The Giving Herd - ASAS Foundation Newsletter - November 2025

The Giving Herd "Inspire · Ignite · Invest"
In This November Edition

• Philanthropy in Action - Your Dollars Making A Difference
  
  • H. Allen Tucker Travel Scholarship- Sidney Taylor
    
• Giving Tuesday - COMING SOON - December 2, 2025
  • A message from Jim Reecy, Ph.D. - ASAS Foundation Chair
• A Member's Story - George Fahey, Ph.D.
  • A pioneer in companion animal science, defined by heart, integrity, and purpose.  
• 2026 ASAS Foundation Internship and Scholarships - Apply Now
  • Armstrong Leadership Award
  • Legacy Scholarships (Travel Scholarship)- NEW!!!
  • Joseph P. Fontenot Travel Scholarship
  • H. Allen Tucker Travel Award
    
  • Wilson G. Pond International Travel Award
• Thank You ASAS Foundation Giving Partners

Inspire · Ignite · Invest - Philanthropy in Action
Your Dollars Making a Difference

2025 H. Allen Tucker Scholarship Recipient

" Receiving the H. Allen Tucker Travel Scholarship Award is an incredible honor that supports my professional development and allows me to share my research with an amazing scientific community. I’m truly grateful to the ASAS Foundation for investing in the next generation of animal scientists and for providing meaningful opportunities like this to help us grow." Taylor Sidney | Ph.D. Candidate | STEM Fellow | Animal and Food Science | West Virginia University 

Giving Tuesday - December 2, 2025
Ignite Giving. Inspire Science      

Dear ASAS Friends,

We have all witnessed that moment when a graduate student steps up to the podium for the very first time (I remember my first presentation like it was yesterday). Nervous, determined, and hopeful. When the presentation ends, we see the smile, the relief, and the quiet pride of accomplishment. Those moments are possible because our ASAS community invests in students through mentorship, sponsorship, scholarships, and encouragement. 

This Giving Tuesday, December 2nd, we invite you to Ignite Giving. Inspire Science. Your gift helps students learn, present research, travel to meetings, and grow into the next generation of leaders in animal science.

There are many meaningful ways to give: an online gift, a donor-advised fund recommendation, a stock transfer, or a charitable gift from your IRA RMD. However you choose to give, please know it truly matters.

Thank you for your commitment and your belief in our mission and in the future of animal science.

All the best,

Jim

James M. Reecy, Ph.D. | ASAS Foundation Chair | Professor | Department of Animal and Range Sciences | Iowa State University

P.S. - Be part of Giving Tuesday today, online at ASAS Giving Tuesday 2025

ASAS has been the anchor for my career - A Member's Journey:
Meet George Fahey, Ph.D.

Dr. George Fahey - A pioneer in companion animal science, defined by heart, integrity, and purpose.  

(Left: George and Amy Fahey)
“Just as family has grounded my personal life, ASAS has anchored my professional one. ” — Dr. George Fahey

 (Left: George growing up on the farm)

"A childhood spent on a farm in the hills of central West Virginia offered the greatest classroom - where cattle, sheep, and the land itself became teachers. This 1,400-acre farm was worked by my parents, who never had the chance to attend school beyond eighth grade, and grandparents who had even less formal education. That farm and being in 4-H were full of lessons in responsibility, curiosity, patience, and respect for the animals entrusted to us.      

(Above, left to right: George, 1970's and as a Specialist 5 in the Army Reserves during graduate school)

For me, animal science came into clear focus during my undergraduate years at West Virginia University (WVU), where two agricultural biochemistry courses changed everything. They revealed a field where curiosity could directly improve lives. Graduate study followed at WVU, with an M.S. in Agricultural Biochemistry and a Ph.D. in Animal Nutrition.

Through the guidance of my advisor, Dr. George A. McLaren, I joined ASAS, which has been both my professional home and lifelong community - where ideas are challenged, friendships are formed, and the next generation is encouraged to lead. Dr. McLaren, along with Drs. Gene Becker, Everett Hatfield, Frank Hinds, Dave Baker, and Jim Corbin shaped how I taught, led, and contributed to our field.      
 (Left, left to right: Dr. Dave Baker, Dr. Jim Corbin)

As I reflect on my nearly 50-year (and still counting) research and teaching career at the University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign, the greatest privilege has been mentoring close to 100 graduate students and postdocs, while sharing research across the U.S. and around the world. And in 2016, receiving the ASAS Morrison Award, after decades of watching others I deeply admired be honored, was certainly one of the most humbling moments of my life.

 
(Above, left: George was a speaker at a pet food conference in Taiwan along with Dr. Kelly Swanson and Dr. Amy Fischer. Above, right: The Berger-Merchen-Fahey research group in the late 1980s.)  

Away from the lab and classroom, the center of my life has always been family. My wife, Amy, and I have been together for 38 years. We met when she was working temporarily in Animal Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, long before she built her own career as Director of IT in the College of Applied Health Sciences. Our daughters, Laura, Bridget, and Elizabeth, have each built meaningful lives of their own, and our granddaughter, Gia Marie, brings joy into every day.

 
(Above left: George and Amy with Laura and Elizabeth, their spouses, and Gia Marie. Above right: Amy, Bridget, George.)

Just as family has grounded my personal life, ASAS has anchored my professional one. Having both begun our journeys in animal science/agriculture and with our careers at the University of Illinois, Amy and I share a deep commitment to paying forward the mentorship that shaped our lives and helping the next generation find their own purpose and become leaders. Through the ASAS Foundation, the George Fahey Appreciation Club carries forward the part of my work that mattered most to me - supporting students. 

(Left: George receiving the MW Section ASAS Young Researcher Award from Dr. Walt Woods.)

This Thanksgiving, we’re grateful for our ASAS family - those who teach, mentor, and inspire every day. In the spirit of gratitude, please join us in giving thanks by supporting a fund within the ASAS Foundation that holds meaning for you. Together, gratitude grows into opportunity for the future of animal science."

George Fahey, Ph.D. | Emeritus Professor | College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences | Animal Sciences and Nutritional Sciences | University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign | ASAS member since 1973

If George's story has inspired you, become an ASAS Foundation Partner and join George and Amy in making a difference.

Discover how your charitable contributions can empower animal scientists by funding travel scholarships, critical internships, and other key initiatives. Visit us online HERE.

 DONATE

Awards and Student Travel Scholarship Applications
(Awarded at Annual Meeting) - APPLY NOW

• Armstrong Leadership Award
• Legacy Scholarships - ALL NEW!
• Joseph P. Fontenot Travel Scholarship
• H. Allen Tucker Graduate Student Travel Scholarship
• Wilson G. Pond International Travel Scholarship

Deadline to Apply: January 9, 2026. Apply ONLINE HERE.

Armstrong Leadership Award

This award celebrates the work of W. Dwight, Jeffrey, and Todd Armstrong to advance American Society of Animal Science’s mission and recognizes the achievement of outstanding early-career professionals who display exceptional leadership with American Society of Animal Science.   

For complete guidelines, visit Armstrong Leadership Award Guidelines.

Legacy Scholarships provide the critical financial support students need to attend ASAS meetings, where they present groundbreaking research, connect with respected leaders, and take meaningful steps toward their future careers.

Applicants must be an ASAS member for at least 12 months, a current graduate student member of ASAS, and submit an abstract for oral presentation at an ASAS meeting.

For complete guidelines, visit Legacy Scholarship Guidelines. 

The Joseph P. Fontenot Travel Scholarship recognizes the contribution of Dr. Joe Fontenot to the field of ruminant nutrition and to American Society of Animal Science and is used to support graduate student travel to the ASAS Southern Section or the ASAS/CSAS Joint Annual Meeting.

For complete guidelines, visit Fontenot Scholarship Guidelines.

The H. Allen Tucker Graduate Student Travel Scholarship recognizes Dr. Tucker's influential research on the endocrine control of lactation, mammogenesis, and body growth in cattle and to American Society of Animal Science and is used to provide financial assistance to a graduate student member of ASAS to be used towards travel expenses to the ASAS Annual Meeting or the Biennial Biology of Lactation Workshop. 

For complete guidelines, visit Tucker Scholarship Guidelines.

The Wilson G. Pond International Travel Scholarship recognizes Dr. Pond's contribution to the field of non-ruminant nutrition and to American Society of Animal Science and is used to support international travel for study by students and early career professionals.

For complete guidelines, visit Pond Scholarship Guidelines.

                          Deadline to Apply to all above scholarships: January 9, 2026. Apply ONLINE HERE.

Inspire · Ignite · Invest - Enriching Animal Science!