Former Agriculture Secretary Samuel Hayes Jr. has been appointed to the Penn State University Board of Trustees to fill the unexpired term of Dennis Wolff.
Delegates from Agricultural societies elected Wolff for a term expiring June 30, 2004. This year, he was named Secretary of Agriculture for the commonwealth, and as such became an ex officio member of Penn State’s board.
Hayes served as an ex officio member of the PSU Trustees while he served as Agriculture Secretary from 1997 until January of this year.
For 22 years, Hayes served in the state House of Representatives, where he held leadership positions of Majority Leader and Whip. In addition, he authored a wide range of legislation on issues such as farmland preservation, highways and bridges, and basic and higher education.
Hayes served five years on active duty with the United States Army and received the Bronze Star for his service in the Vietnam War. In 1964, he received his bachelor’s degree in agricultural education from Penn State, followed by his master’s of education in 1965. In 1988, he was named a Penn State Alumni Fellow, and in 2000, he was named a recipient of an Outstanding Alumnus Award from Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences.
His past chairmanships include the Agriculture Law Center Board, the Pennsylvania Farmland Preservation Board and the State Conservation Commission.
