The Move to National Prominence, a World Class Soils Program Begins 1940-60
A series of fortunate circumstances and situations triggered the events that eventually led to the development of a full-scale and internationally prominent soils program. These events started in 1940 and came to near fruition by the late 1950's.
C.B. Williams retired as Agronomy Head in 1940 after a long and
illustrious career of service to N. C. Agriculture. Dr. R. Y. Winters
had resigned in 1938 as Experiment Station Director and no permanent
replacement had been made by 1940. In 1940, Dr. Frank P. Graham,
President of the University of North Carolina System, took strong
personal interest in filling the two vacant positions (Agronomy Head and
Director of the Experiment Station) so that North Carolina could have
the best agricultural program possible. He regarded these two positions
as key to that aim. He is reported as stating that he was "looking for a
means of really putting the School of Agriculture into a position of
leadership and service to the nation." During his recruitment effort to
fill these positions, he was reported to have become concerned because
people with whom he consulted around the country would give him two
lists, one composed of the top people in the field and another list of
lesser lights thought suitable for the North Carolina State College
positions. He is described as stating, "Quality is all important and if
a person is not good enough for the best institution in the USA, he is
not good enough for North Carolina." (19) He was successful in
persuading two outstanding soil scientists from Ohio State University,
Dr. Robert Salter and Dr. Leonard Baver, to come to NC State in October,
1940 as Director of the Agricultural Experiment Station and Head of the
Agronomy Department, respectively. Although no official records were
found for substantiation, common understanding on the NC State campus
was that President Graham had made oral commitments to Drs. Salter and
Baver that strong efforts would be made to increase state funding
support and that a PhD program would be established at NC
State. (19)
Soon after Salter and Baver arrived on campus, new Department Heads were brought in for other departments in the school of agriculture and new programs were opened. It now is apparent that the soils program and the rest of the agricultural components of NC State were on their way to excellence. The soils program had the additional advantage that it had been built on the excellent foundation which had been laid by C.B. Williams and others noted previously.
Dr. Salter left NC State for a position in Washington, DC a little over a year later and Dr. Baver was named Experiment Station Director. Dr. Ralph Cummings, a NC native and NC State graduate and soil scientist by profession, was brought from Cornell University to become Head of the Agronomy Department in 1942 at the age of 29.
Many of the major developments in staffing and programs planned and desired by the new administrative team had to await the close of World War II. But several new programs were started in the early 1940's before the full impact of World War II was felt. These included the establishment of the soils extension program, a state-funded tobacco soil fertility-fertilization program, a pasture and forage research program, and a research program on nitrogen fertilization of corn in combination with optimum production practices.
Research 1940-45
During the first part of this period the first state appropriation for tobacco research was made and development of a strong state-supported tobacco research program followed, closely coordinated with the previously existing Federal program. Tobacco research had previously been conducted with Federal funds and with personnel located at the Federal Research Station in Oxford, NC. The first state-supported tobacco research program in the Agronomy area was led by J.F. Lutz. With the close of World War II and the consequent increase in funding and addition of new personnel, the tobacco research program was greatly expanded. The leaders of the soil fertility research program for tobacco were Dr. W.G. Woltz and Dr. C.B. McCants, in close conjunction with extension specialists Roy Sennett and S.N. Hawks.
Another soils and crops program started in the early part of this period was pasture and forage fertility management. This program was accelerated in 1940 as a result of the first direct appropriation of state funds for agricultural research. (16) Dr. W.W. Woodhouse was in charge of the soils aspects of this program, in which role he continued until his retirement in 1975. In the first years of the program, Dr. R.L. Lovvorn was in charge of the crop science component. The team of Woodhouse, Lovvorn and associated extension specialists was chiefly responsible for the introduction of tall fescue-ladino pasture mixtures. This program begun in the late 30's but reached fruition in the 40's. The development of a pasture and forage program played a big role in the growth and commercialization of the beef and dairy industries in the state, and in other parts of the South. This group was also responsible for the introduction of fescue as a lawn grass, now a common practice in the Middle Atlantic region.
Dr. B.A. Krantz joined the Agronomy faculty in 1943 to conduct research on soil fertility and mineral nutrition of row crops. This program soon focused on high rates of nitrogen application on corn in combination with optimum production practices.
A significant change in 1942 was the transfer of Emerson Collins from soil fertility research to that of extension specialist for soil fertility and fertilizers, the first soils extension specialist at NC State.
The soils faculty of the Agronomy Department in 1942, prior to the disruptions of World War II and the following period of great expansion included:
Soil Chemistry: Leland Burkhart, Adolf Mehlich, J.R. Piland and J.F. Reed
Soil Fertility: R.W. Cummings in charge; W.H. Rankin-small grains and corn; W.W. Woodhouse - forage crops; F.J. Gibson (TVA funded); W.L. Nelson - cotton; W.E. Colwell and N.C. Brady - peanuts and soybeans; J.F. Lutz, E.G. Moss (USDA) and T.L. Copley (USDA) - tobacco
Soil Physics: J.F. Lutz, R.W. Cummings, W.L. Nelson
Soil Survey: W.D. Lee in charge, E.F. Goldston and William Gettys (TVA funded)
Teaching: J.F. Lutz in charge, with others from the research area on a part-time basis
Extension: E.R. Collins in charge of soil fertility and fertilizers; W.D. Lee part-time in soil interpretations and land use; E.H. Meacham (SCS) in soil conservation
In World War II research and graduate training programs were generally interrupted. Major emphasis during this period was production research and technology for quick payoff in food production with some accompanying de-emphasis of basic research. (20) However, the soils program was primed to move forward vigorously after the close of World War II. The foundation laid by C.B. Williams, additional funding and staffing, and the drive to excel instilled by the Baver-Cummings administrative team would soon bring the soils program at NCSU to national prominence.
The Post-War Takeoff
Many of the reasons for this takeoff period for soil science at NC State can be found in statements made by R.W. Cummings about his philosophy and policies during his term of service as Agronomy Head and Director of the Agricultural Experiment Station:
"We had during the period that I was Head of Agronomy and Director of the Experiment Station, principally during the period that I was head of Agronomy .... concern for and success in identifying people with good minds and real promise and who were reasonably free of preconceived notions .... we stressed rigor, quality, dedication, energy and real competence in making the choices (in staffing). We gave a lot of emphasis to giving the people the tools with which to work, a great deal of freedom and at the same time some encouragement."
"As Research Director, I kept attempting to put a little bit more balance in the direction of basic research, realizing that one would exhaust the store of basic knowledge, and one needed to have a continuum from the problems that needed solution at the operational level with the same degree of rigor all the way through to where one is understanding not just what is happening but why .... An institution doesn't build its reputation without broadbased good talent." (20)
These approaches, attitudes and policies are generally reflective of those of other agricultural administrators during the grand period of growth of soil science and other agricultural and life science fields at NC State in the 40's and 50's - including Deans I.0. Schaub, H. Hilton, D.W. Colvard and Brooks James and Director of Research R.L. Lovvorn.
The size of faculty and support staff in soils doubled from 1942 to 1950. Students jammed classrooms; many of these students were returning veterans. Additional funds became available from increased direct state appropriations, from renewed and new Federal programs providing "hard money" formula funds, and from grant funds from various Federal agencies. With these financial resources available the soils program entered the takeoff phase.
Several first and other major developments took place during this period. The first PhD's with a soils major were awarded to N.S. Hall and N.C. Brady in 1947. However, these degrees were actually awarded through UNC-Chapel Hill because it was the only campus within the UNC system authorized to award a doctorate at that time. However, as programs and numbers of soils faculty members increased, the size and quality of the research program grew, and this restriction was soon removed. The first PhD with a soils major actually awarded through NC State was in 1949 to D.D. Mason, who later became the long-time Head of the Department of Statistics at NC State. Founded by Gertrude Cox, this Department became world-renowned in its own right, and had much to contribute to the success of soils research programs both then and now.
The first use of radioisotopes for research in NC, and among the first uses anywhere for agricultural research, was initiated in the soils program in 1947 by N.S. Hall. Radioisotopes of phosphorus were used to measure the uptake of phosphorus in the plant and its subsequent translocation within the plant. Radioisotopes became a powerful tool in soil fertility and plant nutrition research during this era.
In 1950, research was initiated by McAuliffe and others to use stable isotopes and mass spectrometry in investigation of soil-plant investigations. This research was among the first use of such technology to study agriculturally related problems in the United States. These techniques enabled very precise measurement of many chemical elements in soils, plants and air-thus allowing study of their fate and distribution in the plant-soil systems. It proved especially useful for studies of nitrogen and of nitrogen's role in soil-plant systems. The original equipment was built on site by McAuliffe, and since replaced by "high tech" commercial equipment in the laboratory of Dr. R. Volk, a current faculty member, who has continued and effectively expanded this research in plant chemistry and soil-plant relations.
Faculty additions during this period included W.G. Woltz who joined the faculty in early 1946 specifically to expand the soil fertility and fertilizer research program for tobacco. In 1949, Clayton McAuliffe (noted earlier) and N.T. Coleman joined the faculty to expand the soil chemistry program; N.S. Hall joined the soil chemistry program after completing his PhD at NC State and a period of service at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. E.T. York Jr. was hired to lead the teaching program in Agronomy and to be the leader of the peanut soil fertility research program. S.L. Tisdale became a member of the Agronomy faculty in early 1949 for research on soil tobacco fertility with teaching responsibilities. S.R. McCaleb joined the faculty in 1949 to start a research program in soil genesis and classification (joint with USDA).
Research in the 1945-60 Period
Many of the significant breakthroughs which took place in this period involved close integration of soils and crop research and extension efforts. The first major one was in the corn program. (21) By 1944, Paul Harvey of the crops group in Agronomy (originally detailed to NC by USDA for cooperative corn breeding programs) had developed several promising single cross corn hybrids. In 1943, B.A. Krantz had joined the soils group for research on soil fertility. Using the hybrids developed by Harvey and his colleagues, Krantz in 1944 laid out 11 experimental sites in the Coastal Plain and Piedmont, chosen to represent a variety of soils and climatic conditions. Variable rates of nitrogen applications and spacings were used in carefully replicated experiments on farmer fields. Nitrogen rates were applied over a much wider range and at higher rates than the then conventional practices. The objective was to determine the range of response of corn plants to high nitrogen rates together with sets of optimum production practices. The resulting responses to high rates of nitrogen and the spacing and population experiments were so successful and spectacular that Extension soil fertility specialist Emerson Collins, Experiment Station Director Baver, Extension Director Schaub and Agronomy Head Cummings, made a special tour of the plots. As a result the Agronomy Department was asked to prepare specifications for corn demonstrations the next season and the Extension Director asked the County Extension Director in each of the 100 counties to conduct at least 4 corn-nitrogen demonstrations. W.V. Chandler was detailed to the soils program in 1949 by the USDA to cooperate in completing and writing up the results of this successful program. By use of nitrogen applications up to 150 pounds per acre per year, Krantz and Chandler were able to boost corn yields to more than 100 bushels per acre in their research plots. These results, surprising at the time because several agricultural leaders and farmers had stated that it was not possible to produce 100 bushels of corn per acre in North Carolina, greatly changed the perspective and prospects for corn in the southeastern USA. In a few years, average corn yields in North Carolina were increased from 20-25 bushels to 80 bushels per acre and higher. Corn is now the fifth ranking farm commodity in North Carolina, producing cash receipts of $245 million in 1980. (22) This great increase in corn production was also a shot in the arm for the emerging hog and beef industry in North Carolina. A crop that was previously considered useful only for "mule feed" had become one of the leading grain crops in the state. As a veteran research station superintendent put it, "Our people in the Coastal Plain shifted from growing corn accidentally to growing it on purpose."
This joint research-extension, soils-crops, state-Federal success with corn is cited here because it paved the way for similar developments in tobacco, peanuts, pastures and forages, small grains and soybeans. The approach and philosophy has been in a significant factor in the development and effectiveness of the Soil Science Department and its sister Department of Crop Science.
Advances in the peanut soil fertility-mineral nutrition and crop management area in this period included the identification of different nutrient requirements and methods and times of fertilizer application for the peg (seed pod) of the peanut versus the purely vegetative parts of the plant. This important finding was based on research by W.E. Colwell, N.C. Brady, Fielding Reed and colleagues. This research was further expanded and implemented in practice later by Preston Reid and Fred Cox, who also researched the micronutrient and macronutrient requirements of the peanut.
This period also saw a tremendous expansion in the soils aspects of tobacco research, drawing on the new large infusions of state-appropriated funds. The work by C.B. McCants, W.G. Woltz and associates on soil fertility and mineral nutrition of tobacco included establishment of need for additional magnesium on sandy soils, the plant's requirements for both ammonia and nitrate sources of nitrogen, establishment of optimum soil levels of phosphorus and potassium, and determination of the amount of nitrogen needed for replacement of that leached out of the root zone by rains, as well as the correlation between mineral nutrition and leaf quality.
For small grains, the introduction of shorter and stiffer-stemmed varieties (especially wheat) by crop breeders G.K. Middleton and Charles Murphy opened the way for fruitful research by Houston Rankin on response to higher nitrogen levels and consequent higher yields. These findings had a strong positive effect on wheat production in North Carolina somewhat similar to that of the corn program previously discussed.
The soybean program also experienced a takeoff during this period based on the foundations of soil fertility and mineral nutrition work combined with optimum sets of production practices developed earlier by Werner Nelson and Jack Rigney, using varieties with germplasm developed for this region by crop scientists, E.E. Hartwig, Herbert Johnson, and Charles Brim (USDA). In the late 50's and 60's, this work was picked up and expanded by E.J. Kamprath who worked on the lime requirements to overcome toxic aluminum levels and the fertility needs and by Fred Cox, working on the micronutrient needs and deficiencies. As a result of this combined breeding-soil fertility-soil management program, soybean production in North Carolina has grown to the point where it was in fourth place among NC crops in cash receipts in 1980 with production exceeded only by Illinois, Iowa and Missouri. (22)
Another significant development in this period which helped push the Soil Science Department to the forefront in the soil fertility-mineral nutrition area was the development of soil testing technology and techniques of soil fertility evaluation research which measured response to nutrients both in the greenhouse and in field plots. This was done in close cooperation with the NC Department of Agriculture which has the responsibility for performing the soil tests on farmer soil samples. During this period, and until recently, the position of Director of the Soil Testing Division of the NCDA held a joint appointment on the faculty of NC State, first with the Agronomy Department and later with the Soil Science Department when it was established as a separate Department. Building on the foundation of research on soil fertility and fertilizers which was the initial objective for the founding of the NCAES and Agronomy programs at NC State, Soil Testing Directors, W.L. Nelson, J.W. Fitts, S.L. Tisdale, E.J. Kamprath (and later, P.H. Reid in the 1964-70 period) developed the program which has become the largest publicly supported soil testing operation in the US. They, with their NC State colleagues and support from the NCDA, conducted field plot and greenhouse research for calibration of the tests for available nutrients and for predicting the yield and growth response serving as the basis for fertilizers and lime recommendations. These recommendations were developed with the input of the appropriate extension specialists. Dr. Adolf Mehlich also contributed significantly through his soil chemistry research during this period. He conceived and pioneered the now world-renowned double acid extraction for measuring soil nutrient levels which could then be calibrated with field and greenhouse tests for more precise fertilizer recommendations. This soil test is used in many of the acid soil regions of the world. Mehlich also developed methodology for measurement of soil acidity as a basis for lime recommendations. This method has been supplemented with procedures for measuring exchangeable aluminum levels as a basis for determining lime needs - the basic concepts and methodology for which were also developed in the Soil Science Department.
The concept of exchangeable aluminum as the major source of the acidity in mineral soils was developed by N.T. Coleman and his colleagues and graduate students in the Soil Science Department during this period. Contributions to the development and acceptance of this concept were also made by Dr. Hans Jenny of the University of California. The subsequent extension and application of this concept through a better understanding of the effects of exchangeable aluminum on plant roots and nutrient uptake was made by W.A. Jackson and colleagues in the Soil Science Department during the latter part of this time period. The application of these concepts to improve liming practices to overcome the exchangeable aluminum problems in acid mineral soils was developed by E.J. Kamprath and associates, also in the Soil Science Department. More will be said about this contribution in a later section. Coleman and colleagues initially experienced considerable difficulty in their work with exchangeable aluminum in convincing others that the classic concept of exchangeable hydrogen as the sole source of soil acidity must be modified. However, after several years of research, publishing of several papers and the support of Dr. Jenny and some European soil chemists, the concept has become internationally accepted. The basic concept and its extension to plant nutrition and development of methods for neutralizing the aluminum thus stands as one of the major historical contributions of the Soil Science Department.
An important research program initiated in this period was the series of basic studies of nitrogen nutrition of plants conducted by Dr. R.J. Volk. This program utilized 15N and mass spectrometer technology to study the basic concepts of nitrogen uptake and metabolism in plants. The tobacco plant was the primary experimental plant in this early work.
A parallel research program to the N nutrition work of Volk in this period was the research by Dr. W.V. Bartholomew on the nitrogen cycle components of soils, organic matter, the atmosphere and crop plants. These studies used techniques of biochemistry and microbiology to determine the rate of mineralization of nitrogen from organic materials and the role of microorganisms in these processes. Results were very helpful in making nitrogen application recommendations for crop plants and in determining the effects and benefits of green manure crops.
A research program in soil clay mineralogy initiated by S.B. Weed during this period has made important, interesting and lasting contributions to our understanding of the chemical and physical nature of the soil systems of the state. His work involved the use of X-ray diffraction and related techniques for determining the species, composition, and behavior of the small and rather poorly crystalline clay-size minerals composing the active fraction of NC soils. The work of Weed and colleagues has shown that a significant component of the surface layers of most NC soils is a newly-recognized mineral called "hydroxy interlayered vermiculite" which imparts properties to the soils important in plant growth. The work of Weed complemented the work of C.I. Rich of Virginia, who first reported this important finding. Dr. Weed substantiated the widespread occurrence of these clay minerals and delineated more fully their origin and significance in soil reactions.
Other major research developments and new research directions in this period were the joint research efforts by W.A. Jackson and R.J. Volk on mineral nutrition of plants, soil-plant relations and plant chemistry; coastal studies, especially dune stabilization and marsh reclamation, by W.W. Woodhouse; soil fertility of vegetable crops and sweet potatoes by R.E. McCollum; soil fertility and soil management for commercial cut flower, bulb and blueberry production in southeastern NC by Carlos Bickford; and soil fertility and soil management of vegetable crops in the Mountains by James Shelton. The latter two faculty were housed at research stations in proximity to their work and represent only the second and third off-campus location of researchers at NCSU - the first was L.C. Willis who was located at the Castle Hayne Station near Wilmington for micronutrient research in the 1930's and 1940's after several years of on-campus research. Shelton's appointment was the first instance of a split appointment between research and extension in a soils faculty position, a procedure which was to become more commonplace later.
Also during this period, a program of research on soil geomorphology and landscape development in the Coastal Plain was initiated cooperatively with the USDA Soil Conservation Service and funded in part by National Science Foundation grants to the Department. R.B. Daniels (USDA) and Ralph McCracken were the project leaders. Components of these studies were the subject of several graduate student theses. This work contributed a much fuller understanding of the origins and properties of Coastal Plain soils and of the important differences among them associated with their landscape positions and origins. This work revolutionized the classification and mapping of Coastal Plain soils and provided a much sounder basis for the soil fertility and management research and extension programs. This work was expanded and extended to the rest of the southeastern Coastal Plain by R.B. Daniels and E.E. Gamble (USDA) with additional significant findings.
A 15-year project of watershed hydrology and small watershed management and conservation in the mountains, supported chiefly by TVA funds, and in close cooperation with that organization also occurred in this period. This field work was conducted on two small watersheds of a few acres each on the mountain research station near Waynesville. Representing the Department in this activity were J.F. Lutz and W.W. Woodhouse with Matt Gilbert and later Charles England as the on-site project managers. The work involved measurement of surface and base flow discharge from the two highly instrumented watersheds under various types of crop and pasture grass cover and tillage practices. The watersheds also were used to measure the movement of various pesticides in the surface and base flow discharges. The research provided significant and useful information on subsoil lateral flow of water and runoff under various cover types and on the potentials for pesticides contamination. The major part of the hydrologic analyses was done by TVA staff at their Muscle Shoals, AL location.
An analytical service laboratory was developed during this period by J.R. Piland, using the most up-to-date technology then available. This facility provided a very useful service of analyses of plant samples for researchers in soils, crops and other Departments of the then School of Agriculture. As described more fully in a later section, the laboratory was placed under the direction of Dr. J.W. Gilliam upon the retirement of Mr. Piland in 1968 and further modernized and automated. It is now under the direction of Dr. Wayne Robarge.
A mark of the growing status and maturity of the Department's research program was the designation of N.T. Coleman as a Reynolds Distinguished Professor in 1960 for outstanding basic research in soil-plant relationships, nutrient uptake and soil chemistry, the first such recognition to come to the Department.
Administrative and Facilities Changes 1945-60
Williams Hall was completed and occupied in 1952. This construction enabled the soils group to be brought together in one building, giving them adequate facilities in which to work and to be together for greater coordination and mutual support. Previously, soils faculty had been located in several buildings on campus.
W.E. Colwell was designated as Head of the Agronomy Department in 1948 when Dr. Cummings was named Director of the NC Agricultural Experiment Station.
In 1953, W.E. Colwell was appointed Associate Director of the NCAES for tobacco research and E.T. York, Jr. was appointed to succeed him as Head of Agronomy. After two years, Dr. York resigned to join the Potash Institute. At this time a decision was made to split the Agronomy Department into a Soils Department and a Field Crops Department. The reason given was that the Agronomy Department had grown so large that it had become administratively unwieldy and the programs had become so diverse that it was difficult for one person to administer both crops and soils interests.
The first head of the newly-established Soils Department was J.W. Fitts, who previously held a joint appointment as director of the soil testing division of the NC Department of Agriculture and professor of soil fertility at NC State. The increasing emphasis on research, especially basic research, was recognized by the change of the name of the department to Department of Soil Science in 1960.
Teaching in the Post-War Period to 1960
At the time of the establishment of the Soils Department in 1956, H.C. Folks was designated as the person in charge of the soils teaching program, in addition to his responsibility for research in soil genesis and classification. In 1961, Dr. Folks left to become Assistant Director of Instruction in the School of Agriculture and Life Sciences and in charge of the.newly-formed Agricultural Institute two-year program. S.E. Younts of the Potash Institute was appointed to be in charge of soils teaching. Several new courses were established during this period and a great deal of attention was given to advising and counseling undergraduate students on a one-to-one basis. This period was marked by increased numbers of students in the departmental course offerings and an increase in graduate students, including several foreign students.
New courses established in this period included Soils and Plant Growth at the undergraduate level and Soil Mineralogy, Forest Soils, Soil Genesis and Classification, Soil Chemistry Methods and Soil Management at the graduate level.
During the latter part of this period, the graduate training program came into maturity, with a full range of courses and opportunities to major in the recognized subdisciplines of soil science. With the addition of courses mentioned in the previous paragraph, receipt of grant and "hard money" funds to support assistantships and the arrival of outstanding domestic and foreign graduate students, the graduate program moved to national prominence.
Extension in the 1945-60 period
New extension positions in soil management and soil fertility (on full time basis) were established in the late 1950's. W.C. White was the first to occupy the position of Extension Soil Fertility Specialist on a full-time basis; Clifford Martin was the first Extension Soil Management Specialist. The extension program was then operated jointly with Crop Science as an Agronomy Extension program, with Emerson Collins serving as Specialist-in-Charge.
In the latter part of this period, a trend developed towards involvement of extension specialists in applied research, especially evaluation of experimental fertilizer and pesticide materials and new soil management techniques. Plots were located both on outlying research stations and in farmers' fields. Their plot work used replication and other statistical techniques and some of the results were published in professional journals as well as popular publications. In several cases faculty had joint extension-research appointments. This trend was accompanied by a parallel trend of faculty researchers undertaking more laboratory oriented basic, fundamental research.
Soil Survey in the 1945-60 Period
In the latter part of this period, county officials became much more interested in use of soil surveys for tax assessment, land evaluation and land use planning purposes and therefore became willing to supply funds in support of soil survey in their counties. These funds seemed best used to employ soil surveyors through a state agency, as the size and orientation of the programs would go beyond the capability and the missions of the Experiment Station and Extension Service. Also a tight ceiling on federal employment levels restricted Soil Conservation Service hiring of soil survey personnel. The Soil Science Department withdrew from operational soil mapping in this period, and a unit was formed within the State Department of Natural Resources and Community Development (NRCD) for soil surveys, largely using county funds. However, the Soil Science Department has continued its strong support of the soil survey program through research, assistance with the planning, review and correlation of the county soil surveys and contributing significantly to the development of a new comprehensive soil classification system now used nationally and internationally.
This page last modified 1/15/03.