Art Hussey

April 27, 2023by Dale Moore

Submitted by: Vince Verbeke

George Arthur Hussey Jr. (G. Art Hussey)

July 17, 1939 – July 21, 2013

Dr. George “Art” Hussey, Jr., was a Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) Professor who lead the Northeast region computer feasibility study in 1983. At that time, Penn State received grants of $1.6 million from the W.K. Kellog Foundation as well as $801,623 from 10 states (Connecticut, Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia) and the District of Columbia for 5 and half years. Note: these dollars equate to 7 billion in 2023.

While still the director of the Northeast Computer Institute Art also transitioned to be the Penn State College of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Services State Leader of Computer Services. In 1985 he was part of Penn State’s 10-year strategic plan with a focus on telecommunications. This plan created the Penn State Office of Telecommunications. In initial stated goal by then University President Dr. Bryce Jordan was that it would “have the responsibility for planning and implementing telecommunications services – voice, data, and video – throughout the University.” This would include installing a state-wide “backbone” to all Penn State locations. Part of the amazing piece at that time was that all locations did include county extension offices.

With Art’s leadership, very early in the telecommunications age there was a computer network of agriculture offices around the commonwealth. By 1986 all 67 of Pennsylvania county extension offices as well as 5 research centers had telecommunication access to dial-up email (PENmail based on VAX mainframes). The VAX mainframe also was tasked to host early development of the creation of PENpages.

PENpages was first used as an information delivery tool for Pennsylvania Extension agents and specialists in 1984, then was expanded for public access in 1985. At a time when long distance calls cost money to residents. To enable access to rural users, each county Extension office hosted a “local access” call in phone number for PENpages.

Within 5 years, PENpages was a full-text, bulletin board information service. It was an early demonstration of the power of sharing information through the Internet. PENpages contained information on agricultural sciences, human nutrition, ageing, family, community development and consumer issues for use by field-based extension professionals and public clientele. The system was the home of three national databases including MAPP – The Family and Economic Well-Being National Database, PER – Poultry Extension Resources, and Senior Series, a gerontology database. PENpages was instrumental in the dissemination of information relating to family issues during the war in the Persian Gulf.

For a number of year, this same network also hosted a separate but equal system for Pennsylvania’s over 500 school districts. PANET was an income stream for the College and PENpages. It was used to fund positions for the expansion and improvement of PENpages.

Art brought NETC 1991 to Hershey, PA for its 5^th conference. The Penn State College of Ag Sciences Computer Services team had to plan, pick up and move all our equipment 100 miles to the conference site. Just before his retirement in 2003, Penn State hosted NETC 2002 at the on campus Nittany Lion Inn. In another first for NETC, we hosted after hours game session on the big screen through the use of high end video projectors. He would have attended all 17 NETC conferences to that point.

For a number of years before the conference held their own after hours welcome rooms, Penn State and Art would host a room with “refreshments” for NETC attendees. This allowed attendees to meet/mingle/share stories of failure and success, as well as make life long connections, that continued into the 21 century and to this very day.

Until his retirement, Art continued to lead Penn State College of Ag Sciences Computer Services team through the early days of the Internet and adoption of new technologies. It should be mentioned that Art chose to “Be Different” at the time. Penn State was an Apply Macintosh shop for years, unlike other Extension

His lasting legacy remains the Penn State College of Agriculture Sciences Information Technologies group. Art was committed to having his team attend NETC, become NETC leaders. This also continues to 2023.

Dr. George “Art” Hussey, Jr. was recognized by his fellow technology leaders of the time as a visionary as well as a mentor. I feel that he should be include first annual NETC Hall of Fame in memoriam.

Submitted by: Brian Webster

Art Hussey was an early pioneer in using technology in Extension and the early NETC conferences. I believe he was involved in the first NETC conference in 1986, and that he would have hosted the 1991 conference in Hershey PA

Under Art’s direction, Penn State was a leader in using technology in the early years. He was a leader in putting computers in county offices. In addition, Penn State had Penn Pages, a way to share Extension information online long before the World Wide Web (WWW) or gopher.

He also believed in the value of networking between sessions and after hours at conferences. For many years, he hosted a “Penn Pages Reception” one evening at the conferences, and this is where many ideas were shared, discussed, and developed. Maybe a few stories (maybe even tall tales) were thrown around also.

Art was a great mentor for me in my career. I think the first time I met him is when Iowa State asked him to come to Iowa State to do some consulting work, and to give recommendations for how we could improve the use of technology in our state. Then, when I started going to conferences, I would try to go to dinner with Art and his wife (Suzanne) and I always learned a lot about technology, and about being a leader. I remember one time, when there was a special meeting at Cornell University in New York, where many states came together to talk about putting reporting systems online. Art, I, and a few others sat up one night in the hotel lobby discussion all the different systems that people were required to report to, and how some of this might be consolidated. This informal session influenced what we did in Iowa, and I’m sure it also influence other states as well.

Here are 2 of the most memorable thing he helped mentor me on early in my career.

That everyone on my team will have different strengths and weaknesses, and that I should encourage people to use the strengths to help make the team stronger
No matter how big a project is, I should be able to pitch it using a single piece of paper. That I should have the backing documentation, but I should do the work of interpreting everything to make a simple, straight forward presentation on the project.

With his influence on the early days of NETC, I believe Art deserves to be in the initial class of Hall of Fame members, and am happy to be able to nominate him.