Where: Okemos Masonic Center
When: 6:00 pm Fellowship; 6:20 pm Dinner/Program (Please note the earlier 6:20 pm dinner start time to permit more time for the program)
Program: 80th Anniversary Celebration
Presenter: Dr. Thomas Summerhill, Associate Professor Department of History, Michigan State University; "1941: LAANRC and the Dawn of a New Farming ERA."
Dr. Summerhill will help us reflect back to 1941 to explore post-depression and pre-war conditions that were ripe to spawn agricultural clubs across the country, including our own club which has lasted eight decades. His goal will be to extend his 19th century studies of labor, working class, political and social conditions in the United States to the 1941 era. He will emphasize factors that came together to stimulate interest on the part of city-based businessmen to become farm owners and who then came together to form agricultural clubs. While the composition of our 2021 club membership is much different than that of the 24 founding members back in 1941, we are all still connected by our interest in the many facets of agriculture and natural resources. Dr. Summerhill is a noted writer and historian who came to MSU in 1997 and continues as Associate Professor in the Department of History. He also has served as Adjunct Curator at the MSU Museum since 2000.
The depression and post-war period leaves much to untangle in such a quickly changing agricultural system in our country. The Greater Lansing area is fortunate to have Michigan State University at our doorstep. What was so special about 1941 at MSU? For starters it was the end of the Robert Shaw (1928-1941) presidency and start of the Hannah era (1941-1969). Both men were from the Agricultural College and Hannah was married to Shaw’s daughter. Their combined 41 years serving as presidents of the university with similar styles of leadership, is still being felt today. Some go as far to say that their presidencies were “seamless”. We are all connected and forever tied together by our interest in the agriculture and natural resource wonders of the Great Lake State.
Meet & Greet Our 2021 Scholarship Winners
Congratulations to three students from Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources Education, Food Science and Biosystems Engineering on receiving scholarships from our club. We will have an opportunity to visit with these outstanding young leaders during our fellowship time and over the meal. At the end of the meal, each student will share information about their college career paths and goals for the future. The Scholarship Coordination Team members are very impressed with their academic and leadership accomplishments and we are sure you also will be after hearing their stories. Our scholarship efforts, supported by the Club’s endowment at MSU, are truly investments in the future and Club members are complimented for supporting this worthy cause.