as a staff research engineer. He worked with a team that developed variable rate irrigation — a technology now prevalent in the industry. Since 2008, he has served as the superintendent of UGA’s C.M. Stripling Research Park in Camilla.

In 2017, he was asked by UGA Extension’s associate dean to head a project called the Agricultural Water Efficiency Team (AgWET). AgWET trains Extension agents in smart irrigation strategies. The agents then bring their knowledge home to growers in their communities.

 Other alumni honored with an award of excellence this year include Donya Lester (BSA ’81), recently-retired executive director of the Purdue Agricultural Alumni Association; Krishna Paudel (PHD ’99), professor at Louisiana State University, and Jody Strickland (BSAE ’86), executive vice president of forest operations and real estate services for F&W Forest Services.

The CAES Alumni Association also honored three young alumni with its CAES Young Alumni Achievement Awards including Linda Brothers Purvis (BSA ’02), poultry science instructor and academic advisor at the University of North Georgia; Nick Chammoun (BSA ’07, MS ’09), technical agronomist for Monsanto, and Sara Webb Hughes (BSA ’02, MED ’03), agricultural education teacher at Oglethorpe County Middle School.

These awards recognize CAES alumni under age 35 who have achieved excellence in their chosen fields or in their communities.

For more information about the CAES Alumni Association please visit www.caes.uga.edu/alumni/get-involved/caes-alumni-association.html.