After serving as the College of Agriculture, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences’ Extension Information Specialist for almost 30 years, Dennis Brown is retiring.

Brown’s duties as the Extension Information Specialist required him to write about the many facets of the CAHNRS, as well as serve as a contact for reporters.

Brown’s job often required him to cover some irregular subject matter. Take for instance Brown’s work with Morty the Moose, a WSU research animal who found fame walking across the opening credits of the TV show, “Northern Exposure.” For years, Brown said he would take reporters to the research facilities where Morty lived and introduce them.

“It was one of my favorite memories, letting the reporters feed Morty bananas,” Brown said.

The story of Morty was wildly popular with the press and the death of Morty was reported by papers nationwide, Brown said.

Brown also had the opportunity to write about the explosion of Mount St. Helens. Department chairs of CAHNRS were quickly brought together to determine what the damage was and what the college could do. Brown remembers with avid enthusiasm the chaotic efforts to scramble information and reassure the public.

Brown has a reputation amongst his co-workers as “calm in a sea of chaos,” said Kathy Barnard, the director of marketing news services for CAHNRS.

“Dennis always knew the answer and if he didn’t, he knew where to find the answer,” Barnard said.

Brown, who earned a journalism degree at the University of Iowa, began working as the WSU CAHNRS Extension information specialist in 1979, after a telegraph from then-president Glenn Terrell informed Brown he had the job.

Since then Brown has covered some of the most significant events for CAHNRS. Brown fondly remembers when a story he released about the cross-breeding of domestic cattle was picked up by a Kyoto wire service. Soon, an entire Japanese news crew was reporting from the wheat fields in Pullman, Brown said.

Brown considers his nomination of the noted WSU agricultural scientist, Orville Vogel, to the Washington State Centennial Hall of Honor as the greatest achievement of his career. Vogel was accepted and was soon after featured in Washington Magazine.

On the eve of Brown’s retirement, co-workers and friends are sad to part ways with such a great newsman. Friends and colleagues held a retirement celebration for Brown on Thursday in Hulbert 223.

Scott A. Yates, the Director of Communication at the Washington Grain Alliance, said Brown was a great resource for reporters.

“It’s not the stories he helped me on that I will remember so much as his willingness to help,” Yates said.

Post-retirement, Brown said he is looking forward to living a relaxing life in Arizona and writing his first mystery novel.

“He was every employer’s dream,” Barnard said. “The retirement of Dennis really is a loss to the institution.”