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Jeopardy!
fans are familiar with the category "Potpourri." It is a
category having a combination of topics, and most of the time the topics
are related to a certain area, but not always. The June Sentinel
article featured the years 1951-55 and focused on selected Chapter
reports sent to the Alabama Future Farmer magazines. This month’s
article will highlight a potpourri of FFA activities from the years
1956-1960.
The
August-September 1955 issue of the Alabama Future Farmer magazine
focused on the winners from the 1955 State FFA Convention. There were
only three judging contests: livestock, poultry and dairy. (Today, there
are five judging contests.) Winning the livestock contest was
Scottsboro, Goodwater won the dairy and Northport won the poultry.
During this era
of FFA, there was a Tri-State Quartet Contest composed of winning
quartets from Alabama, Florida and Georgia. The 1955 State Quartet and
Tri-State winner was the Millport FFA Quartet. The Millport foursome
netted the third straight victory for an Alabama quartet between leading
quartets from Alabama, Georgia and Florida. [The contest was won by the
Corner FFA Quartet (Jefferson County) in 1954 and by the East Brewton
Quartet (Escambia County) in 1953. The Prattville Chapter won the 1957
state contest and the Tri-State Quartet Contest.] The winner of the
contest did not advance any further since there was no regional or
national contest for quartets.
Frank McDonald
was hired as the FFA & Vo-Ag News Editor in 1955. His duties were to
devote most of his time to writing news stories and making pictures of
FFA and Vo-Ag activities throughout the State. Don Turner replaced him
in 1956.
A total of 258
State FFA Degrees were presented at the 1955 State Convention. The
Northeast District had 71 degree recipients, the Northwest District 50,
the Central District 33, the Southwest District 39 and the Southeast
District 65. The Wetumpka, Luverne and Hartford Chapters had six each.
1956 and 1957 State Conventions had 272 State FFA Degrees awarded each
year. The 1958 Convention bestowed the State FFA Degree upon 281
recipients. State FFA Degrees were given to 242 members at the 1959
State Convention.
One hundred and
four FFA members completed the tenth annual Forestry Camp in August 1955
sponsored by the Southern Pulpwood Association, its member mills in
Alabama and the Department of Conservation’s Division of Forestry.
Pete Funderburg of the Pell City Chapter was elected Chief Forester and
was awarded a 60-dollar wrist watch.
A typical meal
for these 104 FFA members consisted of 1,000 rolls, 90 pounds of meat
and 40 pounds each of tomatoes and potatoes. Evidently there was plenty
of competition in the field of eating.
Alabama had 12
FFA members to receive their American Farmer Degree at the 1955 National
Convention. Fourteen FFA members received their American Farmer degree
in1956, 1957 and 1958.
L.J. Howell, who
was considered dean of vocational agriculture teachers and FFA advisors
in Alabama, retired July 1, 1956. He taught at Pickens County High
School in Reform for 38 ½ years. Howell became one of the six vo-ag
teachers employed in Alabama on January 1, 1918, after the U.S. Congress
authorized high school vocational agriculture classes under the
Smith-Hughes Act of 1917. He was the only one of the nation’s original
vocational agriculture instructor’s to remain at the same school for
his entire period of service.
Farm Safety was
the FFA Project of the Year for 1956. The entire 1956-57 school year and
articles in the Alabama Future Farmer emphasized all aspects of
farm safety. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Ezra Taft Benson gave the
challenge of improving farm living across the U.S. at the State
President’s Conference. Throughout the school year articles and
puzzles on safety were published in the Alabama Future Farmer
magazine. The first state safety awards were awarded at the 1957 State
Convention.
J.C. Cannon,
State FFA Advisor, died in September 1956 of a heart attack. Cannon
started his career in 1923. Before he was named State Advisor in 1945,
he served as a teacher, high school principal, district supervisor and
associate supervisor of vocational agriculture. T.L. Faulkner replaced
Cannon as State Advisor.
Faulkner reported
in the fall of 1956 that 23,300 pounds of mailbox steel had been ordered
through the state association for Chapters to use in FFA mailbox
programs. Additional reinforcing supplies were purchased locally or
through surplus depots. Faulkner said the FFA was the official
organization approved by the U.S. Post Office Department to place its
name on the mailbox posts.
George Guess,
Jr., of Stevenson and State Vice President in 1956-57, won the state,
tri-states and regional public speaking contests. He placed fourth at
the national contest in 1957.
Edward Bornholt,
a Foley FFA member, won the National Farm Electrification Contest at the
1958 National Convention.
Byron F. Rawls
was named State FFA Executive Secretary in June 1959. He taught five
years each at Evergreen High School and Auburn High School. Rawls is the
only Alabama native to become the National Advisor, a position he held
from 1979 to 1983.
The
October-November 1959 Alabama Future Farmer had an editorial
entitled, "How to Kill Your Organization." It listed 16 things
one can do to kill any organization and they are as pertinent today as
they were when published in 1959.
"1) Don’t
attend meetings. 2) If you do go, go late. 3) If the weather isn’t
pleasant, stay at home. 4) Don’t accept any office; it’s easier to
criticize. 5) Never approve anything your officers or committeemen do.
6) Insist on official notices being sent you, but don’t pay any
attention to them. 7) Don’t waste any courtesy at a meeting; it’s up
to your officers. 8) When you don’t like what’s going on, say so,
but under no circumstances offer any constructive suggestion(s). 9)
Devote most of your time to talking, let someone else do the work. Do
your talking in an undertone to the fellow sitting next to you so that
nobody around you can hear what is going on in the meeting. 10) Don’t
cooperate with any officer; make them cooperate with you. 11) Don’t
affiliate with your state organization; let the other Chapters do that
– it’s easier. 12) Don’t attend your federation meetings. Your
Chapter is good enough on a local basis and it’s too much trouble to
help a weaker Chapter. 13) Don’t try to get new members in your
community even though there are young men who need training and who
would take over responsibilities in the future. 14) Don’t plan a
well-rounded program of instruction and recreation based on local needs
with every member on a committee to work out plans. 15) Don’t pay your
dues even though the amount is so small you wouldn’t miss it; let
George do it. 16) Remember, you know more than anyone else about
everything. If they don’t agree with you, they are wrong."
And finally, the
new home of the National Future Farmer Supply Service at Alexandria,
Virginia, was dedicated in July 1959 at the National Leadership Training
Conference. Soils from every state in the nation were spread on the
ground during the dedication ceremony.
Jacob Davis is FFA
Executive Secretary. |
