56th National FFA Convention Proceedings

^KEEPING

AMERICA

ON THE GROW

VOCATIONAL AGRICULTURE & FFA

56thNationalFFAConvention/KansasCity,Missouri/November12,1983

Times

56th NATIONAL FFA CONVENTION PROCEEDINGS

The1983 NationalFFA Convention—so

much

packedIntososhort a time. ..on stage,so

many

awardspresented,winners named, words spoken,historymade; behindthescenes, so manydeadlines met, schedulesadjusted,propsarranged,encouragementgivenand

EVERYWHERE

surroundingtheconventioncenter,so

many

hands shook, photos snapped,

names

exchanged, memories made.

Andso,theenergyoftheconvention spreads acrossthe nation, Influencingthe lives of the nearly half-millionFFA

members

and countless individuals of ruraland urban communities.

This,the 56th NationalFFA Convention Proceedingsrecordsand saluteseveryoneinvolvedInthisconvention,andsincea photo speaks witha thousand words,the followingcover essay speaksofa portion of itall...

D,Jboa

AgriculturalMechanics Contest Louis Krusier

56th National

FFA

Convention Proceedings

1983-84 NATIONAL OFFICERS

National FFA Band* ^Company.

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Vice President CentralRegion—

RhondaScheulen; P.O.Box62Loose Creek, Missouri 65054

Vice President EasternRegion—Carol Irvine;P.O.Box248 Gaithersburg, Maryland 20877

TheNationalFFA Band,featuring96musicians,was underthe direction ofRogerHeath, Pocatello, Idaho.The bandarrivedduring the early part oftheweektopractice.This practiceletthem addtotheairofpageantry andspiritofthe conventionwith theirnumerous andvariedbandselec- tions.

Vice PresidentSouthernRegion— Vice President WesternRegion- ChuckDuggan202Hall St.Marianna, Melody Lawson; 7202West

Florida32446 Thunderbird.Peoria,Arizona 85345

National Officer Candidates

AL:MorrisLynnBaker,Eutaw;AR:Sieve Morrison. Marshall:M.Melody Lawson, Peoria;FLCharlesF.DuggarJr.,Marianna;

IA:WadeAMcFee, GuthneCenter;IL.

RodneyLMorris.Champaign.IN:DavidD Anderson,Darlington,KS:Ron Winemger, Maron;

MD

CarolSusanIrvine,Gaithers- burg; Ml: Perry

W

Storms,Centreville,MN:

StevenR.Koziolek, Wells,MO: Rhonda M.

Scheulen,LooseCreek;MS:Charles Harrell Oswalt,Mathiston;MT:BrianM.Cavey, Missoula;NC:R.MarshallStewart Jr., Greenville;ND:SoniaB.Vculek. Crete;NE:

Todd BernardKnobel. Fairbury;NM:BillB Caraway,Clovis;NV:JeffWright, Hiko;OH:

LeroyEdwardBillman,Ostrander; PA:Glenn T.Wenger, Myerstown,Puerto Rico:Juan E.Perez,SanSebastian;SC:OarrellWare Rickerts.Abbeville,TN;ElizabethSuzanne Hurt, Halls;TX:JohnDerrick,Linden, UT:

JanetBennion. Vernon; VA: GeorgeAllen Bowers,Maurertown;WA:JeffAlden,Roy;

Wl:Todd Luepke, Bonduel;WY: Wayne Richard Wilson, Alva

AH:MonteWomble,Prescott,Trombone.

A2:David Keys,Mesa, Trumpet; CA:Alex Fleming, Fallbrook, Baritone; VickieMin- mch,Sebastopol, Clarinet; FL:Robert Bloodworth,Jr.,Edgewater,Percussion, Anthony Chihocky, Hawthorne, Trumpet;IA:

Alan Reiter, Ackley. Percussion;JohnJa- cobs, Albia, Percussion, Lisa Gallagher.

Dorchester, Flute.TonyFabrizio, Ellsworth.

Baritone;DavidKnzan.Fredericksburg, Trumpet; MarkSteffen,Greenfield.Tenor Sax;BruceBorrertt.Guttenberg,Trumpet, PaulAnton, LaPorte City.Trumpet;Glen Biermann, Manchester,Trombone;Anita Turner,Posrville.Horn; ID:MattHanzel, Burley,Trumpet;IL:RodneyStoll,Chest- nut,Bassoon;MatthewPestle,Good Hope.

Alto Sax; KellieMaske,Mt.Pulaski,Flute;

Randy Campbell.Pittsfield,Percussion;Rob Rupert,Pittsfield.Trombone;IN:Mandy Neitzel.Mooresville.Clarinet,JonRink.

Washington, Tuba; KS:Melissa Gerstner.

Colby,Trumpet;Michael Nichols, Longford, Trumpet;ScottNeaderhiser, Millonvale.

BaseGuitar;Patrick Sphchol,Munden, Trumpet;William Curtis,OsageCity,Tuba;

KY:SamuelPhillips,Franklin,Tuba;Stacey Blackburn, Princeton,Trumpet;MD: Mar-

garet Flanigan,RockyRidge. Clarinet; Ml:

Todd Macrimmon,,Charlotte, Tuba; Julie Funk,Waldron,Clarinet;MN:Eldon Potth- oft,Dunnell,Trombone;Bernell Schleske, FergusFalls,Percussion;Ken Thorson, Glenville,Flute;ConnieNetzke,Lamberton, Clarinet;MO:Keith Knight,AppletonCity, Trumpet.Kevin Nitsch,Jackson. TenorSax;

LynnellBunge,Marthasville,BassClarinet;

JohnWhite,Polo.Tuba;John McCarty. Re- public,Trumpet; MT:Belinda Miller. Col- stnp.Flute;DougStandley Jr., Fairfield, Trombone; BobbiBailey,Forsyth. Clarinet;

Michael Glaser,Pompey'sPillar,Trumpet;

NC:David Siade, Blanch.Trombone:Lisa Hester,Clarkton,Flute,ND:DeborahStev- ick,DesLacs, Clarinet;NE:ToddFleischer, Bennet,BaseClarinet;PattyMlady, Ver- digre,Clarinet;NJ:LauraLettenmaier,An- nandale, Clarinet;NM: KayWilliams.Lov- ington,Contra BaseClarinet,NY:David Woodside,Heuvelton,Drums;David Smith, Lisbon, Baritone;OH: MarkHarrison,Brad- ford.Bassoon; OH: Bryan Kmsley,Frank- fort,Tuba;TracyWalker,Greenwich, Drums;JulieHines, Jeromesville. Flute; Mi- chael Laughlin,Tippecanoe, Trumpet;Tony Knoll.Fairmont, Alto Sax, Lisa Oliver, Pur-

cell,Flute/Twirler;MarkStapp,Wetumka, Oboe; OR:Chris Kurtz, Elgin, Baritone; Tri- ciaMills,Forest Grove, Flute;PA: Ruth Zerbe, Bernville, Clarinet;JamesBrady, Philadelphia,Clarinet;SC:CamillaBrowne, Roebuck.Percussion;SD:MarkWelfer, Harrisburg,Trombone; TN:Craig Moeller, Martin,Trumpet:TXReginald Frost, Big Sandy, Trombone;KelliBobbitt, Greenville, Horn. Linda Halliburton, Greenville, Horn;

PamelaPolk,Katy,Clarinet;UT:BillWright, Heber, Baritone;VA: Bruce Welch. Stephens City,Trombone; WA:J.MonteLucerne, Bellingham,TenorSax; Scott Porter, Calfax, Trombone,David Cuillier. Ferndale, Alto Sax;BrettLaMar, Mason, Trumpet; Ed Wilson, Medical Lake,Trumpet; MikeHill, Monroe, Tuba; Marie Ames,Oakville,Horn;

MonaRobison, Spokane, Oboe; Wl:Chris- topherRoe,Belleville.Trombone; John Baeseman.Edgar, Baritone Sax;Dan Jacob- son,GreenBay, Alto Sax;RichardHaugh, LaFarge,Trumpet; KarenGilbert,Lomira, Percussion;MaryFranke,Mayville, Clarinet;

Christine Payne,Plymouth,Horn;Monique Jewell,Redgranite, Clarinet;Mary Konop, Rice Lake.Trumpet;WY: James Greenwald, Lingle,Trumpet;DavidAnderson,Pine Bluffs.Horn

filoti^ndl CCA i^^h^KI IC ^{s P° nsored b Y} Hallmark Cards, Incorporated I VallWJI ICt

I ¹¹

rM wllUlUo ^{and the} FFA Foundation General Fund.

New

Jersey, presented musical toasts, entertainmentandatmosphereto thisyear'sconvention.

AL:MaryPace, Scottsboro;AngieWilliams, Scottsboro;TonyWallingsford, Scottsboro;

AK:KariPerry,HotSprings,CA: Dee Oee Reed, GlenEllen;FL: JulieBrown. Lake Butler,Kathryn Cross,Wauchula;ID:Toni Denney,Midvale;Kathy Packer, Eagle;Ron- aldMihu,Clifton;IL:Tama Moreland,Spar- land;Susie Petefish,Ashland; Gayle Rankin.

WestPoint;ChristopherCarson,Washburn;

ThomasGallup,Sparland;ToddHarper, Chrisman; Timothy Sandrock,Prophets- town; IN:ConnieCaldwell,Forest;Fraces Jones, Hope;SusanSarrazine,NewHaven;

ScottDeno,Brook; CharlesJohnson,Ev- ansville;Herschei Richie, Rensselaer; IA:

Bridget Bieber.Anamosa;Heidi Fatchett.

DeWitt;ToddAbeling,Monticello;Bryon Ewing,WhatCheer;Todd Hanson,North- wood;Dwane Koch, WestUnion;Rod Mid- dleton, Clarion;KY:David Kalb, Maysville;

LA: AllenBroussard,Morse;Ml: LarryAd-

. - amsII,Watervliet;David Dietzel, Marlette;

rf^^*

—

-

=z ^^^i

MN: Tamaran Habeck, Worthmgton,Darin

C /-^r-r~\^n^^ ^^^m

Easier,Harmony; TimothyFrank,Hancock;

MichaelMadery. Kasson;David Kvaal.Daw- son, LarryMahoney,Appleton,John On- stad.Ada;PatrickPeterson, Karlstad;Roy Saturday,

November

12,

1983

PowerRamsey;MS: PennyLort.Vicks-

2

^{burg;Bray,TimothyCameron;Beard,SuzieVicksburg;}Hensen. Nevada;^MO:Terri Becky McDonald,Alton;DelorisMorrison, .Licking;Laura Sandidge,Fortuna;Cynthia

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ S

Thompson, Mount Vemon; SandraYarber.

Gatewood,Kevin Cherry,WestPlains;

WayneGimlin,Dadeville;AllenHenry. Ex- cello;WilliamMcKemy,Hardin; Brent Mil- lard.Osborn;StuartNoel,Bronaugh;David Steele,Milan;BeckyInglis,Liberty;John Wilshusen, Mora; MT:MandyMuller,Lew- istown;NE:KamaAnderson,Blair;Sheila Otte,Gordon:James Nygren, Mead; Ronald Oltman,Filley;NV:TimothyFrehner,Alamo;

NM:VictoriaAnaya,Moriarty;NY:Beth Coombe,Grahamsville;MarionStark,Hol- land Patent;ScottRahmlow,Canisteo;NC:

TanyaSolomon, Roxboro;Bradley Allen.

Pinnacle;Cameron DeBrew.Shelby;Eddie Turner, Shelby; JanetMcSwain.Shelby;

ND: Ken Enocksen, Washburn; OH: Jaimee Durkin. Mansfield;TracySchindley, Edison;

GaryBaldosser,GreenSprings; Keith Ahrns, Fort Loramie;RodMercer,Walhond- ing;Nrad;euRuffener, Bucyrus; Brian Snavely, Republic;OK:Michelle Bright,Sa- pulpa;OR: KregKenton,Boardman;Stanley Sullivan,Madras; PA:BethSnyder.Wash- ingtonBoro; Charles Hess,Robesonia;TN:

TracyBarbra. Walland; CherrieClemons.

Antioch,JohnFugate, Tazewell; TX:Steven Orr,Panhandle; UT:SandyPoll.Mountain Green;WA: JoAnnKonis,Cheney; L'Rae,

Kahlotus;MaryNp;;,Cashmere; TroyKonis, Cheney;WV:DarrelMcDaniel,Grafton;Wl:

Monica Hennes,Hubertus;JeanSmith,Au- gusta;TammyVannoy,Whitewater;Steven Drazkowski.Fountain City; Reginald Kur- schner. Blanchardville

56th National

FFA

Convention Proceedings

ENERGY CHALLENGE _{1983-84 FFA Theme}

The theme audio-visual

is

sponsored by The Wrangler Brand and the National FFA Week theme ^materials were developed, designed and promoted through the sponsorship of Estech,

Inc.

Ther

ThefinalEnergyChallengeaward was presentedtotheWest Dubuque FFAChapterotEpworth, Iowa. Adviser Alan Carlson'sstudents sponsored a schoolandcommunity energy-saving contest,a corn grower's conservation

tillagecontest,and asolarand wind- power displayattheirhighschool's career day,tocapturethisaward.The chapter alsowasinvolvedinalocal mediacampaign on conservationand builtamodel alcoholstill.

themeintroducedduring the56th conventionwillbeuseduntilthenextcon- ventiontopromote andsupportvocational agricultureandtheFFA.

Thethemeaudio-visualshownduring thecon- ventionisavailable forchapters touseattheir chapterbanguets.Theshowisalso ideal for showingatothercommunityactivities togam supportforthe totalprogram Numerousitems are available iopromotethe new themeduringNationalFFAWeek.Feb- ruary 18-25,1984.Alloftheitems are avail- ablethroughthe NationalFFA SupplyService lorusethroughoutthe year.

VIP Citations

The VIPCitationrecognizes individualswho continuallyandfaithlullyserve the FFA. This year the six recipients were:

CM

BrewerotJackson,Mississippi,dedi- cated37years of loyal serviceasa vocational teacher,FFACampdirector.FFAExecutive SecretaryandStateSupervisor of Agriculture Education.Heorganized the Mississippi State FFABoardofDirectors,isapastmemberof NationalFFA BoardofDirectorsandtheNa- tionalFFA BoardofTrustees.Brewerisalite

memberolthe NationalFFA AlumniAssoci- ationand hasrecievedtheHonoraryAmerican FarmerDegree.

JulianCampbellofRockville,Virginia,speni 2<f-yearsas Virginia'sAssociate Director of AgriculturalEducation,StateSupervisorot AgriculturalEducationandStateFFAAdvisor.

CampbellservedasNationalFFATreasurer and FFA FoundationTreasurer for 22-years.A lifememberoftheNationalFFA AlumniAs- sociation,Campbell,has beenawardedIhe HonoraryStateFarmer,HonoraryAmerican Farmer andtheDistinguished ServiceAwards bythe Virginia StateAssociationandtheNa- tionalFFAOrganizations.

Arnold B.CordesolMadison, Wisconsin,is retiringafter41years of service to vocational agriculturalandthe FFA.Cordesretiredthis JulyafterservingasStateFFAAssociation ExecutiveSecretary for 16-years.Hehas served ontheNationalFFA BoardofTrusteesand implemented such FFA programsasCreed SpeakingandParliamentaryProcedurewhile Executive Secretary.Cordes served as Su- perintendent of the NationalFFAOairy Cattle JudgingContest (12-years)andhas received both theHonoraryStateand American Farmer

Don EncksonofMakoti,NorthDakota, retired North DakotaState Supervisor of Vocational Agriculture,hasserved theFFAwellandstill continues todoso.Heiscurrently rewriting theStudentHandbook andAdvisor'sHand- book.Heisservingonthe1984NationalSOE Committeeafterworkingonthe1982National SOE Workshop committee. Encksonisas Di- rector of the NationalFFATalentprogam and hasconductedradioprograms ontheFFAfor over20years.He hasreceived both theHon- orary Stateand American FarmerDegrees.

EdwardJ HawkinsofAlexandria,Virginia, spent20years asManagerof the NationalFFA SupplyServiceand11years as theAdmin- istrativeDirector of the NationalFFAOrgani- zation until hisretirementin1982.His fiscal awarenesskept theFFAinsoundfinancialcon- ditionHawkinswasalso instrumentalinthe developmentof the NationalFFACenter build- ingsandpropertyfromthe originalplywood

"barracks"tothebeautifulcomplexknown todayas the NationalFFACenter.

Company,KansasCityMis outstanding contributions to years.He has been mstrumt Breakfast forAmericanFarn Award Winners, beenactiv CityFFA AdvisoryCouncil.

NationalFFAOfficerTourvis and beenofassistanceonm the NationalFFA FoundationintheKansasCity Area.Jensenreceived theHonoraryAmerican Farmer Dergreein1973.

uri.hasmade eFFA(ormany alinthe Butler sandNational 3n theKansas the

Board

of

Foundation Trustees

ThameMcCormick, President, Acting National FFA Advisor C.ColemanHarris,Secretary, NationalFFA Executive Secretary,USDE.

Washington,DC.

DavidMiller,Treasurer,NationalFFA Treasurer, State Dept.ofEd.,Balti- more,

MD

Robert LBell,Asst.Supvr.,Ag. Ed., South Dakota StateUniversity, Brookings,SD

RobertM. Book. IndianaInstitute ofAgriculture,Food andNutri- tion,Inc.,Indianopolis,IN

RonaldA.Brown, Assoc. Professor, Mississippi StateUniversity,Missis- sippi State,

MS

Dale Butcher,President,NVATA, WestLafayette,IN RonCrawford.ProgramSupvr.. Ag.Ed.,Tumwater,

WA

WilliamDannenhauer, State Supvr..AgOccupations, Dover,DE JanEberly,NationalFFA President.Fallbrook,CA

ClarkW.Hanson, Supvr.ofTeacher Ed.inAg., South Dakota State Uni- versity,Brookings,SD

HilmerL.Jones, Vice President,N.American Operations,Merck andCom- pany,Inc.,Rahway,NJ

DuaneNielsen,DeputyDir,Div.ofInnovationand Development,USDE, Washington, D.C.

Layton Peters, Past President,NVATA.NewUlm,

MN

C.WReed, StateSpecialist,Ag.Ed..Montgomery. AL WilliamB.Schreck,Head Consultant,AgOccupationsEd..IllinoisState BoardofEd.,Springfield,IL

EdwardR.Vrablik,President.Estech.Inc.,Chicago.IL DonaldE.Wilson,ProgramManager, Ag.Ed.,StateDept.of Ed.,Sacra- mento,CA

Board of Directors

ThameMcCormick. Chairman,Chief,Programs Services Branch. Division ofVoc. Ed.USDE,Washington, D.C.

C.ColemanHarris,Secretary DavidMiller,Treasurer

WilliamDannenhauer, State Supervisor, Agriculture Occupations, Dover, OE

NEW

CDITFUTERS in

AGRICULTURE

Award Program

Sponsored by AgriData Resources,

Inc.

The convention introduction audio-visual was sponsored by Harris Technical System.

Thenew ComputersinAgricultureawardpro- gram wasintroduced at the56thconvention andmaterialsweredistributedfollowingthe conventiontochaptersnationwide with the FFATIMES newspaper.

The majorobjective of thenew award program istorecognizeFFAmemberswho have made the greatestprogressinutilizingcomputers inagricultureandagribusiness.

Chapteradvisorsmayselectachaptermember toreceive theaward onthe locallevel.Chapter winnersthenmayapply for the staleaward.

Thestatewinnerwillthen attend a National FFA Seminar on ComputersinAgriculturein Alexandria. Virginia duringAugustof1984,

toKansasCity DuaneNielsen,DeputyDirector,DivisionofInnovationand Development, USDE,Washington, D.C.

C.W. Reed, StateSpecialist,StateDepartmentofEducation,Montgomery AL

WilliamB.Schreck,HeadConsultant,AgOccupations Education,Illinois StateBoardofEducation,Springfield.IL

LesThompson. ProgramSpecialist,AccountabilityBranchUSDE,Washing- ton.D.C.

J.W. Warren,Chief,Services Section,Programs and Services Branch, USDE,Washington, D.C.

DonaldE.Wilson,ProgramManager. Ag.Ed.,StateDepartmentofEduca- tion,Sacramento,CA

Consultants

Ronald A. Brown, Assoc. Professor, Mississippi StateUniversity,Missis- sippi State.

MS

Dale Butcher. President,NVATA, WestLafayette,IN

ClarkW.Hanson, Supvr.ofTeacherEd.inAg..South Dakota State Uni- versity,Brookings,SD

GilbertA.Long,Head, Dept.ofAg.Ed.,Utah StateUniversity,Logan,UT LaytonPeters,Past President.NVATA,NewUlm.

MN

WaltSchuh, Vice President,NVATA, Bow.

WA

EdgarP.Yoder, Asst.Prof.,Ag.Ed.,The Pennsylvania StateUniversity, University Park,PA

A s

Saturday,

November

12,

1983

^ ^r>

Distinguished Service Citations

This citationrecognizes those organizations whichexceptionally serve theFFA bycontrib- utingtime,money andpersonnel. This year thefollowing three organizationswereshown our appreciation:

The American AngusAssociation, St.Joseph, Missouri, representedbyExecutive Vice Pres- identRichardL.Spader,wasrecognized for theirsupport of the FFA. Celebrating their 10Oth anniversary,thisNationalFFAFoundation GeneralFund sponsor hasprovidedawards, teachingmaterials,audio-visualmaterials.

technicalinformationtovo-agteachersand

ButlerManufacturingCompany, KansasCity, Missouri,representedbyWernerR.Eugster, President,Agri-ProductsDivision,wasrec- ognized for their years ofsponsoring FFAac- tivitiesand supportoftheFFA, For35years Butlerhassponsoredthe NationalConvention annual award winnersbreakfast.Thisbreak- lastistraditionallyattendedbyover1,000 American Farmers andotherawardwinners.

This breakfast also recognizesandintroduces the eight Stars(American Farmers and Amer- icanAgnbusinessmen)fortheiroutstanding accomplishments.For34 yearsButlerhas continuously contributed to theFFA making themaGold sponsor.

Creswell. Munsell, Fultz. SZirbel,CedarRap- ids,Iowa, representedbyExecutive Vice Pres- ident,WilliamMunsell,wasrecognizedfor theirvariedsupportoftheFFAThey have providedcontactsfornumerousagribusi- nesses whicharenowsupportingFFA through theFFAFoundation,personallymadepres- entations to clients forFFAsupport, provided free creativeworktotheFFA Foundation and provided representatives to theFFA Founda- tionSponsors' Advisory Board. Theyalso sponsorfiveFFAWashington ConferencePro- gram (WCP)Scholarships

EDITORS BOX Volume

III,

Issue 4

The FFATIMES 56th ConventionProceed- ingsispublishedbythe NationalFFACenter Information Staff asanofficialpublication ot theNationalFFAOrganization.

FFA Information Staff

CameronC.Cubes,Director of Informati WilliamStagg, Audio-Visual Specialist; F Horan,ProgramAssistant;LauraNelson

jJohnOutcher,InformationI

FFA TIMES 56th Convention Proceedings

Staff:

LauraNelson, Editor;JohnDutcher,Associ ate Editor;CarolSobba,Associate Editor' Photographer;MarthaSeiberling,CopyEdi- tor;PegZenk,Karen Coble andCharleneIs- grig,Proofreaders.

The FFATIMES 56th Convention Proceed- ingsistheofficialprintedproceedingsfor theFutureFarmersofAmericaNational Convention,heldannuallyinKansasCity, Missouri.Itispublished the lastdayofthe convention.

FutureFarmersofAmericaisthe national organization ofstudents preparing for ca- reersinproduction agricultureandagribusi- ness.The FFAisincooperation with theU S.Departmentof Education.Washington,

DC

NationalFFACenter 5632MountVernonMemorial

Highway P.O.Box 15160 Alexandria,VA22309 (703)360-3600

Additional copies of theFFATIMES56th Convention Proceedingsare available throughthe NationalFFA SupplyService.

The FFATIMES56thConventionProceed- ings StaffisheadquarteredintheFFA NewsroomintheLittleTheatre of theMu- nicipalAuditorium.

56th National

FFA

Convention Proceedings

National Officers Retire

KEEP THE FIRE

JanEberty. National President Thereisonly tartness

—

deepest

am

Then,through the black,

we

seea Sght

Theglowrises o'er the river higher.

Oaf'sbegan

—

^withthe riseoffire!

"There'sa

rim

intheeveningember

fluffingoatoanendlesssea You'dbewellonyourwayityou

could only set saiL Batdreams candriftaway andsails

canfillwith donbi.

Where's yourvisioniftheembers ffickeroot?

Don't letitsop from view

?are waiting

—

Your So KEEP

WE HHf

^.'"

Ona dark stormy day over a year agofsat ona rockona mourrSiriandpondered those words. Keeptriefire",Ithadbeenmonths sinceId blown outOreflamefromthiscandle enanotrtersage 2nd concluded a wonderful year asstate president.NowIsaton a windy mountain wanderingwhatlayahead.Ilowered myhead,closedmyeyes and asked

—

not necessarily toknow whatthe future held, but fortheelementsof thatfire.Iprayedfora fierycooraafi, fara burningdeterminationand foraradiant*armthof love.WhenIraised myheadagain.Ifeltawarmth onmyback max.couidortiybe whatmyeyes confirmedit was. throughthecloudshad burnedthe great- est fireweknow

—

megtowng sun.

Thatsceneyieldstoone a few weekslater, whereIbeganto discoverthose elementsI'd requestedOnmestagewhere miscandlenow burns,mere began a yearstationedbythe risingsun

—

a yearfinedwithfire.Thatfire burnedoncloudydaysanddark nights,through

westnorth tosouth

—

becauseIfoundit whereverIfound a bluejacketand thosewho believeinthemeaningof the letters,FFA.I

foundtha£ fiery courage,thatburningdeter- whenIfoundYOU.

ThefierycourageIsaw

m

thosewhoovercame fear.Fearof (adore, fear of rejection, fear of ridicule

—

theyfoughtAandtheywon!

Theysaw,the nverdreamedof theseato whichitled: thenhoisted their sailsand set forth?Youdidmore than daretodream' Varjdaredto try.and your courageamazed

me

timeaftertime.Craig couldn'thearand caoldbarelyspeak-He was beggedtospare fnmselfitheembarrassment, butCraigcouHn't beartheirpleas

—

andsaidthecreedflaw- lesslyanyway! Enriquewasonly 13-years-old andcouldn'tspeakErtgfeh."Youcan'tbein a speakingcontest."hewastotd,"Youcan't see aver the podium!" ButEnriqueclimbed up an a^rrnikcrateand gavehisspeech

—

ⁱⁿ

Spanisn

—

anyway!Myfriends,even/timeyou face fearand overcame anyway, youfuela fireofcourage, a beaconofhope.

Severaltimesthe yearIspoketoyouofthe wontsofAbraham Uncokithathaveinspired metaryears. "Iaronot boundto win.butI

ambound totry.Iamnotboundtosucceed.

tatiamboundtoSveupto the light thatI

bane"Yourlight,yourfierycourage, dares youtotry

—

to

son

toreachthegoalsyou have set Holdaloftyourfierycourage,my friends,andsailform,

roesailingmougn.isnotalwayssmooth and mereexists withinyou another elementoffire

—

a Qurningdetermination

—

thatkeepsyou toyear coarsethoughskiesarestormyand tnewaters rough.We've never been promised a smpie success;attimesitwould besafer andeasier to justblowwiththe-waywaxdwind andabandon ourgoafs.Attimeslikethese 3£respringsfromtheembers a glowof per-

&flamethatrefuses togoout!

Yourdeterminationburnswithsuchintensity thatitglowslikeany heated(ire

—

with3 colored flame:a flameofblueandgold"I believe.Ibelieve,Ibeleive",wesayoverand over againmourcreed,andwedo!Webelieve inagriculture,webelieveineachotherand believingcan accomplishmiraclesConsider this:Sheisremembered asa|oyous vibrant lady,gracefulandgreat,Iheprimaballerina oftime

—

AnnaPavlova.She never missed aperformance,not tor illnessnorforincle-

foundfarloomuchhappinessto leaveroom forcomplaint.Herlastscheduled appearance, though,wasthemostmemorableolall.It wastobeat the Apollo TheatreinLondon,in theroleshe hadmade lamous.theDying Swan. The atmosphere wasof particular ex- citement asthe orchestrabegan,the curtain wentup,thespotlights flashedandthe au- dience roseto their feet.They stoodthrough- outthe entireperformance,theireyesgazing afterthatwanderingpool ollight.Whenitwas finished, athunderingovation ol joywentforth andtheaudience cheered on andon. But they cheered anemptystage,forthroughoutthe eveningtheyhadwatchedonly the fight of the spotlights

—

justimaginingthatthe great bal- lerinawas performing. Anna Pavlova haddied two daysearlier,butshedidn'tmissthat last performance becauseheraudience BELIEVED Friends,yourdreamsliveon aswell,^ifyou willbut believeandhold toyour voyage, your quest,throughhighseasandrushingwinds The embersof thaiburningdeterminationlie withinyou

—

juststirtheminto fiery flame!

Your courage anddeterminationbroughtforth tomeaspecialglowI'llalwayscherish

—

a radiantwarmthofloveIfoundfromcoast to coastand everywhereinbetween. Yourfriend- shipprovedbeyond doubtthatthe risingsun onallofourjackets trulydoesrepresent"the glorious sunlight ofbrotherhoodand coop- eration."Youwarmedmydayswith aconcern andcaring thatItreasureamongmymost valuedmemories.Ilounditwith tine folksin Coloradowho welcomed menotonlyas

"friend"butas"family".Iteltthewarmthol 100 degree Puerto RicanspringandIhe spe- cialwarmthofPuertoRican friendship as stu- dentsrefrainedfromlaughing atmyfaultering Spanishand thenlabored together to readme a thank younote ..inEnglish.Idiscovered thebeautyofTennessee'sGreatSmokyMoun- tainsinspringtimeandalsothebeautyof Tennessee Inendsatconventiontime.Love bumedeven bnghterthan the spotlightsinmy eyesaftertheinfamous "GreatFall"inVir- ginia.Thereareso manywarmmemoriesof wonderfulpeople,each remembranceisas unique astheveryspecialindividualswho inspirethem.At a leadershipconlerencein Julywetriedtodeterminethatelusive quality thatmakesFFA'erssoexceptional

—

andsim- plylabeledit"theglow".Thatglowisfound inthosewhogive olthemselves, thosewho loveand thosewhocareFriends,you have put a smileonmyfaceandjoyinmyheart dayafterday; believeme, you vegot the glow' With thosethree

—

courage,determination andlove

—

myprayerwas answeredIfound afirethaicontainedallthreeBut therewas somethingextra

—

somethingon whichIhadn't counted.Ialsofounda light to guideme, one thatlitmypaththrough a iremendouslyex- citingyear.Ihadonly to think ofitandmy directionwasclearTheIsraelitesweregiven agreat pillar offiretoleadthem,andIwas given...letmeshow youCouldthe spot- lightspleasebedirected toourguide?

Myfriends,yourfirehasbeenmyguiding light

—

alamptomyfeetandabeaconin the night.As anavigator sets hiscourse by theNorthStar,soIsetmycourse byyou, and you've guidedmethrough atrulyexcep- tionalyear.You. though,are tarmorethan stars

—

yes.morethan stars!You burnbrigh- terandstronger thananystar inthe nightsky Yourbrillianceisakin to that oloneveryspe- cialstar,theonethatwarmsourearth,grows our crops andbrightensourdays'You've shone likethesun!The FFAthrivesand growsinthe lightof thatsun,itrevolvesaroundyou¹You give theFFAitsenergy,itsvibrance,itsglow!

Ihavethrilledtoserve that radiance for365 wonderfuldays. This,though,isnumber365, but thatdoesn'tmeanthetiregoesout¹The sun keeps on burning

—

evenatnight

—

and you'llkeepon burninglong alter.andmy fellow officersaregone.

Yourfirebnghtensadarknessthatisolder thanallofus.Inthe patriotic play,"1776".

GeorgeWashingtonissaid tohaveaskedthree questionsatValleyForge. In utter despairhe asked. "Isanybodythere?Isanybodylisten- ing?Does anybody care?"Itinhis campfire hehad seenthelirethatIseeburninginyou

—

the fire thatIaskedtoronthatCdJdwindy mountainayear ago

—

Iheanswersto his questionswould have beenclear:"Yes!We're here,we'relisteningandwecaret"

Aslongasyou spark eachother,passingyour

flameofenthusiasmalonglikean Olympic Torch,youareneveraloneinyourquest;you neverface despair aloneinthe dark or cold.

You havethecouragetotry.thedetermination tosucceedandlove to share; just lookaround youfor that spark ofenthusiasm!Ilookaround nowand thank youwithallthe joyinmyheart forIheburningbrightnessandwarmth you have sharedwithmeFarewellhasneverbeen myfavoriteword, soinsteadI'llsimply ask Holdlighttoeachother

—

yourflame

burning bright Together,likethe sun. giving

warmth, love,andlight.

Keepthefaith,keeptheglow,keep thedreams youdesire But

my

friends,morethan anything

—

pray,keepIhefire!

"From Mud

Puddles to Magic Mirrors"

CaraDoyle,NationalWeePresident CentralRegion

Lileisagift,wrapped upwithribbonsand

Today, asIstandb

limitedtimewearegiventoexperienceit.

Indeed,mytermas a national officerisalmost over.Theyearhasflown quickly

—

amaze olpeopleandplaces,thousandsandthou- sandsofmiles...memoriesofanFFAjour- ney.Andnowtheysaymytimeasa national officerisnearly over.Just lookinyourpro- grams,it'slistedrightthereasclearas day.

(RETIRINGADDRESSCaraDoyle.Natiqna!

Vice President,CentralRegion,"FromMud PuddlestoMagicMirrors").

Holdeverything1What'sthe ideayouguys?

DoIlooksoold?Ialways thoughtof retire- mentmorealongthelinesofgrayhairor dentures,quieteveningstrollsormaybea condominiumsomewhere warm.Can'tyou see?Myhairisas uncontrollableasever!My teeth are alright

—

afewcavitiescannot pos- siblywarrant a rocking chair.Istillliketowear baggy sweatpants,gobarefootandblastmy Retirement?Imustprotest! But,youmaysay, thatiswhat has always been done.National officersareelectedeachNovember,they retire thefollowingNovember andtheyALWAYS givearetiringaddress.Itistradition!Allright then.Irealizenowthat traditioncan bevery difficult tochange.TodayIwillclose withmy retiringaddress, butifIalterthe idea abit, pleaseforgiveme.It'smyageyouunder- Sothen,with thatagreement,Iaskyounow tolourney |ustonelasttime withme

—

not inquitethesame waywehavetraveled this year visiting chapters,banquetsandconfer- ences. Instead please travel withmethrough the fields of theimagination.Alourney to the chamberoflight. frommudpuddlesto magicmirrors.

Picture amagnificent structure ol stairsteps, pillarsandturretsgleamingintheafternoon sunshine.There standsacastle

—

alittle crookedmaybe,butwhatdo you expect?A plastic pailandshovelcanonlydo somuch withthewarmsand onthebeach.Buttothe childrensplashinginthe saltywavesnearby, itisindeed a castle, magnificent asanyever

Saturday,

November

12.

1983 t*

\i

Times

Mov<

4 S

Movequicklynowtoagiganticcanopyofnch green.The soundsolrustling,shreiksand gigglesdriftfrom above.As youstrainyour necktoseethroughthedenseleaves ol the tree,ahead suddenly appearswithafreckled faceand abigtoothless grin.Now.thatbranch maynotseemvery high toyou.but to that littleboyⁱⁿthoseraggeddenimoveralls,it was a climbotskilland danng.Itwas an achievement asgreatasthat ofany mountain climberinthe world.

Welcometoourfirststop

—

the magical kal- eidescope worldof youth.Whetheritisthe magnificentkingdomofa sandcastle or the climbtobranchesonahuge oaktree,children trulyshine with theirwatchingand wondering.

gigglingand growing. NoIhavenot forgotten skinnedkneesandkidswhoteased,eating spinachorsneakingextracookiesforwhich weusuallygot caught.Thatis allpart of being kids,butwhata special timewhentheworld isnew and any dreamispossible.

Time,however,soonmoveson.Thereis nothingwecandoto alter that fact.Theyears passquicklyandtherealitiesofour world becomeevident.FaceitCara.It'sa realworld out there.Itcan becoldandcruelsome might say.I'llnotdenythat.Each day muclear war threatens,peoplestarveand drugskill.There arerapesandrobberies,muggings and mur- ders.No onewhoreads thepaperorhears thenews can denythe (acts.Butwhatofthose mudpuddlememories? Haveweputthem awaytodustandrustinsomecorner ot the past? Why, as matunty andrealitysetinmust allolthe brightandshinydreams besetaside?

Astory of realitywastoldtomeinAustria thatIwillneverforget.Therewereliveofus sitting inthewarmkitchen ofanold-fashioned farmhouse, asaplumpelderlygrandmother toldher story.She reminisced aboutherlile asayounggirlinthedaysofwar.Herfamily hadfledthearea earlierand she had beento themarketthatparticular day.Shereturned tromtowntofindallthefarm animalsgone andeverythinginthehousestolenbytheRus- sianenemy. Thatwasthesame war which killedherfatherandfiance...Then the grandfatherbegantotellushis story of the horrors of his three years spentinaRussian prisoncamp.Next,thefrailoldgentleman sittingbesidemebegantospeaksoftly, telling oftheAmencanprisoncampwhere he had beenheld prisoner.Noneofthestoneswere prettyones,but very definitely reality. Wait, though,foreveninthosestoriesthereisa glisteningdream.Don'tyou see?Aswesat at thaiwornwoodentable

—

anoldAustrian woman,amanwhofought withus andaman whofought againstus and two young Amer- icans

—

wetalked freelymwarmth, peace andtotalfriendship.Thattomeisthedream ofthe world.

You,too,havetaughtmeabouttherealworld, whetheritwaslosing the election for chapter office,fightingthefire inyourbam,struggling forlileagainstcancerorheanng yourbest friendcommitsuicideoverthephone.Reality?

Yes, not just stories, but realexpenencesfaced by FFAmembersthatImetthisyear

—

as icyandcrystalcutas canbe.Sowhythe optimism? Becausedespiteallof thehappen- ingsinthisvery real world,so manyolyou havewon. You.myspecial friends,havedone itanyway!

Nowcanyoufollowmytravels?Yousee,mud puddlesareallthathave beenandmagicmir- rorsareallthatcanbeThisisyour timein FFA,mine^isnearly up.

But,oh,howIremember...

FromthatFirstsampleofmoldycottagecheese tothecoconutpiethrowninmyface,from the bulltheybroughtinformeto milkinthe parlor, to fallinginthemanurepile(thefirst

Ormaybeitwasthisyearas anational officer ..gettingverywe!inNorth Carolina, a super timeinIowa,hard timesinD.C.,nobs,sobs, sets ofnumbersora greencactusfrom Mas- sachusetts to ArizonaIdon'tmake sense?

Butyousee. tomostofyouIshouldn't.Each are specialmomentssharedinthe travels of myyear.Andthatiswhatmadeitsospecial

—

thepersonal stories, theuniquemoments andthe secretunderstandingsthatIhadthe chancetosharewith you.Thattomeisna- tionaloffice.Thoseare thememoriesIwill alwayscherishasImove ontonewroads.

Untilnow,Ihavespokenofmudpuddlesand magicmirrorsas ajourney in timefrom what wastowhatwillbeIaskyoutoremember (hataswepart,sothatsomewhereinthe chamberoflightwithinyou thosespecial dreams can bestored untilsomeday...and

Finally,Iwouldliketoapplythosemagicmir- rorsandmudpuddlestoyou

—

fromwhat youare towhat youmaybe.Ifyouwillaccept thesefewlastwords fromthisold bat atthe ripeoldageoftwenty-one, thenIwillleave youthese.

First,dare!Daretodream asfaxand wideas you can dreamIfitmeansclimbing to the top of asnow capped mountain,only to find thatthereare highermountainstoclimb, take

thatchanceDaretobedifferentandbrave enoughtogo beyondtheareainwhich you live.Thereissomuchtosee,so manypeople toknow and so many new waystolookatthe world.Daretolivelife!

Next,laugh!Yes,IsaidlaughHavetun' Life istoo short tobeworriedallIhetimeThere isapoemIliketoread thatwaswritten by anoldwomanShesaid thatifshe hadher lifetoliveover again, she'dgobarefoot earlier inthespringandlater* inthetall.She'deat lessbeansandmoreicecreamYouonly gel one chancehereand yourlaughterwillmake anyone'ssmile brighter.Aspecial triend taught methat lessonandithasindeedmademylife Andfinally,beyourself.Idon'tknow what youare afraidof

Youare special.Iknow!Do youthinkIwould spend sevenyears ofmylilewearingthesame clothes as one-half million other people unless Ithought theywerespecial 7Youhave thoughts, feelingsanddreamsthatare limitless, butyou haveto believeIIyoudon't believeinyourself, howonearthcanyouexpectanyoneelse to7 AsIgo now,Iwillcarrywithmealllhatyou have so generouslyshared.You have shown meagriculture'swonders andthelifethey provide.You havehelpedmeto learnwhoI

You havegivenmea betterunderstandingof theworld andmyplaceinit.

Mythankstoeach oneolyou now Lifeisagift,wrapped upinribbonsand woven withdreamsalong a lighted lourneyfrommud puddlestomagicmjrro's.

Travelhappymyfriends,travel far

"A Series of Choices"

BruceKettler.National VicePresident EasternRegion

Todayinthemidsl ol the electricity, pageantry and excitementof thisconvention,itbecomes difficultlormetosharemyretiring thoughts

;organization thatIcan't begin to putthem into sentences.Ihavemeta largenumber^of fantasticpeopleandmade so many newfnends thattimedoesnotpermitmetotellabout them.Ihavebeen sofortunate tobe able to seethebeautyof thisworldthat trying to put itintowords wouldonly ruin the real effect.

That putsmetothe pointwhereIthinkthe best thingIcan do^istoleave a challenge with eachof you.

WhenIthink ofallthe challenges thatIcame upagainstduring the past six years,Irealize thatnone were more^difficultthan the choices Ihadtomake aboutmysell,mylifeandwhat

Ishoulddointhe future.ShouldIgoalong with thecrowd even thoughIdon't believe thesame waytheydo? DoIwantto excel or besatisfied withaverage? CouldIreallybeof service toothersandstillgain self-satisfaction fromit?

AsIlookbackfondlyovermyyearsinthe FutureFarmersofAmerica.Irealizenowthese yearswerefilledwith a series of choices that Ihadtomake.But the decisions thatIhadto make as an FFAmemberareprobably not muchdifferent than thoseyou have madeor willhavetomake.

Irecently read,"afelladoesn't last longon what he has done; he hastokeepdelivering."

Irealizedthistobetrue aftercompetingin

myfirstcontestintheFFA.Itwasthe creed speakingcontest.Afterwinningthecounty competition,1wenttothe district tocompete againstsevenother individualsLittledidI realizethen thatittookpracticeandprepa- ration todowellina contestlikethis.Ever since thatcoldJanuarynightin1978 whenI

placedfourth,IvowedthatIwasgoing to challengemysell todobetterin allthatIat- tempted.Irealizedthen thatinorder tolast longIhadtokeepondelivering.

Ladiesand gentlemen, youcan't slide uphill!

Youcan't slide downhill eitherifyousetsome goalsin lifeandare willing toworkto achieve them.ThebestchoiceIhavemadeisthe choice to challenge myself tobeawiimerIt wasthebest choicebecauseithasallowed metomeet so manypeople,likeeachol you,

56th National

FFA

Convention Proceedings

shared withme. Someone oncetoldme,"II youcan'thavethe best ofeverything,make thebest of everythingyou have." No one has the best of everything.Tomethatiswhy we challengeourselves to reachnewheights. That iswhen welookatwhatwe have andare willing tomakethe best ofit.

Earlierthissummer,thesixofuswerein- volvedinaceremonythatIwillneverbeable toshakefrommymemory.WewereatAr- lingtonNationalCemeteryinournation's cap- italWeweretoplace awreathontheTomb oftheUnknownSoldier.Iwillnever forget lookingoutovertheserenehillsideatthe beautifulbuildings ofournation'sgovernment andthenseeinginfront ofmeahuge marble tombwiththesewords onit,"Hererestsin honoredgloryanAmericansoldierknownbut toGod." AsIlaidmyhands onthewreath andlistened tothe playing of taps,thoughts wererunningthroughmymind abouthowthat soldierhadmadethechoice to light lor his countryandtopreserve his beliefsinAmerica.

Hediedsothatwemaylive ina countrywhere freedomexists

Thenmythoughtsturned tohowIhadthe choice of helping others lo realizedreamsthat they had.Iaskedmyself a question that I'm going toask youtoaskyourself,"amIcom- mitted to helpingotherssothattheymayhave Ihe opportunitiesIdidn'thave?"

Sometimes we have^tomakethatchoice.Many people thesedays wouldratherlookout for themselves.Iftheyhavetime after Iheir per- sonal interests to help others, then theymay help out.Too manypeoplehavea liveandlet liveattitude.Maybeifeachofusdecides not to lust liveandletlive,but rather toliveand helplive,wewillfindmorepeoplereluming the favor.

Peoplewhoare willing tohelp certainly are not rareintheFutureFarmersofAmerica.I

havefoundthatweare quite fortunate tohave manypeoplewhoarecommittedtomaking ourfutures brighter.

From youngtoold alikeIhave beenable to workwithandbecomeaffiliatedwithpeople whogivemuch moreofthemselvesthan they receiveinreturn.Butinterestinglyenough.

speoplewhodon'texpect

To accomplish groat things

We

mustnot onlyact,but also

dream.

Notonlyplan but also believe.

You can accomplishgreatthingsifyouwill allow yourself todream andbelieve thatyou canmakethatdreambecomea realitySure, it'sgoingtotakeagreat deal ofhard work, dedicationandmaybe even one or two un- successfulattempts.Butwhenyou allow yourself to believe inyourabilityandtestit overand overagain,itbecomeseasierto accomplishwhat youwant.

Untilaboutfouryearsago,Ididnothavethe attitude that,"Whateverisworth doingatall.

isworth doingwell."Isoon foundout that putting alotof effort intoanytask, great or small,wasquiterewarding.Notonlywasit quiterewarding, butitbuiltmyself-confidence leveltothe pointwhereIfinallybeganlo chal- lengemyabilitiesAsamatter of fact, chal- lengesnowcanbequitefunandexcitingcom- paredtohowIonce viewed them.

Thestrengthofyourbeliefinyourselfwill But n

muchinreturn.Their

helpingothersandseeingotherpeopledo well.Therehave beenmanytimeswhenpeo- plehave askedmeforadvice or help.

Iwasflatteredwhen askedbut at thesame timeIreallyfoundthatIcaughtmyself feeling muchbetter afterhelping out. Friends,those arethetimeswhenIrealized thatcommitting myself towhatIbelievedinwas another wise choice thatcame about becauseof thisgrand organization.

Ihave seenmyselfchangeover the past six yearsbecauseofmyinvolvementinthe FFA.

Theopportunities to travel,learn,meetnew friendsandchallengemysell to attainnew heightshavechangedthisonce shy freshman intoapersonwhohastheutmostrespect for anyonewhoiswillingtochange themselves lorthebetter.Weshould,"seeknot tobe betterthanourneighborsbut betterthan our- selves." Humilityisa virtuewhichisdifficult toachieve,butmanytimessays more about apersonthanalltheysayor do!

Allofusdreamofsomedaybeing great or doing magnificent things.Icanrememberhow severalyearsago.afterattendingthiscon- vention,Iwas moreexcited than everabout thethought ofsomedaywalkingacrossthis stage to receivemyAmerican Farmer degree

Iwastoldthatitwouldtake a great deal of dedicationandworktoachieve thai degree.

ButIwasnotawarethat therewere somany tasks thatwentintosuch anhonor.Itwas then thatIrealized thattruegreatness consists inbeing greatinlittlethings.Itdoesnot take acomplexformula orcomplicatedseries of events to achieveallyouwantto achieve.If

rdraw you^willal- ways bea betterpersonfor trying.

Ithasbeen an honorloserveyou andthe FutureFarmersofAmerica.Icanonlythank you andtheGood Lordfortheopportunity andstrength todoso.ThatiswhyIamgoing toasktheNationalFFAChorusto sing a ben- edictionasmywishtoeachofyoufaced with a"series ofchoices."

May

the Lord,MightyGad, blessand keepyouforever.

Grantyoupeace, perfect peace, courage in every endeavor.

Liftupyoureyesand seeHis face.

AndHisgrace forever.

May

the Lord,MightyGod, blessand keepyouforever.

Mayyou accomplishallthatisworthytoyou.

behumbleinyouractions,helpothersanc aboveall,believeinyou!!

Thankyoufor a great yearandmayGodbless

nyourhumility,youwillfindyourself doing great things.Youwilldiscover that the greatest truthsare the simplest;and soare ihe greateslmen.IguessthatiswhyIgained somuch andenjoyedeventhetoughestmo- mentsof thisyear.Itwas becauseIrealized thatIcouldn'thave askedfor greater people tobearound.Whether you werehostingme

inyourhome,sharingyourexperiences or askingmewhythereisnoletteringonthe backofmyjacket,youshowedmethatyou weretrue friends.

Areal friendisonewhohelpsus tothinkour noblest thoughts, put

forth

our besteffortsand beour best selves.

Lifereallyismade upofaseries of choices.

Sometimeswelimitourselectionsandbe- come unawareofwhatisreallybeing offered to us.The FFA hasgivenmea great dealBut

Ican trulysaythatthroughthisorganization

Ihave beengiven a virtuewhichIhopewill benefityouasmuchasithasme.That virtue isbelief.Believing thatmyGod-giventalents wpi.Wwnrb id used them.Believinginmysell wl nost tootoughtofacereality.

"This is My

Quest"

MartyCoates,NationalSecretary

dress.What wouldthisaddresscontain wouldIsayas a tribute tomyfellowmembers, family,fnendsandGod?

A few months ago asthesummerseasondrew lo a close.IrealizedthatNovember andthe conventionwerenear,itseemed almostim- possible toavoidthoughtsof this lastaddress toyou. At that time,Ibegantore-evaluate myyearasNationalFFASecretary, ayear of tremendousandvariedopportunitiesandex- periences,whichseemedvastandneverend- ing

—

ayearwhenfriendshipsbegan and maturitywasinevitable.Thesewordsrepre- sentmythoughts,whichgiveyouonlyavague description ofwhatthisyearandmycareer m^{FFA has}reallybeen.

AsIponderedthesethoughtsIsatdown and pennedthewordsto thisaddress,whichIwill sharewithyoutoday.

Icanimaginethatabout215yearsago^it seemed impossiblethata fewsettlersinthis newland,would beable to defeat the British army,adverseweatherconditions, diseaseand starvation,insearchof theirdream

—

a free, opensocietyinwhichtolive.However,it didn'tseem so impossible onJuly 4th,1776.

asThomasJefferson,John Hancock and 55 other gallant patriots oftheAmerican Revo- lutionsignedthei

invention.The questtoimprove man's useof airhas developedintoafascinatingmodeof transportation,which cantakeusaroundthe world, to themoonandother pointsinthe universe.Impossible?

Itseemed impossibleto millions ofAmericans in1980thatthehostagesinIranwouldever returnhome.NegotiationsfailedAnat- temptedrescue faded.Evenprayersseemed uselessinthissituation.However,itdidnot seem soimpossiblewhenthehostagesre- turnedhome,aliveandwell.

For years, therewasonly a slight possibility thatNASAcouldever design,buildandput intooperation aspaceshuttle that could trans- portmenandwomenintoouterspace ona regular basis.

The doubtdiminished,however,onPalm Sun- day 1981 whenthespaceshuttle,Columbia was launchedinto orbit.Thatflighthasbeen repeatedmany times

now—

apromisingop- portunity for science.

Manythingshavepresentedthemselvesas impossibilitiesoverthecourseofhistory.

However,these impossibilitieshave turned into possibilities,whenmanypositivepeoplefound opportunityinimpossibility.Thesepositive people,determinedtoaccomplishtheirtask, acknowledged success whenthey said."This ismyquest,thisismychancetoreachmy goal,Iamdeterminedtorealize thisdream.

nomatterhowimpossibleitseems."

LastfallasIpreparedforthe interviewsIwould undergohereinKansasCity.Ioftenfound myselfunsureas lo the actualsuccessof this, anotherdreamintheFFA-thedreamtobe- comea national officer.One dayafterclasses atcollege,Ireturnedhome, checkedmymail- box and founda letterfroma friend.Within theletter,Ifoundapoemwhichseemedto inspiremetocontinueinquest ofmydreams.

ThewordsofRodStewart shareanimportant message:

"Ifthere'sdoubtandyou're cold, Don'tyouworrywhatthe future holds

We

gottahaveheroes.

To teach usall Tonevergiveup ona dream.

Tamethe road.

Torch thesun

Noforceonearthcould stopyour run Whenyour heart,

Burstslikethesun.

Never,nevergiveup onadream.

Shadowstall.

Dealthe dice

Ya feel ya never gotaplaceyoucan run.

Searchforever.

For a finish line Butnever give upona dream.

Raging oceans Fillyourhead Yougottabreakallrecords set Pushyourself Untiltheend,

But don'tyougiveupona dream.

Now

listen tome...

Youdon'tneedrestrictions.

Youcan'tliveonsympathy.

Youjustneedtogothe distance That'sallyouneedtobefree.

Aspiring on.

To never lose It'lltakea long, long time Tilltheycantillyour shoes.

It'lltakesomebody whosealotlike

you

Who

willnever give uponadream YOU

MUST

NEVER GIVE

UP ON

A

DREAM.

"

Ifoundinthatpoem-justenoughtokeepme going.

This yearwe havetraversed this country vis- itingwithyou.Ihave,beeninspiredasyou have shared yourmany dreamswithme.Many latenightswerespentinhomes,barns,yards andtruckssharing withyou abouthowim- possibilitiescanbecomerealitiesifyoudare togothelimit.Friends,successfulmembers inthisorganizationandsuccessfulpeoplein lifearemuchlikethatsymbolofourorgani-

zation'sscope andunity

—

the eagle.

Theeagleand youarealwayssoaring higher andhighernever sabsfied to stayontheground, but theeaglemustreach farbeyonditsown limittoattainpeaksyetuninhabited.Such havebeenthe attitudes ofthemanythousands ofyouI'vevisitedwith this year.Oftenlimes thisyearIhavefound myself down, because ofIheworkloador situationssurroundingthe travelschedule,butyour excitement about yourdreamsintheFFA hasmademyyear wonderful.

This year represents not only a yearinwhich adreamcametrue,butitrepresentsan op- portunity tosharewith others. Just fouryears agothisdreambecameagoalasIattended theNationalFFA Convention.Iheard aman

tellhowaperson canmakehisdreamscome trueifheisdeterminedtomove ahead pos- itivelyThis goal ofbecominga national officer seemedimpossible to a minister's son,who fouryearsago had aworkprojectwhichwas extremelylimited.Myvisitto this thiscon- ventionin1979 beganmyjourney of explo- ration intonew avenuesintheSOEprogram.

Today,Iownmy ownbusiness. Allbecause someonesaid,"You canwith a plan."Ire- alizedIcouldsucceedaslongasIcouldsee andmapacoursetowardattainingmygoal.

Icansay,today, thatmydaysintheFFA have beenchallengingbutrewarding,tough but pleasurable.They have presentedopportuni- tieswhichseemlimitlessand haveoffered momentsofgratificationassuccesswasex- periencedOne suchmoment,Ifeelrightnow.

IamgratifiedinthismomentasIrealizethe conclusionofa successfulyearandcareerin

InthisgratificationImust sharemythanks withsomefolkswhohave helpedmeinmy numerous questsinthe FFA.

Tomyfamily,Isay thanksfortheconstant inspirationeachofyou has alwaysgivenme sothatImight seethattogethereveryone achievesmore.Thespiritofteamwork and loveIrom you have securedmeinthismo- Tomyadvisorsandchapter,Ican never say enough thanksforallowingmetoexplore the variousavenuesoftheFFAwithyou.Your support hasbeeninvaluableoverthe years.

Tomyfivefriendsonthe national officerteam,

Isay thankstoyouforyourchallenging,sup- portiveandlovingcomraderythaiyou have sharedwithmeIhis year.Thetruequestof formingateamtowork towardthebetterment ofFFAisconqueredinthismomentandIshare ttwithyou

To eachofyou,myfellowFFAmembers, though

Idon'tknow eachofyou byname,Ithank youforwhat yourepresentandmeanlome.

Yourepresent thetodaysand tomorrows.You representnew dreams, newgoalsandchal- lenging quests.

Astate officerinAlabamalastyear said,"when

1beganthisyear,IthoughtthatIwasleaving homeandbeginning a journey. Well,Irealize todaythat I'vebeenathomeallthewhileand todayIbegin thejourney." This officer best summarizesmythoughtstoday, butbefore1 leaveonthisjourney ofnewquests,letme leaveyou, themembersofthe greatestyouth organizationinthis country,the challenge of findingbrightertomorrowsinthe field ofag- riculture.

Inclosing,myfinalquestintheFFAistoshare withyouinthewordsofasong,myhope thateachofyouwillcontinue to tackle the quest of reachingyourdreams,

"TheImpossibleDream"

Iloveyouall,GodBless.

atapart ofmatfriendnghtno*, as1look at you.Because,yousee.Sistendisbest known astheFutureFarmersofAmenta

—

andwithinthenextdayand a hafayoang manthathas growntotow andcherish this organization wiflbeforced to take of! this blue and goldjacket (orthefcnatfoe.

Htagh.

it'sbecauseofhavinghad the opoortunnyto wearthis jacket thatIknowI

««

ahoys

km

agreaterdesire to

he

myfcfeto the tautest and have a

d

Serving as a na

openedmyeyes(ortheneedtofoeBetoits fullest

—

forifwe donXilwillsorelypass usby without even a secondglance.

I'vealsoteamedthisyearthat togelthemost outoflifeyoumust bewillinglousealloi your God-giventalentsandpotential.

AsI've traveledacrossthiscountry tocamps.

conferencesandconventions.I'vebeen amszeo timeaftertime by peoplewhohaveshownme thegreat potential thailieswrthmeveryhuman being.Thepotential togoforthand accom- plishthings thatmanypeoplethmkaresimply impossible.You probably thmkI'mtalking about peoplewithunheardof l.Q sand on- limited education. Well you'rewrongifthat's the case,because I'm speakingofordinary people

—

just fiteyou and me.

Isaw God-giventalentandpotentialusedto overcome what wassaid Idbeimpossible,as

IwatchedBruce,ayoung FFAmemberwhD had beenphysicallyhandicappedsince birth.

Butthat didn'tstop Bruce,fortodayhe'sone ofthemain'leaders in*iischapterandiherr parliamentaryprocedure team.

Iwitnessedtheimpossibleconquered, asI

watchedWes. a former FFA member, who as aGreenhand wassenthomebyhisteacheT becauseofaspeechdefectso badthathe couldhardlybe understoodmtheclassroom.

Today.Wesdebates»"w>ps asa U.S. Con- gressman.

NowI'mnotsaying thaihandicapped people are the onlyoneswhocanmeet achallenge and overcomeit

—

butIamsaymgthateach ofushasthe ability todo somethinggreat withourlife,ifwell onlymakethe decision to gel towork and doit- Even God's wordtele;usthatwe should be constantlyreaching forth toanewand un- answeredchallenge-Paulspokeof thisinPhil.

3:14,when hesaid, "1presstowardthe goal forthe prize of thehigh callmgofGod. "!

m

convincedthatitwillbe those peoplewhoare constantlysearching for opportunities to build their lives

—

thatwji betheanswertomany oftheproblemstheworldfaces today,.ftwill be thosepeople, in agricultureandallother fields,thatare strivingforwardwithGod's guidance,thaireach theirultimasgoals in life.

Manyofyou^willrememberTheimpossible beingchallenged in1978.ttwasduring that yearon August11th, inaclover held inPres- queIsle.Maine,thatthreeAlbuouerouehal- loonistsliftedupwardinto thesky andstarted a journeythatwoulddemandtheirveryutmost iftheyweretosurvive.S«nayslatter,on August170),LarryNewman. Maxie Anoerson andBen Abruzzo landedjust60miles outside of Paris.France,Thosethreemenhadridden theirDoubleEagleIIan estimated 3.120 mites inwhatisknrnvnasa histac crossingofthe Atlantic.Wewsweedrreported Anderson assay- ing,"Wedidtheimpassable, that'safeeling youcan't find intoomanyplaces."Abruzzo

O

"It's

All Up to You"

Their

A _s

1907,whenOrvilleand Wilbur Wrightput

Saturday,

November

12,

1983

^ ^*>

It'sbeen oversevenyears sinceIsat in that smallvo-agclassroomforthefirsttime

—

and eventhen.IknewIhadmeta very special friendthatwould bea part ofmylifeformany years tocome.ButwhatIdidn'tknow,was Ihisnew found companion wouldliterallyin- troducemetothousandsofpeople, takeme toplacesIneygLdjeamedofgoing, ultimately changethewayIviewedlifeand would be one of thfrfliostunselfish givers thatIhaveever known.^'

WhoisthisunbelieveablefriendthatI'm speakingof? Well,youcouldsayI'm looking

wentonto say.

'

are challengedandmen bythe thenwearenotowingforward as asociety."

WhatI'mtrulytryingto tenyouthismommg.

FFAmembers,isnotto settle with mediocrity

—

but instead,meet eachday's challenge with theperseverancethatonlyGodHimself can giveyou.Realize thaiwithyourtarthtrusted firmly inHim.you can handlethe largestask andthemostchallengingprobtanflatBehas That,myfriends,applies toyou whoever yon are,whateveryoudo and wherever yoaJne.

Oh.Ican assureyoutherewiDbenosesfas willdoubt you. teingyou i

cam

be dome

—

and even you.yourseff.

wi

become a non- believer attimes.But3'sduringthosefines of failureand rfj^gMF¹¹"—!*thatwe've got torememberairthegoodthingsmat have

I'vedreamed

many

dreamsthatnever came tme

I'veseenthemvanishatdawn.

But I've realizedeaomahat

my

dreams,thankGod Tomala

me

wart

m

dream

m.

I'vetrusted

maty

a them) matfaded.

Andleft

me

toweepateme.

ButI'vefoundenoughat

my

friends hueblue

Tomake

me

keeptrusting on.

I'vesown

many

seedsOattellbythe way

For the birds to feednoon But I've heldenoughgoldensheaves