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Irrigation Association Awards Recognize Industry Innovators
Ronald Gilbert, who introduced the concept of pressurized irrigation around the world, is the 2005 recipient of the Irrigation Association Crawford Reid Memorial Award. Established in 1979, the Crawford Reid Memorial Award recognizes significant achievements in the promotion of proper irrigation techniques and major industry advancement outside the United States. Gilbert, chairman and chief executive of Irridelco International Corp., was instrumental in developing irrigation in Ecuador, Guatemala, Venezuela, Spain, the Philippines, Vietnam and many other countries. Gilbert joined Irridelco International in 1947. In 1953, he began to travel, selling agricultural irrigation products around the globe, and he hasn't quit. Gilbert continues to spend six months a year travelling the world on behalf of Irridelco.
Claude J. Phene, whose research shaped the evolution of drip irrigation technology, has been named Irrigation Association Person of the Year for 2005. Established in 1952, the Person of the Year honour recognizes individuals outside the irrigation industry for outstanding contributions toward the acceptance of sound irrigation practices. Phene, a physicist and soil scientist with a doctorate from the University of California, Riverside, worked more than 30 years in soil and water management. Most of his professional career was spent with the USDA, where he retired as director of the Water Management Research Laboratory in Fresno, Calif., in 1994. Phene is best known for developing the concept of permanent subsurface drip irrigation, making systems perform successfully for more than 12 years under intensive cultivation. After his retirement, Phene started his own consulting business, SDI+, in Clovis, Calif., where he continues to help growers increase yields using subsurface drip irrigation. Both awards were presented earlier in November during the 26th International Irrigation Show in Phoenix.
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