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Two Florida Agriculturists Receive
Florida Farm Bureau’s Highest Honor
(GAINESVILLE, Fla.) – Hilward Morgan of
White Springs and James Watson of Jacksonville received Distinguished
Service Awards from the Florida Farm Bureau Federation. The
awards were presented during the Federation’s annual meeting
Oct. 27-29, 2004 at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort.
“The Distinguished Service Awards recognize
individuals for lifetime achievement in agriculture and leadership
in the industry and community,” said Florida Farm Bureau
President Carl B. Loop Jr. “It is the highest honor our
organization confers.”
Morgan, a life-long Hamilton County farmer, has
been involved in the Florida Folk Festival and Rural Folk Life
Days at the Stephen Foster Memorial. He chaired the Hamilton
County School Board and the county Farm Service Agency board
of directors. He was a charter member of the Hamilton County
Fair and a strong supporter of youth activities. He is active
in the First Presbyterian Church of Jasper.
Watson, a native of Jacksonville, served as county
agent from 1946 until his retirement in 1975 in Santa Rosa,
Lake, Columbia and Duval counties. He was instrumental in organizing
both the Duval County Farm Bureau and the Duval County Cattlemen’s
Association in the 1950s. He also helped organize the Duval
Soil and Water Conservation District and the Greater Jacksonville
Agricultural Fair, serving as fair president from 1955-1962.
He hosted a weekly television show and wrote weekly gardening
columns for the Florida Times-Union. He was inducted into the
Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame in 1982.
The Florida Farm Bureau Federation is the
state's largest general-interest agricultural association with
more than 151,000 member-families statewide. There are Farm
Bureaus representing 64 counties in Florida, where agriculture
comprises a stable, vital foundation of Florida's economy, rivaling
the tourism industry in economic importance. Headquartered in
Gainesville, the Federation is an independent, non-profit agricultural
organization and is not associated with any arm of the government.
More information is available on the organization’s website,
http://FloridaFarmBureau.org.
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Hilward Morgan
Hilward Morgan of White Springs is a life-long Hamilton County
farmer. The Hamilton County Farm Bureau nominated him for the
award. President Damon Deas said, “If you ever had to
find someone who exemplified the word ‘dedicated,’
you would not have to look any further than Hilward. …
He always represented Hamilton County Farm Bureau and Florida
agriculture everywhere he went. I never recall a day that I
didn’t see a smile on his face or a funny story to tell
to get you laughing.” In addition to his service to Farm
Bureau, Morgan is active in his community, serving as an elder
of First Presbyterian church of Jasper and as a charter member
of the Hamilton County Fair, which he served as treasurer of
the youth organization for more than a decade.
He
served as a member of the school board and held the office of
school board chairman. A charter member of the Hamilton County
Fair, he worked with the Florida Department of Agriculture and
Consumer Services, the Florida Legislature and the governor
to secure $75,000 for a new livestock show arena. He served
as chairman of the county Farm Service Agency board of directors
for a number of years.
He
has been involved in the Florida Folk Festival and participates
in Rural Folk Life Days, teaching children about early life
on the farm using antique farm equipment and other pioneer memorabilia.
“He
loves telling the (mostly city) kids stories about growing up
on the farm,” said Deas. “The kids are always captivated,
listening to Hilward’s soothing, yet firm voice.”
Morgan
also participates in other events involving agriculture and
eco/heritage tourism. He has hosted local and out-of-state groups
on his farm in cooperation with the park service.
Morgan
and his wife, Irene, are the doting grandparents of Mallory
and Rachel, daughters of son, Kevin, and daughter-in-law, Cindy,
also of White Springs.
James N. Watson
James N. (Jim) Watson is a native of Jacksonville.
He attended the University of Florida, graduating with a Bachelor
of Science in Agriculture. He was commissioned a Second Lieutenant
in the U.S. Army Reserves and during World War II served four
years in the Field Artillery, Pacific Theater. He retired from
the Army Reserves as a Lt. Colonel.
Upon his return from active duty in 1946, he joined
the Florida Agricultural Extension Service and served as county
agent in Santa Rosa, Lake, Columbia and Duval counties. He retired
in 1975. He served as president of the Florida Association of
County Agents and secretary-treasurer and Southern Region Director
of the National Association of County Agricultural Agents.
In the 1950s, he helped organize the Duval County
Farm Bureau, the Duval County Cattlemen’s Association,
the Duval Soil and Water Conservation District and the Greater
Jacksonville Agricultural Fair. He helped organize the Northeast
Florida Milk Producers Association and served as its secretary-treasurer
until it became the Upper Florida Milk Producers Association
and moved its headquarters to Orlando. He served on the Florida
Department of Agriculture Dairy Technical Committee from 1961
until 1975.
Following
his retirement, Watson hosted a weekly television show, “Down
to Earth,” on WJCT (PBS) and wrote two weekly gardening
articles for the Florida Times Union from 1976 until 1991. He
also served as Horticulture Consultant for the Jacksonville
Ace Hardware Group.
He was inducted into the Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame in
1982. Other honors include Distinguished Service Awards from
the Florida Association of County Agricultural Agents and the
National Association of County Agricultural Agents, induction
into the National 4-H Hall of Fame, the Freedom Foundation’s
Award at Valley Forge for patriotic broadcasting. He has received
other honors from the Jacksonville Men’s Garden Club,
the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution,
the Northeast Chapter of the Florida Nurserymen and Growers
Association and the United States Department of Agriculture.
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Florida
Farm Bureau Federation