July 28, 2004
Forest Products Society honors Phelps
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- John E. Phelps, chair of the Department of Forestry at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, received the Forest Products Society's 2005 Fred W. Gottschalk Memorial Award last month in Quebec City, Canada.
Named for the first president of the organization and presented annually since 1966, the award honors longtime, active members who have provided exceptional service to the society.
"I got a nice plaque and everything — it really made my day," said Phelps, who specializes in forest products and their marketing.
"I have been a member since 1974 and have been involved locally and nationally. This is one of this society's biggest honors."
The Forest Products Society, founded in 1947, conveys information about the environmentally sound processing and use of wood and fiber products. Its 3,000 members come from public and private research facilities, commercial industries, educational institutions, engineering, production, sales, supply and marketing companies, and consulting firms worldwide.
Phelps joined the SIUC faculty in 1990 after five years with the U.S. Forest Service's forest sciences laboratory in Carbondale. He earned his bachelor's degree in 1968 from Central Methodist College in Fayette, Mo., and his master's and doctoral degrees in 1974 and 1980 respectively from the University of Missouri in Columbia, Mo.
Recognizing outstanding faculty is among the goals of Southern at 150: Building Excellence through Commitment, the blueprint guiding the University as it approaches its 150th birthday in 2019.