President Malcolm Portera and retiring vice president Rodney Foil visit at the June dedication of the R.R. Foil Plant Science Research Facility.

Mississippi State's longtime vice president for agriculture, forestry, and veterinary medicine retired June 30, leaving a legacy of accomplishments, leadership, and commitment to agriculture in Mississippi.

In appreciation of Dr. R. Rodney Foil's 30 years of service to agriculture in the state, the university has named all Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station research facilities north of Highway 82 in his honor. The R.R. Foil Plant Science Research Facility was dedicated June 21.

Foil came to Mississippi State in 1969 as head of the Department of Forestry, following 11 years as a faculty member at Louisiana State University. He subsequently served as dean of the School of Forest Resources, and in 1978 was named director of MAFES.

In 1986, he became vice president of the agriculture division, which includes MAFES, the MSU Extension Service, the Forest and Wildlife Research Center, and the Office of International Programs.

Foil holds bachelor's and master's degrees from Louisiana State University and a doctorate in forestry from Duke University.

In remarks at the dedication ceremony, President Malcolm Portera praised Foil for his influence on the course of the institution. "When the next history of The People's University is written," Portera said, "it will reveal clearly your imprint on the three decades during which Mississippi State came into its own. The long shadow that you have cast reaches far beyond the campus borders."

Foil will deliver the university's summer Commencement address Aug. 6.