By DEBORAH BEHRENDS

Indiana Correspondent

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Nineteen individuals will be honored in a ceremony with the VIP Citation at this year’s National FFA Convention & Expo in Indianapolis, from Oct. 24-27. The citation recognizes individuals’ significant contributions to FFA and agricultural education.

Among those receiving this distinction is Roberta Crabtree of Lafayette, Ind. A former ag teacher and FFA advisor, she later worked for Purdue University extension. Retiring from full-time employment in May, she serves as the nursery/landscape career development event superintendent for the National FFA, a committee she has worked on for more than 20 years.

“I’ve been involved in FFA at the local or national level for more than 30 years,” Crabtree said. “Right now I’m getting ready for the convention. I have a wonderful committee of people from around the United States that plans skills-based activities for the students who compete.”

She noted the nursery/landscape competitions have teams registered for competition from 42 states. Running the competitions requires about 70 volunteers.

“We involve a lot of industry and business people. These kids are our future. (The volunteers) want to encourage them and gain knowledge from them because they bring a lot of fresh ideas to the table,” Crabtree explained.

She believes FFA develops a number of skills, including critical thinking and leadership. “It makes a member a well-rounded person, even without going into the field of agriculture, and exposes them to a lot opportunities.”

Another recipient, Jim Wells of Rogersville, Tenn., agrees with Crabtree’s assessment. “It’s a great opportunity for kids to excel. FFA has so many career development events to participate in – parliamentary procedure, public speaking, developing leadership activities,” he said.

Now retired, Wells taught ag-related classes and served as FFA advisor for 40 years. He still farms about 100 acres and is involved with a local cooperative and his county Farm Bureau.

He seemed at a loss for words in describing what the VIP Citation means to him. “This award … something like this is hard to explain ... the appreciation that they have for you at the state and national level,” he said.

Larry Gossen of Springfield, Mo., said he would not be receiving this award without the success of his students.

“First of all, I am very humbled at the honor of receiving such a prestigious award. In reality, though, this award is just a culmination of all the success of my students that allowed me to advance this far and stay engaged in the profession,” he noted.

“As state FFA advisor, I worked with some awesome teachers that helped me grow and develop into a better state supervisor. As an LPS (local program success) specialist, I get the opportunity to help state staff and teachers from nine states, and their trust in me has kept me going and allowed me to get to this point in my career.

“Without them, the VIP award is probably something I would not have ever accomplished.”

With a Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction, Gossen worked his way up in the organization as a member, chapter officer and district officer in the Cherryvale, Kan., chapter. He taught ag education at two different Kansas high schools, and in 2001 accepted a position with the Department of Education as the state supervisor for ag education and state FFA advisor.

In 2005, he joined the national FFA as an LPS specialist. Today he serves nine states in the north-central part of the United States from his home in Missouri. He believes students in FFA take away skills they didn’t even know they had.

“They learn confidence in speaking, decision-making, teamwork and citizenship. I see so many of my former students on Facebook now and, in following their lives, I see how they have utilized the skills they learned in my classes and applied them to their current lives and careers.

“I am so proud of what they have accomplished and know that so many of their successes can be linked back to that very first time I made them stand up in front of class and recite the first paragraph of the FFA Creed; or competing in that Job Interview CDE; or even spending hours working on that plant identification list for the Horticulture CDE,” he said.

The people awarded embody the spirit of FFA.

“The VIP award recognizes the dedicated individuals who contribute to the FFA mission of student success through their hard work and cooperation,” said Mark Poeschl, National FFA CEO. "Without such strong and outstanding commitment, FFA would not be able to help build strong character in its members, who in turn build strong families, communities and businesses.”

The others receiving this distinction in 2018 include Californians Jim Aschwanden, Greg Beard, Dr. Brad Dodson and Jack Havens; Michael Kent Boggs of Oklahoma; Dr. Larry Case of Virginia; Larry Church of Idaho; H. Keith Cox of South Carolina; Jason Hughes of West Virginia; Dr. Karen Hutchison of Delaware; Paul Larson and Glenn Sims of Wisconsin.; Milton Natusch of Mansfield Center, Conn.; Leslie “Les” Purcella of Albuquerque, N.M.; Richard Roller of Racine, Mo.; and USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue.