Former students of reproductive physiology professor Robert Godke gathered to honor Godke at a reception on August 8 are endowing a graduate scholarship in his name. Pictured are former students Michael Crouch, Stephen Pool, Godke, Godke’s former research associate Richard Denniston and former student Brett Reggio. (Photo by Tobie Blanchard, LSU AgCenter)

Robert Godke and his wife, Bonnie, listen to former students tell stories of their time studying reproductive physiology under Godke. (Photo by Tobie Blanchard, LSU AgCenter)

News Release Distributed 08/11/15

BATON ROUGE, La – Robert Godke’s students have called him a mentor, a friend and a father figure.

Former students of the LSU Boyd Professor Emeritus gathered with Godke and his family on Aug. 8 at the Animal and Food Sciences Laboratories Building on LSU’s campus for a reception to honor the man who for 40 years oversaw the LSU AgCenter’s reproductive physiology program.

The former students are a tight-knit group who were graduate students under Godke. They call themselves the “Repro Rangers,” and many have contributed to a scholarship named in Godke’s honor.

Daniel Berry, a professor at Stellenbosch University in South Africa, who studied with Godke in the 1990s, flew in for the event.

“He is a brilliant man,” Berry said. “And he became a dear friend.”

Stephen Pool, a cryobank director at Fairfax Cryobank in Fairfax, Virginia, said Godke had the ability to bring out the best in his students. He said he was grateful that Godke took a chance on him when he accepted him into his program in the mid-1970s.

“I wasn’t the student with the top grades or the best SAT scores, but he took a chance on me, and I respect him for that,” Pool said.

Godke said it wasn’t the students with the best grades or scores who were the most creative in the lab. He said he stressed that they must have their own ideas, and charged them with proving him wrong – a challenge that was intimidating to the students but rewarding when they succeeded.

Richard Denniston, who worked with Godke at the AgCenter for 20 years, said Godke measured his success by his students. He noted that many of the Repro Rangers have gone on to become leaders in human and animal embryology, artificial insemination, fertility research and genetic engineering.

“His legacy goes beyond this room and the rangers,” Denniston said at the ceremony. “Based on the people in this room, Bob has been very successful.”

Klaus Wiemer, a former student and owner of Poma Fertility in Seattle, Washington, couldn’t attend the reception but said not a day goes by that he doesn’t use the lessons and advice Godke gave him.

“He always was and always will be more than a professor. He was a mentor, a dad, a friend all in one amazing package,” Wiemer said.

He also said Godke helped foster a strong camaraderie among the Rangers. He said work in the lab was done for the best of the team, not the individual.

“Repro Rangers are like a family. If one of them calls, you stop and help that person no matter what,” Wiemer said.

A common theme in the remarks from the former students was that Godke was tough and pushed students to their limit but always aimed to help them succeed.

“We all bleed purple and gold because of him,” Wiemer said. “He has given a piece of his soul to each of us, and we wouldn’t be where we are today without him.”

Godke’s sister, Julie Wilson, said her family is proud of the world-renowned work of her brother. She told of Godke’s high school counselor.

“The counselor told him he was not college material and that he should go to trade school,” Wilson said, adding that Godke and his students went on to discover many firsts in the area of reproductive physiology. And he earned the LSU’s highest faculty honor, the Boyd Professorship.

Godke said he is proud of his students and grateful to have had the opportunity to work with so many.

The Repro Rangers have raised more than $100,000 toward the Robert A. Godke Jr. Endowed Graduate Scholarship.

“It’s phenomenal what they are doing, and I’m just shocked,” Godke said.

Wiemer said the Rangers want students who won’t have the privilege of studying under Godke to still benefit from his legacy.

“Our hope is this scholarship will be a mechanism for students down the road who are curious and hard-working to pursue reproductive physiology,” Wiemar said.