HORTON RECOGNIZED BY NATIONAL FFA ALUMNI
COLUMBIA, SC….S.F. Horton of Loris, SC, was awarded Life Membership in the 46,000 member National FFA Alumni Organization at a ceremony held in Columbia recently, according to John W. Parris, state director of public affairs with the SC FFA Association. The presentation was made by Scott Morfeld, an official with the National FFA Alumni Office located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and Dr. Tom Dobbins, professor and program coordinator of Agricultural Education at Clemson University.
Mr. Horton was a voting delegate to the organizational meeting of the Future Palmetto Farmers held at the State Fair Grounds in Columbia in October 1927. The South Carolina organization was a charter member of the National Future Farmers of America when it was established in 1928. The group became known as the National FFA Organization in recent years to more accurately portray its expansion from one that represented farm youth only to one that included the more than 300 career opportunities in the business, science or technology of agriculture.
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During the recognition ceremony in Columbia, State FFA President Spencer C. McLeod of McBee and the other state officers, presented Mr. Horton with the National FFA Eagle Award for his long and distinguished service in support of Agricultural Education and the FFA in South Carolina.
Mr. Horton grew up on a farm in Chesterfield County near Jefferson in the 1920’s. He was selected to represent Jefferson High School at the meeting at the State Fair to create a state organization of farm youth enrolled in Agricultural Education courses in high school. That meeting in 1927 and the one in Columbia where he was recently honored was held on the same day of the month, October 17 th.
In 1928, Mr. Horton enrolled in Clemson College (now Clemson University) and majored in Agricultural Education. Upon graduation in 1932, he began his professional career as an Agricultural Education Instructor. Most of his teaching career was at Loris High School. After some years, Mr. Horton discontinued teaching and became a full-time farmer and established a very successful farm supply business in Loris.
At 96 years of age, Mr. Horton is now retired but often takes a ride over his farm to observe the crops being grown. Some years ago, Clemson University recognized him with the prestigious Distinguished Service Award and named him one of the 100 most outstanding Clemson Agricultural Alumni of the first one hundred years of Clemson’s history by designating him a Distinguished Centennial Agricultural Alumnus
Mr. Horton was accompanied to Columbia by his son, Lewis S. Horton, his daughter, Jean H. Locke, and his caregiver, Genevia Jordon.
“To have Mr. Horton participate in the SC FFA Recognition Day held in conjunction with the State Fair on October 17 and attended by more than 500 FFA members, advisors and other supporters, is among the highlights of the SC FFA Association in recent years,” Mr. Parris said. “He is truly an inspiration to FFA members from chapters in nearly one hundred secondary schools in South Carolina,” he added.
The National FFA Organization has a membership in excess of 500,000 with members in every state, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
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| Mr. S. F. Horton (seated) with daughter, Mrs. Jean H. Locke; Ms. Genevia Jordan, his caregiver; and son, Lewis S. Horton. |
Mr. S. F. Horton (seated) with Sate FFA Officers Spencer McLeod (seated at left) and Heather Coleman. (Standing from left) Hunter Cooper, Brittany Mixson, William Nelson and Desiree Kinneer. |
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| Mr. S. F. Horton (seated) with John W. Parris. | Mr. S. F. Horton (seated) with daughter, Mrs. Jean H. Locke; Scott Morfeld, National FFA Alumni Organization; son, Lewis S. Horton; and Dr. Tom Dobbins with Clemson University. |