Alumni plan surprises for
Jischke at Ag Fish Fry
 By
Laura Pelner
Campus Editor
One of the Ag Fish Fry's more famous moments was
when a big macaw parrot pooped shaving cream on people and caused one
man to lose his toupee.
"We had a macaw parrot that was pooping shaving
cream on speakers that day; it was a prop above the lectern. John Myers,
(a former congressman), made a comment about if it would make hair grow
and then flipped off his toupee," said Donya Lester, the executive secretary
of the Agriculture Alumni Association, the group that hosts the annual
Ag Fish Fry, now in its 106th year. The fish fry starts today at 11:30
a.m. in the Armory.
The spirit of the fish fry is a jovial one, and
part of the event includes humorous skits and pranks at the expense
of those who attend.
Lester said that one year she had the senators
and Gov. Frank O'Bannon wearing hula skirts doing the Hoosier Hula.
Last year Lt. Gov. Joe Kernan dumped a glass of
milk on his own face.
"We've done all sorts of things (to people). They
love it; they ham it up," said Lester.
This year will be even more special because the
Purdue agriculture alumni will be introducing a new person to the festivities.
"We're honoring (Purdue president Martin) Jischke and his first year
(at Purdue)," said Lester. "There are surprises (in store for him).
We'll introduce him to the humor, poke fun at him a little bit. We're
going to inaugurate him as our fearless leader."
Bob Ritchie, a member of the fry's planning committee,
said he's excited to see Jischke's reaction. "It's going to be great.
I want to see how President Jischke reacts to this since it's his first
one," said Ritchie.
"We're not going to humiliate anyone but I think
we're kind of seeing how some of the new folks react to what we do.
When you're in on the planning you're anxious to see if some of the
gags you planned turned out to be funny," said Ritchie.
One of the biggest mysteries surrounding the fish
fry is the fact that it serves pork tenderloins, not fish. Lester said
that in the past pork prices reached record lows for farmers. "We (switched
to pork) to draw attention (the year the prices fell). We broke a 50-year
tradition that brought a lot of attention to people who didn't realize
what was happening to pork farmers," said Lester.
"When we served it Indiana Packers donated (the
pork). We didn't know how it was going to work out because it was all
new to us. It was wonderful; people loved it," said Lester.
She added, "We spoof everything else; why not have
a fish fry without fish?"
At this year's fish fry three men will receive
the Certificate of Distinction Award, including Ritchie, who used to
work for 4-H and has been involved with the fry for many years.
"(I've been coming) for at least 35 years, since
back in the mid-'60s," said Ritchie. "Back in the early days I was in
a committee that made slaw. Then I started being one of the actors in
the skits. When I got on campus, I became involved in the planning committee."
Ritchie said he's always enjoyed the fish fry.
"For me it's always a great time. It's always fun to see some of your
colleagues you went to school with," said Ritchie.
Regarding his award, Ritchie said he's honored.
"It's given to folks who have continued to carry on the banner of agriculture
in a positive way after they've left Purdue," said Ritchie. "I'm embarrassed
to talk about it that way. It's humbling to have somebody nominate you
and be chosen. It's something I never expected to receive because there's
been so many other excellent people."
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