Two professors in the Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture at Stephen F. Austin State University recently received new titles. Dr. David Kulhavy received the Lacy Hunt Professorship, and Dr. Brian Oswald received the Joe C. Denman Distinguished Professorship.
Named for a Nacogdoches County lumberman, The Lacy Hunt Professorship was the college’s first endowed professorship. Hunt was instrumental in the creation of the college of forestry at SFA. He, along with former SFA President Paul Boynton, persuaded the U.S. Congress to create the SFA Experimental Forest near Nacogdoches and developed instruction in forestry at SFA.
Kulhavy teaches courses in forest ecology and entomology. He has earned many titles and awards, including the 1996-97 Regents Professor designation and the distinguished Carl A. Schenck Award bestowed by the Society of American Foresters. Kulhavy, also known as “Dr. Bug,” developed an educational program to bring entomology to elementary and secondary schools. He plans to use the professorship to continue this work and to help put on the 40th East Texas Forest Entomology Seminar.
Kulhavy has published two fine art books. He worked with artist Charles Jones, director of SFA’s Lanana Creek Press, to publish his second book, “Forest Insect Alphabet,” a collection of color woodprints assigned to letters of the alphabet and corresponding insects. Kulhavy plans to work with Jones again for his third book about pollinators.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in zoology from San Diego State University and both a master’s degree in forest entomology and doctoral degree in forest sciences entomology pathology from the University of Idaho. He traveled to Colorado in March to present a paper on his plans for this professorship at the University Education in Natural Resources Conference.
The Joe C. Denman Distinguished Professorship was created in 2000 to honor Joe C. Denman. Denman graduated from Lufkin High School in 1942, served as a pilot in the U.S. Navy during World War II and graduated from Texas A&M before working for Temple Industries. He started out as assistant to the sawmill superintendent and retired as president and CEO of the company in 1988.
Oswald teaches courses in forest ecology, fire management, regional silviculture, fire use in land management, range management, research methods, and forest and range ecological concepts. He is the recipient of many awards and titles, including the 2012-13 Regents Professor designation and the Carl A. Schenck Award presented by the Society of American Foresters. In June of 2012, Oswald traveled to Apeldoorn, Netherlands, to give an invited lecture on fire ecology and fire management to The National Core Group on Wildfire Management, the Ministry of Security and Justice, and the VNOG.
Oswald earned a bachelor’s degree in forestry from Michigan State University, a master’s degree in fire ecology from Northern Arizona University, and a doctoral degree in forestry, wildlife and range sciences from the University of Idaho. He researches topics such as fire ecology and management, silviculture, community ecology classification, silvopasture, and agroforestry.
For more information, visit the Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agricultures website, www.atcofa.sfasu.edu.
