Photo courtesy of MSU Archives.
Former faculty member O. Donald Meaders, a leader in agricultural education and former chair of the Department of Secondary Education and Curriculum (a unit which later became Teacher Education), passed away on December 10, 2012 at 89.
Meaders earned his EdD in agricultural education with a minor in educational administration from Michigan State University in 1957, and joined MSU in 1958 as an assistant professor in secondary education and curriculum. He served as a teacher educator in the Upper Peninsula on a resource development project, where he taught and promoted opportunities for youth. Meaders made many regular study abroad trips, taking students to Taiwan and other locales.
In 1979, Meaders became chairman of the Department of Secondary Education and Curriculum and in 1981, transferred to the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources in the department of Agricultural and Extension Education.
Meaders took sabbatical leaves for additional research to Taiwan, and did work in Trinidad and Tobago where he consulted with the Agricultural Teacher Education Center. In 1987, he was one of three members of a team to evaluate the progress of an AID/World Bank project in Rampur, Nepal.
After retiring from MSU in 1990, Meaders continued his dedication to the teaching profession by traveling to China and working for the United Nations Development Programme, and lectured at the Northeast Agricultural College. This was followed by a trip to Latvia, where Meaders worked with the Latvian Agricultural Advisory Service.
Meaders was involved with numerous professional organizations, including the American Vocational Association (Association for Career and Technical Education), the American Association of Teacher Educators in Agriculture, and the Michigan Association of Teachers of Vocational Agriculture (honorary life member). He was also chairman of the committee on innovations of the American Association of Teacher Educators in Agriculture. He received many awards throughout his career.