The Texas Legislature passed resolutions March 21 commending two agencies that partner with county commissioners courts to provide Cooperative Extension education and 4-H youth development programs across the state.
The recognition was prompted by the 100th anniversaries of major events in the history of Texas Cooperative Extension and the Prairie View A&M Cooperative Extension Program.
The County Extension Agent Centennial celebrated the nation’s first appointment of an agent to serve a single county, an event that occurred in Smith County in November 1906.
Last November, the Smith County Extension staff and then-County Judge Becky Dempsey hosted a joint federal, state and county commemoration in Tyler. (See more online at http://centennial.tamu.edu/)
“It’s fitting that the passing Agent Centennial and the upcoming Texas 4-H Centennial were bridged by recognition from both the House of Representatives and the Senate,” said Ed Smith, Texas Cooperative Extension director.
The Texas 4-H Centennial, from September 2007 through August 2008, marks the founding of the Jack County Boy’s Corn Club in 1908, which led to other youth clubs that evolved into Extension’s 4-H program of today.
“The achievements of County Extension Agents and all Extension professionals have helped improve the quality of life for generations of Texans,” said Smith. “We’re honored for that to be recognized by the state Legislature and the resolution sponsors.”
Leaders of the March 21 legislative action were Representatives David Swinford, Sid Miller, and Rick Hardcastle, and Senators Craig Estes, Kevin Eltife, and Glenn Hegar Jr. (See more online at http://agextension.tamu.edu/resolutions.)