3-26-2004 |
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AGRICULTURE COMPLEX TO BE RENAMED FOR LONGTIME WEST VIRGINIA COMMISSIONER The State of West Virginia will honor longtime Commissioner of Agriculture Gus R. Douglass by renaming the Guthrie Agricultural Center in his honor during a ceremony Tuesday, March 30, 2004. The new official name - approved by the Legislature this past session - is The Gus R. Douglass Agricultural Complex at Guthrie. The program will be held in the parking lot of Building 2, the West Virginia Department of Agriculture’s (WVDA) main administrative building, and will run from 1-3 p.m. A tent will protect guests in case of inclement weather, and refreshments will be served. Gov. Bob Wise will be the keynote speaker. Other speakers include West Virginia State College President Dr. Hazo Carter and West Virginia Treasurer John Perdue - who began his professional career working for Commissioner Douglass as an insect technician and pesticide inspector. Frank Lee, assistant for economic development for Gov. Wise, will serve as master of ceremonies. Contact WVDA Communications Officer Buddy Davidson at 304-558-3708, or at 304-541-5932 (cell) for more information. Commissioner Douglass - currently running for his tenth term in office - is the senior agriculture commissioner in the United States, and is widely respected as one of the leading agricultural voices in the nation. He was first elected Commissioner of Agriculture in 1964, and was a gubernatorial candidate in 1988. He and his son Tom operate their 540-acre family farm in Mason County, specializing in beef cattle and grain production. Raised amidst agriculture in Grimms Landing, West Virginia, Commissioner Douglass served as state and national president of the Future Farmers of America (FFA), was chosen as a West Virginia Star Farmer and later helped to organize, and served as first president, of the National FFA Alumni Association. He is also a 4-H All-Star. He holds a bachelor’s degree from West Virginia University, an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from West Virginia State College and an honorary Doctor of Sciences degree from West Virginia University. Commissioner Douglass has received a number of awards and honors, including the Gamma Sigma Delta award for Distinguished Service to West Virginia Agriculture and Progressive Farmer magazine’s “Man of the Year” in West Virginia Agriculture. In 1990, he was enshrined into the West Virginia Agriculture and Forestry Hall of Fame. In 2002, Commissioner Douglass was presented the prestigious Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Administrator’s Award. He was also honored by the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) for his work safeguarding America’s animal and plant industries. He and his wife Anna Lee, also a 4-H All-Star, have four children, six grandchildren and one great-grandson, and belong to the Leon Baptist Church. Commissioner Douglass is a Mason and a Shriner.
Contact: Buddy Davidson The West Virginia Department of Agriculture protects plant, animal and human health through a variety of scientific, regulatory and consumer protection programs, as mandated by state law. The Commissioner of Agriculture is one of six statewide elected officials in West Virginia. Currently, Commissioner Gus R. Douglass is the longest-serving agriculture commissioner in the nation. For more information, visit www.wvagriculture.org. |
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