Texas Tech University’s Davis College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources recognized seven distinguished alumni including Kerry Siders, Texas AgriLife Extension Integrated Pest Management Specialist for Lamb, Hockley and Cochran counties last Monday at the university’s McKenzie-Merket Alumni Center.
Also recognized were Tim A. Bargainer of Georgetown, Wendell E. Dorsett of Fremont, Nebraska, Dr. Calvin Ross Hamilton of Flower Mound, John W. Johnson of Lubbock, Dr. Todd Merendino of Bay City, Tom D. Sell of Lubbock and Don Duff of Lubbock.
The 2022 Distinguished Alumni & Outstanding Young Alumni Awards honor graduates who have made significant contributions to society, and whose accomplishments and careers have brought distinction to the college and to the professions associated with agriculture and natural resources.
Siders, who resides in Levelland but works over the three-county area, earned a master’s degree in crop science (1989) from Texas Tech. Following graduation, he served as an Extension Agent for Pest Management for the Texas Agricultural Extension Service in Castro and Lamb counties, and later became County Extension Agent for Agriculture in Floyd County and Terry County.
In 1996, Siders was named Extension Agent for Integrated Pest Management through Texas AgriLife Extension Service in Hockley and Cochran counties with Lamb County being added to his reponsibilities later. He has been in that position for 26 years. Siders has served on several committees, including the High Plains Cotton Advisory Group, West Texas Agricultural Chemicals Institute Board, Plains Cotton Growers, and Grain Sorghum Producer’s Board.
His honors include the Levelland Chamber of Commerce Agriculture Person of the Year (1999), Outstanding High Plains Cotton Agent Award for Plains Cotton Growers (2003), and Distinguished Achievement Award for Extension Agent for the TCE Specialists Association (2007).
Siders and his wife, Mary, have a son, Riley, who is a senior at Levelland High School. His wife is president of the Levelland Chamber of Commerce.