An Avid UMass Basketball fan and devoted professor, Fergus Clydesdale may be one of the most loyal individuals working within our university. A native of Canada, Clydesdale moved to Amherst in the early 1960’s after a tempting offer to study at the University of Massachusetts, and he’s never looked back.
Clydesdale was born in Toronto, but the family moved to Northern Ontario, a dryer climate, after his father had taken ill. With a population of 374 people, Clydesdale recollects without hesitation, the town was without a theatre, a market, a store—it did however have three skating rinks. So Clydesdale, like any true Canadian, played ice hockey.
“It was a summer resort,” he reminisces. “You ever see the movie Dirty Dancing? It was just like that. I was a waiter at an old-fashioned dance hall. Live bands played every night.” He laughs as he recalls partying with the likes of Louie Armstrong.
Clydesdale received a General Arts degree from the University of Toronto, and soon after was offered a scholarship in Food Chemistry. He remained there to receive both a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in Food Chemistry. He soon learned that he didn’t like the medical research he was doing and the work that it required involving animals. So when UMass Professor Jack Francis offered him the chance to come to UMass to study Food Science and Technology, he took it.
Growing up, Clydesdale never pictured himself as a teacher. When asked what else he would do for a living if he wasn’t a food science professor, he responds, “I can’t imagine doing anything that didn’t involve working with students. I got pushed in that direction and it’s the greatest thing that ever happened to me.” He could see himself, however, teaching philosophy or history—two of his concentrations before receiving his General Arts degree.
Clydesdale was the head of the Food Science Department at UMass for 20 years, retiring from the position in 2008. During that time he’s published some 375 articles and coauthored and/or edited over 20 books. While he’s won countless awards for his research, the one he considers most precious was the Distinguished Teaching Award he received in 1972 from UMass. It’s the only award that’s displayed on a shelf in his office. While a list of his accomplishments could be its own book, he says his greatest achievement is being given the opportunity to teach at UMass—including the courses he created and the students—both graduates and undergraduates that he has met over the years and had the opportunity to watch graduate. He’s been offered to teach at Cornell University, Ohio State, University of Florida, and University of Nebraska among others, and declined each offer to remain teaching at UMass.
“It’s an incredible place for students. We have diversity in every aspect. Not just race but economic diversity, religious diversity,” he explains.
While Clydesdale has selflessly given up his position as head of the Food Science Department and literally given up his office to make room for new members of the department, he remains an employee at UMass as the Director of the Food Science Policy Alliance, and as a mentor to his students.
“I always tell my students, ‘Just keep going until you hit a wall. Then you change directions and you keep on going,’” says Clydesdale.
He was given the opportunity to step down and remain a faculty member, but Clydesdale thought better of it to allow a new professor with new ideas to start programs and research to come into the department.
In retrospect, would he change any of the decisions he’s made so far?
“Nothing…nothing…not even the mistakes,” he answers with a smirk.
The Food Science Policy Alliance is a master’s program that Clydesdale initiated that strives to find ways to incorporate science into the policy-making process.
“Unfortunately, much of our policy—particularly in the area of food and health—is policy made because it makes people feel good, rather than on the basis of scientific data,” he explains.
Some of Clydesdale’s other projects have included being on the committee to revise the Dietary Guidelines for America in 2005, and taking part on the Keystone committee, which was essentially a think tank to develop a labeling system on the packaging of foods (a project that took about 3 years) in Washington D.C. He currently serves on the National Academy Institute of Medicine’s Food Nutrition Board that decides the daily values for the U.S. He served on the same board for two terms in the 1990’s, and just completed a first term again, also in D.C. He does pro-bono work as the Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the National Life Sciences Institute, and is currently on a subcommittee to evaluate the research mission of the Food and Drug Administration. Retired, yes. Bored, no.
Speaking of his retirement in June 2008, Clydesdale laughed, saying, “I don’t think I’m any less busy! But it’s busy in a different way.”
So what does a food scientist and health expert like to eat? You won’t see him sitting over a bowl of what looks like rabbit food. “Something with pasta and tomato paste and spice in it,” Clydesdale says sprightly. “Which is funny because my parents are Scottish immigrants. Tomato paste and pasta aren’t exactly a Scottish diet. And I love gumbo, and dessert!” he continues. He and his son, the head cook at Franklin Dining on the UMass campus, share the same love of dessert.
As we part ways in a café on the UMass campus, he turns over his shoulder and yells, “Just keep going until you hit a wall!”
