MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The West Virginia Agriculture and Forestry Hall of Fame Foundation has selected five individuals to be inducted into the Hall of Fame for 2011.
Inductees for 2011 are: Roger L. Sherman (Forestry), James Mitchell (Forestry), Harlan P. Carter III and Jeanne Sheets Carter (Agriculture) and Vernon A. Tacy (Agriculture).
These individuals will be honored at Jackson’s Mill July 9. A reception will begin at 5 p.m., followed by dinner at the Jackson’s Mill dining hall at 6 p.m.
The Carters
Harlan P. “Ted” Carter, III, grew up near Wheeling. Jeanne Sheets Carter was born in Green Bank, W.Va. They met at West Virginia University
Mr. Carter, one of the first-place winners at national competition attended by the WVU Dairy Judging Team, taught biology at Warwood High School, and was an assistant principal and high school counselor. Mrs. Carter worked as a home economist for the WVU and Ohio State Extension Services. She also worked at the Ohio Valley General Hospital School of Nursing Staff, taught nutrition at West Liberty University and was a junior high school counselor in Ohio County public schools.
Both have been extremely active in 4-H throughout their lives. In 2003, Mrs. Carter was among the first 100 persons to be inducted into the West Virginia 4-H Hall of Fame.
The Carter family was the first-ever recipient of the West Virginia Farm Bureau/West Virginia State Fair Heritage Farming Award in 2006. Both have been long-term members and officers of the West Virginia Farm Bureau. Both have belonged to the WVU Alumni Association and College of Agriculture, Forestry, and Home Economics Alumni Association.
Mitchell
James W. Mitchell was born in Barbour County in 1947 and grew up in Arden. He attended West Virginia University (WVU), and graduated in 1968 with a degree in forestry. After graduating, he joined the Forestry Division of the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources in French Creek as a service forester, where he worked for 33 years.
His prevention work and cooperation with county fire departments contributed to fewer fires and his fire investigation skills led to an outstanding conviction rate on fire prosecutions.
In addition, Mitchell served on a committee at WVU that developed the national award-winning Managing Your Woodlot video series.
He is an active member of the Society of American Foresters, the West Virginia Forestry Association, National Woodland Owner’s Association and American Forestry Association. He retired in 2002 and started his consulting forestry business Sentinel Forestry Services.
Sherman
Roger Sherman, a resident of Rupert, W.Va., graduated from North Carolina State University with a degree in science (forestry) in 1972. He earned a master’s degree in forestry from Yale University in 1974, and served in the U.S. Army from 1966-1969. He joined Westvaco (now Mead-Westvaco) as public affairs forester in 1977, and has since dedicated much of his professional career to advancing the interests of private landowners in West Virginia.
He has served as the volunteer chair of the Legislative Committee of the West Virginia Forestry Association for 30 years. He was the driving force behind the state’s Logging Sediment Control Act.
Under the banner of the WVFA and with the help of experts in the field, he brought together a group that developed the managed timberland tax classification, putting an end to years of wildly variable property values on forest land.
Sherman also conceived, proposed and obtained funding for a course in economics for primary and secondary school teachers. Taught at WVU, for 20 years the course has offered graduate-level credit.
He is a Fellow of the Society of American Foresters.
Tacy
Vernon A. Tacy was born in 1929, on a productive cash-crop farm in Randolph County, W.Va. He received his bachelor of science degree in agriculture from West Virginia University in 1953, served two years in the U.S. Army Medical Corps, and then received his master’s degree from WVU in 1969.
The 30-year WVU Extension Agent spent nearly his entire career in Harrison County, W.Va. He began with the WVU Extension Service in 1955 and from the start worked to develop Harrison County’s dairy industry.
Tacy was instrumental in the construction of a youth livestock complex in Harrison County. In 1959, the county commissioners reserved six acres of the old county poor farm and built a $76,000 4-H barn, which quickly became a learning center for youth and adults. It eventually was replaced with a $3-million complex.
He also organized and conducted the first Dairy Heifer Replacement Sale in 1965.
Tacy will be long remembered for his work during the 1977 drought, during which he helped locate and deliver 6,500 bales of hay to drought-stricken West Virginia farmers.
He received the Distinguished Service Award from the National Association of County Agricultural Agents in 1977. He also received the Outstanding Performance Award from the Center for Extension and Continuing Education at West Virginia University in 1980, and the Outstanding Teacher Award from WVU in the same year.
Event tickets
The event is open to the public. Tickets are $30 each and the deadline for reservations is June 24.
Tickets can be purchased from: Brenda Aldridge, WVU Extension Service, 304-293-5691, ext. 3308 Sherry Barnette, W.Va. Forestry Association, 304-372-1955.
