Legacy

In 1890, Oklahoma A&M College faculty, students and staff set out to educate the next generation of Oklahomans on 200 acres of land dedicated to the campus and agricultural experiment station.

Now, 130 years later these acres have become a part of the family legacy of Oklahoma State University’s Ferguson College of Agriculture for students from around the world.

“Agriculture has always been a big part of OSU, especially back in the day when it was known as Oklahoma A&M College,” said David Peters, OSU Archives department head and assistant professor.

Harry Mapp, agricultural economics Regents professor, helps a student through an exercise in the Integrated Farm Financial Statements program (1986).

Photo courtesy of OSU Archives.

Even though much has changed, OSU has always been a significant location for agricultural instruction and research, Peters said.

“Initially, students were looking for information on how to help their families and themselves survive because agriculture was the main way of life,” Peters said. “Back then, it was very hands-on, practical teaching. You’d grab a hoe, and go out and weed or plant fruit trees.”

During the Great Depression, students sometimes would show up at OAMC without shoes, which showed the need Oklahomans had for stable employment and the importance of agriculture to the state, Peters said.

Most college of agriculture students in the early years of OSU came from a small country high school, said Curtis Richardson, dairy specialist emeritus who also graduated from Oklahoma A&M.

Officials break ground for the OSU Animal Science Arena: Joe Manning (left), state representative; Carolyn Savage, OSU Board of Regents vice chairman; Larry Boger, OSU president; Charles Browning, agriculture dean; and Bob Totusek, animal science head (1980).

Photo courtesy of OSU Archives.

“When I went to OSU, I didn’t have money,” Richardson said. “I had to work my way through college at the dairy farm where 16 boys lived there in the barn and worked in the morning, waking up at 2 a.m., milking and feeding 125 cows before their 8 a.m. class.”

Now, students often turn what they learn into a career, Peters added.

“There were always a lot of things going with planning for what was coming in the future,” said Bob Terry, former agricultural education, communications and leadership department head. “OSU has always been supportive of groups across the state and that has done well for the recruitment of students and the experiences they have when they get there.”

Alvin (Buck) Clements, Ninnekah wheat and cattle producer, addresses the first meeting of Oklahoma’s Agricultural Leadership Program (1982)

Photo courtesy of OSU Archives.

The college of agriculture has always worked closely with the citizens of Oklahoma, Peters said.

“Agriculture has adapted to the changing needs of society,” Peters said.

Many job opportunities for students resulted from new innovations throughout agriculture in general, said Don Wagner, who from 1990 to 2008 was head of the former OSU Department of Animal Science.

To keep up with the changes and prepare for the future, concentrated efforts focused on agriculture and natural resources have been implemented, Terry said.

“The college of agriculture is a very cohesive group compared to other colleges on campus,” Terry said. “There is always a strong connection of good college students to good advisement and good teaching to the point where a lot of pride is associated with it.”

Tom Peeper, agronomy professor, displays small wheat weed pests (1980).

Photo courtesy of OSU Archives.

The faculty of the college of agriculture have always done a good job of giving the best effort without worrying about who was being credited for it, Terry added.

“The college of agriculture always has had great students who work hard and are dedicated to their studies,” Terry said. “Behind the students are educators who take the time to get to know their students and help them get from where they are to where they want to be.”

The college of agriculture has continued to emphasize the value of internship courses and to increase the number of study-abroad trips, said Damona Doye, associate vice president for the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service. The college of agriculture brings in industry speakers so students get a chance to see the variety of different career choices they have, Doye added.

“There has always been focus on seeing our students succeed and helping them develop as students as well as people,” Doye said. “Faculty take their responsibility very seriously, I found that to be the case as an undergrad and as a faculty member.”

The faculty become invested in their students, said Haley Nabors, technology field specialist at Corteva Agriscience. They see potential in their students and push them outside of their comfort zone, she added.

“We continue to have a good group of faculty within the college who are interested in and care for the students,” Terry said. “That has allowed us to have a good group of students who are appreciative of the college and the education they are getting.”

When college students feel welcomed, they tend to become more engaged in their academics and activities, Peters said.

“The faculty’s open-door policy is what made the college of agriculture so special,” Nabors said. “I knew I could go in and talk to any of my professors at any time and about anything, even if it had nothing to do with class.”

The college of agriculture has always fostered a strong sense of community and family, so students and faculty can find a home in agriculture, Peters said.

Over time, through changes, the college maintained a family focus for its faculty and students, Doye said.

“The Ferguson College of Agriculture tries to build that family aspect at the departmental level,” Peters said. “The interaction of the faculty, their spouses and children along with the students, makes it a place where students feel welcome.”

In 1977, Don Wagner was a faculty member in the former OSU Department of Animal Science.

Photo courtesy of the OSU Archives.

The college has brought many students from isolated areas, Terry said. “What sets the college of agriculture apart from other colleges across campus is that it always made me feel at home,” Nabors said. “The professors took the time to learn your name. I felt like a person instead of a number.”

The college of agriculture has been home-away-from-home for many students, Nabors added. “Just like on a farm or in the agriculture community as a whole, everyone has a role to fill to accomplish what needs to get done,” Peters said. “With our rural and agricultural heritage, family is integral to success, to build relationships and to survival."

“What the college of agriculture has done, perhaps more effectively than the other colleges, is make us look outside ourselves and focus on service to others,” Peters said.

Keith Harris, left, and Chuck Tauer, forestry researchers, review pecan samples (1982).

Photo courtesy of the OSU Archives.

Legacy is having faculty members who are interested in the students and seeing them succeed in the skills they have and helping them build on that and be successful, Doye said.

“The college of agriculture does that better than anyone else,” Peters said.

HALIE RUNNER

Story by Halie Runner of McDonough County Illinois