Bell Tower Festival - Tower of Fame

Carole Custer, Chair

Bell Tower of Fame committee

A trailblazing agricultural scientist and an internationally recognized voice on behalf of young children are the 2007 Bell Tower of Fame Award recipients.

Dr. Alfred Blackmer (posthumously) and Dr. Helen Raikes will be presented their awards at the Bell Tower Festival Opening Ceremonies Friday, June 8, at 7 p.m. on the Bell Tower Plaza stage.

Blackmer and Raikes join more than 35 Bell Tower of Fame awardees who at some time in their lives resided in Greene County and through their accomplishments on a state, national or international level bring great pride to our county.

Dr. Blackmer, who died in 2006, was a resident of Jefferson, and was a professor of agronomy at Iowa State University in Ames.

Nicknamed “Dr. N” by some, Blackmer had a distinguished career researching nitrogen fertilizer. The influence of his pioneering research not only has helped farmers manage their use of fertilizer, but also has impacted the quality of drinking water.

His lifetime goal was to help farmers and he worked with hundreds in his active field research program. His cutting-edge research program attracted graduate students and visiting scientists from around the globe. He authored more than 350 publications and received 14 professional awards. In 2003, Blackmer was named Progressive Farmer magazine’s Leader in Service to Agriculture. Experts say his legacy will be his in-the-field research techniques and evaluations on working farms.

He graduated from the University of Massachusetts with a bachelor’s degree in animal science and a master’s degree in plant and soil science. He received his Ph.D. in soil microbiology and biochemistry from Iowa State University.

He grew up on a diary farm operated by his parents in Fabyan, Connecticut.

Receiving the Bell Tower of Fame Award on his behalf are his wife, Diane Blackmer of Jefferson, and their children, Tracy, Julie and Darcy Blackmer Gill

Dr. Helen Holz Raikes, of Lincoln, Nebraska, is a 1962 graduate of East Greene High School. She is an alumnus of Iowa State University, with a bachelor’s degree in home economics journalism and a Ph.D. in child development, and the University of California-Irvine with a master’s degree in human development.

Raikes is considered a visionary leader in the field of early childhood research, education and public policy. Currently a professor of family and consumer sciences at the University of Nebraska, Raikes has touched and improved the lives of thousands of children in the United States and around the world.

Her research and recommendations are being implemented across the nation through the Early Head Start program. She is the author of the book, Beautiful Beginnings, and has authored more than 30 major research journal publications and multiple book chapters.

If there are major toddler/infant initiatives in the United States, professional peers say Raikes is involved. She is a member of the board of directors of the Susan A. Buffet Foundation, the Head Start Quality Assurance Study Advisory Group and The National Children and Families Foundation. She is a consultant to the Gates Foundation and provides early childhood briefings for policy makers and federal agencies.

She lectures nationally and internationally at major early childhood development conferences and from 1991-1994 was a Kellogg Foundation Young Developers International Institute Fellow, traveling to 25 countries during the four-year fellowship.

Her commitment to improving the lives of children has resulted in the creation of the Nebraska Early Childhood Endowment, approved by the citizens of Nebraska, and a model for a unique public-private funding structure for the early education of children.

She has received numerous state and national awards including four from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for her work with Early Head Start, the Fatherhood Initiative and Evaluations for Making a Difference in the Lives of Infants, Toddlers and their Families. In 2005, she received the Distinguished Service to Children Award from the Nebraska Association for the Education of Young Children.

Raikes is the daughter of Royal Holz and the late Marie Holz of Grand Junction. She and her husband, Ron, have three children, Heather, Abbie and Justin.

Following the award ceremony, there will be a public reception for Raikes and the family of Blackmer in the courthouse rotunda until 8:30 p.m.

2007 Tower of Fame

About the Tower of Fame Award




	Carole Custer, Chair Bell Tower of Fame committee A trailblazing agricultural scientist and an internationally recognized voice on behalf of young children are the 2007 Bell Tower of Fame Award recipients. Dr. Alfred Blackmer (posthumously) and Dr. Helen Raikes will be presented their awards at the Bell Tower Festival Opening Ceremonies Friday, June 8, at 7 p.m. on the Bell Tower Plaza stage. Blackmer and Raikes join more than 35 Bell Tower of Fame awardees who at some time in their lives resided in Greene County and through their accomplishments on a state, national or international level bring great pride to our county. Dr. Blackmer, who died in 2006, was a resident of Jefferson, and was a professor of agronomy at Iowa State University in Ames. Nicknamed “Dr. N” by some, Blackmer had a distinguished career researching nitrogen fertilizer. The influence of his pioneering research not only has helped farmers manage their use of fertilizer, but also has impacted the quality of drinking water. His lifetime goal was to help farmers and he worked with hundreds in his active field research program. His cutting-edge research program attracted graduate students and visiting scientists from around the globe. He authored more than 350 publications and received 14 professional awards. In 2003, Blackmer was named Progressive Farmer magazine’s Leader in Service to Agriculture. Experts say his legacy will be his in-the-field research techniques and evaluations on working farms. He graduated from the University of Massachusetts with a bachelor’s degree in animal science and a master’s degree in plant and soil science. He received his Ph.D. in soil microbiology and biochemistry from Iowa State University. He grew up on a diary farm operated by his parents in Fabyan, Connecticut. Receiving the Bell Tower of Fame Award on his behalf are his wife, Diane Blackmer of Jefferson, and their children, Tracy, Julie and Darcy Blackmer Gill Dr. Helen Holz Raikes, of Lincoln, Nebraska, is a 1962 graduate of East Greene High School. She is an alumnus of Iowa State University, with a bachelor’s degree in home economics journalism and a Ph.D. in child development, and the University of California-Irvine with a master’s degree in human development. Raikes is considered a visionary leader in the field of early childhood research, education and public policy. Currently a professor of family and consumer sciences at the University of Nebraska, Raikes has touched and improved the lives of thousands of children in the United States and around the world. Her research and recommendations are being implemented across the nation through the Early Head Start program. She is the author of the book, Beautiful Beginnings, and has authored more than 30 major research journal publications and multiple book chapters. If there are major toddler/infant initiatives in the United States, professional peers say Raikes is involved. She is a member of the board of directors of the Susan A. Buffet Foundation, the Head Start Quality Assurance Study Advisory Group and The National Children and Families Foundation. She is a consultant to the Gates Foundation and provides early childhood briefings for policy makers and federal agencies. She lectures nationally and internationally at major early childhood development conferences and from 1991-1994 was a Kellogg Foundation Young Developers International Institute Fellow, traveling to 25 countries during the four-year fellowship. Her commitment to improving the lives of children has resulted in the creation of the Nebraska Early Childhood Endowment, approved by the citizens of Nebraska, and a model for a unique public-private funding structure for the early education of children. She has received numerous state and national awards including four from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for her work with Early Head Start, the Fatherhood Initiative and Evaluations for Making a Difference in the Lives of Infants, Toddlers and their Families. In 2005, she received the Distinguished Service to Children Award from the Nebraska Association for the Education of Young Children. Raikes is the daughter of Royal Holz and the late Marie Holz of Grand Junction. She and her husband, Ron, have three children, Heather, Abbie and Justin. Following the award ceremony, there will be a public reception for Raikes and the family of Blackmer in the courthouse rotunda until 8:30 p.m. 2007 Tower of Fame About the Tower of Fame Award