OVERTON, TX  --  The Kilgore College Agriculture Department will hold their 40^th anniversary of the establishment of the College Farm, which coincides with the 1^st Reunion of  Agricultural Students. The event will be held at the College Farm northeast of Overton (State Hwy 135) on Saturday, May 8, 2004.  

The activities begin with 10 a.m. registration and farm tour, a 12-noon lunch, and formal program starting at 1 p.m.  The program should conclude about 3 p.m., although visitation and farm tours will be available afterwards.

The 40^th Anniversary/Reunion will provide an opportunity to renew friendships, observe changes in the agriculture facilities, and visit with the instructors involved in the program since 1963---Wayne Lacy, Jeff Grote and Bob Young, respectively---who will relate their experiences during the afternoon program.   A nominal registration fee will cover the noon meal.

Guest speaker will be Marcus Hill, president of Agricultural Workers Auto Mutual Insurance Company, Fort Worth, Texas.  Hill is a well-known proponent of higher education in agriculture and respected national figure in the agricultural industry.

During the past 40 years, hundreds of students have received academic training in agricultural courses, worked on the demonstration farm, and participated in leadership activities of the agriculture club, rodeo club, livestock show team, and the Texas Junior College Agriculture Association.          

Although Kilgore College has offered transferable agriculture credit courses for more than four decades, agricultural students did not at the outset enjoy the opportunity of a working agricultural laboratory for teaching and laboratory work until 1963 when the Kilgore College Demonstration Farm became a reality.  Through the efforts of the Bruce McMillan, Jr. Foundation of Overton, Texas, a long-term lease of 300 acres of land and an initial gift of $90,000 was designated for construction of a manager’s residence and a classroom-laboratory building became the beginnings of this facility complex less than nine miles southwest of the main campus.  Later gifts from the Foundation provided funding for additional barns and buildings, a greenhouse, the Bull Evaluation Center, livestock purchases, equipment, pasture improvements, and a new residence for the instructor.

Tours of the East Texas Oil Museum and Rangerette Showcase will be available should spouses prefer an option from the scheduled program.  Academic buildings on the campus will remain open until 6 p.m. for former students who might desire a walking tour of the campus.

The planning committee would like to hear from former students in order to update the address list and determine the number of people planning to attend.  The committee can be contacted by phone (903-834-6255), by mail (Kilgore College Farm, 2211 Hwy 135 East, Overton, Texas, 75684), or by website (www.kilgorecollegeagfarm.org) .

The planning committee consists of Ralph Ward Jr., Bill Hale, Ken Ragle, KC agriculture instructor Bob Young, and former agricultural instructors Wayne Lacy and Jeff Grote.  A number of former students have provided assistance in locating former students from the past 40 years.

(Article locally published and provided by writer, Ralph Ward Jr.)