“Personal Mention” by
Frank Jeter, as published in the August, 1954, issue of Extension Farm-News
Happy is he with whom the element of surprise remains a
constant companion, or he would fail to see the new things which happen all about
him, which is by way of paying tribute to 4-H Week, celebrated here on the
State College Campus July 19 to 24.
This editor has been thrilled by some great
music in his lifetime, but he has never heard anything more beautiful or more
impressive than our National Anthem as sung by the 1,200 youthful delegates in
the Coliseum at one of the general Club Week assemblies. A pity those renegade
citizens of America who prefer to believe the teachings of foreign gangsters
above the truth of life in this good land could not hear something like that
once in a while. 4-H Club Week surprised everyone who had a part in it. It did
what cannot be done. It was an improvement over the last one, and the way in
which those rural boys and girls can stage complete new pageants, can think of
new talent enterprises, and can sow such a wonderful understanding of their
motto and pledge must always be a mystery. Perhaps it is a part of our American
heritage. If so, let’s hope we never lose it.
Our manners then to Mr. Harrill
and to each member of his competent staff and to all extension people who gave
their time and energy to make the occasion such a success. Typical of how these
young people regard accomplishment at the Short Course was seen when Otis Ray
Bullock of Edgecombe and Sara Sugg of Craven were crowned King and Queen of
Health. Sara just about collapsed, and well she should because she had won the
State Championship over some of the finest looking young ladies to win their
way up to the state finals in many a year.
Word comes from the mountains of Macon County that a group
of citizens who admired the work of Sam Mendenhall have established the Sam W.
Mendenhall Memorial Loan Fund to aid deserving young people to complete their
educations at this College. The fund is to be administered by a committee
composed of the county farm agent, the county superintendent of education, and
Mrs. Mendenhall, or such a person as she may designate. Tom Fagg said the fund
jumped to $738 within a few hours after it was proposed, and money is still
coming in. A tribute to a great gentleman and hard-working county agent.
Another tribute to the selfless service of Dean Colvard,
Brice Ratchford, Gene Starns, Brooks James, Charlie Williams, and others who
helped to make a success of the two-week short course sponsored by the North
Carolina Bankers Association. The Tarheel
Banker carries a laudatory editorial in its August issue about the short
course and those who made it possible.
Three long-time agricultural workers have retired to less
arduous pursuits. Oscar Phillips leaves the 4-H Club organization and Dr. S.G.
Lehman the plant disease department. Oscar has checked in 32 years of service
and Dr. Lehman a bit over 40 years. Miss Nellie Fort, who covers her typewriter
as of August 31, tops both with 46 years of service to the college, largely in
the animal husbandry department. Miss Fort is as much a part of State College
as is Holladay Hall and will be missed.
Neill Smith was among those who came back to school during
the Professional Improvement Summer School and after playing tribute to the
college for what has happened on the campus since he was graduated in 1925,
Neill began to dream of how different things would be if only the railroad did
not cut right through campus. He asserts that the railroad should be moved and
Neill, bear in mind, is accustomed to having his way.
For 28 years, the Negro Extension office in Alamance has
entertained the official county personnel with a watermelon slicing in the
basement of the County Courthouse on the first Monday in August. The occasion
was started by J.W. Jeffries and has been continued by Plese Corbitt and Mrs.
Carrie S. Wilson who did the honors again this August with 31 cold, tasty Congo
melons sliced for their friends and acquaintances on the Alamance County staff.
The Squire of Haw River* was there and a neighborly occasion was enjoyed by
all.
Surry County has issued its community improvement booklet Working Together in Surry County and a
credit to the county.
The 73 touring farm folks from Rockingham County enjoyed
their visit through the Valley of Virginia into Pennsylvania, Delaware, and
Maryland where they mainly studied broiler and vegetable processing and
marketing.
John Gray has written personal letters of congratulation to
Austin Garriss of Montgomery, Pat Patton of Rutherford, Jim Farley of Cherokee,
Emerson Black of Alleghany, Max Culp of Caldwell, H.L. Hendrix of Richmond,
Harry Silver of Swain, Julian Glazener of Transylvania, Wayne Franklin of Haywood
and Mac McMahan of Scotland for ranking as the first 20 counties in North
Carolina in settling forest tree seedlings during the past season.
UNC-TV is scheduled to go on the air on October 6. A nice
new studio is being rapidly completed on the State College campus and plans
have been perfected for farm, farm home and garden shows each day.
J.C. Conklin of Grassy Creek brought championship honors to
Ashe County for showing the grand champion in the annual Tri-County lamb show
held at Boone this year.
Watch how regularly Grover Dobbins is hitting the news
columns of the Taylorsville Times
with good photographs and stories of important agricultural happenings in
Alexander County.
So is that team in Catawba County. “Miss Hattie” reports
2,588 clippings recovered in June and a gradual climb in the use of stories and
items about our Negro Extension workers and farmers.
Which, by the way, reminds us that the 32nd
Annual State Conference of Negro Farmers and Homemakers at the A.&T.
College was something to boast about. R.E. Jones is one of the sparkplugs in
this annual summer gathering, and he goes about handling it with his usual
efficiency and dispatch.
Herbert Brewer’s Chilean Nitrate organization has placed two
fellowships in the School of Agriculture for research with certain botany and
agronomy problems and our thanks to him and his local state director, Ralph
Wehunt.
Again is heard the dulcet voice of E.L. Topping choralling
the virtues of Hyde County and how they grow celery that doesn’t need salt,
high-quality peppers, the sweetest sweet corn, and cucumbers which apparently
change over into choice pickles. And says the sweet singer of Hyde, “All this
can be no surprise because everything we produce in Hyde County is of the best
quality.” But his voice lacks that lyric quality as he comments about the
fellow who records officially that Hyde produces only 35 bushels of corn an
acre. Topping says he has been searching for that acre of corn since he has
been county agent in Hyde.
Earl Butz of Purdue, important to us hereabouts mainly
because he is the husband of the former Mary Emma Powell of Turkey, Sampson
County, has been named Assistant Secretary of Agriculture to succeed Dr. Hannah
of Michigan, which again shows the influence of a good wife and 4-H training.
Put it down in your permanent records that the first Summer
School for Extension Workers was a success, made so in large measure by the
type of student who attended. Those of us who had a part in the school are
pleased with how it was handled and with the results secured.
One of the penalties of practicing those things preached, in
the case of John Harris, at least, was to put his home and grounds somewhat
into the same situation that a gold fish finds himself. It started last June
when John invited the folks to come see his 300 or so azaleas and it continued
during Farm and Home Week when 1,275 people were counted one day inspecting his
lovely lawn. And even until this late in summer, three or four cars stop every
day at the Harris home.
Remember Jim Ridout, formerly with the Extension Engineering
office? Jim is turning in a good job as editor of Electricity on the Farm magazine.
Finally, speaking of jobs well done, don’t overlook what is
happening in all phases of extension, especially 4-H Club work in tiny Polk
County. The cooperative firm of Paul Culberson, R.D. Flake, Mrs. Essa Shaw and
Mrs. Elizabeth Ormand is really getting things done.
Our sympathy to Chancellor Bostian on the passing of his
father, W. Russell Bostian on August 3. Mr. Bostian had reached the ripe age of
72 after a useful and active life. Burial was in the Green Lawn Cemetery at
China Grove, the Bostian home community.
-=-
*Squire Scott of Haw
River was W. Kerr Scott, N.C. Commissioner of Agriculture from 1937-1948, Governor
from 1949-1953 and U.S. Senator from 1954-1958
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