LADIES DOMINATE KILGORE COLLEGE AG CLUB OFFICER ELECTION
OVERTON, TX --- The girls proved they can do it better…..again.
For the second year in a row, females were elected to eight of the ten officer positions as the Kilgore
College Agriculture Club, the reigning “Chapter of the Year” in the Texas Junior College Agriculture Association
(TJCAA), chose their 2003-04 leadership team recently. The officers were chosen during the club’s Annual Fall
Social held at the college farm, one mile northeast of Overton, where all agriculture classes, laboratories, livestock show
team activities, and ag club planning sessions are held.
The event kicked off the Kilgore College Agriculture Program’s 40th anniversary year of
education and service to East Texas agriculture. Perennially a state contender, the Kilgore College Agriculture Club has captured
the TJCAA’s outstanding chapter award nine of the past 12 years, accomplishing the feat last year with only two male
officers.
Jaci Jaggers, Sulphur Bluff sophomore and a 2003 FFA American Farmer Degree recipient, is the incoming
president. Jaggers is last year’s secretary and replaces her roommate and outgoing president, Monika Brindley, Waskom
sophomore, the club’s first ever freshman female president. Brindley took the club reigns following a special
election just prior to the Christmas holidays a year ago and led the organization to the state title in just four months .
Courtney Spoon, Henderson sophomore, last year’s treasurer, was elected first vice-president.
She is part of the trio (Brindley, Jaggers, Spoon) which last year made Kilgore College history by being one of the first
freshman female officers elected to top posts.
The remaining offices were filled with first-year students: Kristin Clark, second vice-president,
Kilgore; Jennifer Jordan, secretary, Carlisle; Angela Lehman treasurer, West Rusk; Tyler Koch, reporter,
Henderson; Jennifer Smith, historian, Sabine (Liberty City), historian; Eric Lowry, sentinel, Tyler John Tyler; and
Heather Swarts, administrative liaison, Mount Vernon. President Jaggers and Kevin Kirk, Henderson sophomore, were selected
as representatives of the club to Homecoming Court.
Bob Young, KC agriculture instructor, manager of the 448-acre college farm, and advisor to the KC Agriculture
Club, said the new officer team is a combination of “experience under duress and optimistic enthusiasm.”
“We have a real good mix of leadership styles on this team,” said Young. “The sophomores
in this group have been tested under extremely competitive conditions and they have taken us to the state title against overwhelming
odds. These energetic first-year officers are learning quickly and are real exciting to follow. It
is interesting to observe these students learning teamwork and cooperation. In the process, each student will have the
opportunity for academic growth and individual maturity. I believe these young people will present themselves appropriately
and represent Kilgore College extraordinarily well.”
Young, who is beginning his thirteenth year at Kilgore College, says this may be one of the more experience-laden
officer teams he has encountered during his tenure.
He says this group will feature one TJCAA State Officer (Spoon), one Collegiate FFA Officer (Brindley),
one FFA Texas State Vice-President (Koch), two FFA Area officers (Jaggers and Koch), three FFA District officers (Jaggers,
Koch Swarts) , five FFA Chapter officers (Jaggers, Spoon, Clark, Koch, Swarts), two FFA Parliamentary Procedure
Area Qualifiers (Brindley and Koch), one FFA Creed Speaking Area Qualifier (Brindley), one FFA American Farmer Degree
(Jaggers), three FFA Lone Star Farmer Degrees (Jaggers, Koch, Swarts), one FFA Star Area Farmer Degree (Jaggers), one
FFA Star District Farmer Degree (Jaggers), four FFA Star Chapter Farmer Degrees (Brindley, Jaggers, Koch, Swarts), two 4-H
County Council Officers (Brindley and Jaggers), and one 4-H Gold Star recipient (Koch).
Young said the college farm, which began operations as a campus of Kilgore College in 1963, will observe
its 40th Anniversary (Ruby) of service to students and producers with a formal program later this year.
(Article published locally and provided by writer, Ralph Ward Jr.)
