Dr. Joe Thomas Cardwell



Dr. Joe Thomas Cardwell died Saturday, Nov. 1, at the age of 81. He was

 born Feb. 19, 1922 in Odell, Texas, to Hester and Bertha Cardwell. He 

married Leota Patterson on Sept. 12, 1942.



They had been married 61 years.



Dr. Cardwell received his bachelor's and master's degrees in dairy science 

at Texas Tech University. He received his doctoral degree in animal 

science at North Carolina State University. He came to Mississippi State 

University in 1952 as a professor in dairy science.



He taught most of the courses in the field of dairy foods including courses 

in cheese making-Edams, cheddar, and cottage. He was proud to say he 

taught several hundred students how to make the famous Edam cheese. He

 enjoyed giving tours of the MSU cheese plant.



He held joint appointments with the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry 

Experiment Station and the Mississippi State University Extension 

Service. He was a member of Gamma Sigma Delta, Sigma Xi, and Phi Tau 

Sigma and was listed in Who's Who in the South and Southwest and 

Leaders in American Science. He retired from MSU with 42 years of 

service and was awarded professor emeritus status. 



Dr. Cardwell was the recipient of the National Kraft Dairy Science 

Teaching Award, MSU Alumni Association Teaching Award, Gamma 

Sigma Delta Teaching Award, and the Alpha Zeta Outstanding Teaching 

Award. He was a MSU Patrons of Excellence donor.



He was extremely active in the community working in areas such as the 

United Way Budget and Allocations committee, Oktibbeha County 

Hospital auxiliary patient representative, Cancer Society Relay for Life 

committee, Golden Triangle Planning and Development District advisory 

committee, Oktibbeha County Heritage Museum advisory board, Chamber

 of Commerce, and a benefactor of the Starkville Community Theater. He 

and his wife, Leota, had been Grand Marshals of the Starkville Christmas 

Parade and recipients of the Chamber of Commerce T.E. Veitch Award. 

He had also been named a Blue Cross Blue Shield Ageless Hero.



He was a past Scout Master of Troop 45, past Grand Master of the 

Masonic Lodge, a life member of Veterans of Foreign Wars and the 

American Legion, and a past president and State vice-president of the 

Civitan Club where he had been a member for 43 years.



He was also a member of the National Association of Watch and Clock 

Collectors. His interest in Antique Clocks was an outgrowth of his being 

an Air Corp aircraft instrument specialist during World War II. He was a 

staff sergeant in the Pacific Theater.



Dr. Cardwell had also been a faithful servant to the First United Methodist 

Church, where he had been a Sunday School teacher, on the administrative 

board, Lay Leader, and chairman of the television ministry which he 

helped establish and ran a camera for 27 years. He had been on the 

Emmaus Walk and had been the chairman of the Board of Directors at the

 Wesley Foundation of MSU.



Funeral services will be held Wednesday, Nov. 5, at 10 a.m. at the First 

United Methodist Church under the direction of Welch Funeral Home. 

Officiating ministers will be the Revs. Danny Rowland, Roger Puhr, 

Prentiss Gordon and Ed Curtis. Interment will follow in the Oktibbeha 

Memorial Gardens. Visitation will be today, Nov. 4, from 5 to 8 p.m. at 

the Christian Life Center at FUMC.



In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the television ministry at 

the First United Methodist Church or the American Cancer Society.