As we continue our journey through the states learning about FFA in the early days, it is time for Alaska. Even though Alaska appears early in the alphabet it was one of the last states to affiliate with the national FFA (charter application). The year was 1976 and the charter number was 51. In 2021-22 there were 313 FFA members in Alaska.
When I made the decision a few weeks ago to have a series of Footnotes about each state, I thought this would be a rather easy task. However, we are now in week 2 and Alaska has me scratching my head. One would think we could just start with 1976, the year Alaska affiliated with the National FFA Organization. But hold your horses! I found newspaper articles about FFA members in Alaska prior to 1976. So what gives?
1937, August – The first mention of the Future Farmers of America in an Alaskan newspaper appeared in The Nome Nugget, August 27, 1937. But the article was about a FFA chapter from Pennsylvania. A group of 26 FFA members from Arendtsville were on a 12,000 mile tour of America and made it to Alaska. They had bought a used truck in Pennsylvania and left the truck in Vancouver, British Columbia to board a ship to go to Skagway. After a visit to Skagway, they returned to Vancouver, picked up the truck, and continued their trip. This was the 16th summer trip for the agriculture teacher. See Figure 1.
Figure 1. The Nome Nugget, August 27, 1937
A question to Ponder – During the first several decades of the FFA, taking an educational trip during the summer was a common practice. Students learned much from these trips. However, more recently some school boards have typically been against such trips. Perhaps we need some research that looks at the benefits of such trips.
1937, October – Alaska applied for a FFA charter in 1937. At the 1937 National FFA convention a motion was made to grant a charter to Alaska. However, in discussing the motion it was pointed out that the status of vocational education in Alaska was uncertain at the time; so the motion was postponed indefinitely. The FFA Board minutes from October of 1937 simply stated (p. 4) “Since the vocational funds have been withdrawn from Alaska, it was recommended that the check (for $5.00) for an Alaskan Association charter be returned.” No other details were provided.
1958, October – At the October 1958 FFA Board meeting there was discussion about Guam, the Virgin Islands, and Alaska joining the National FFA. However, it was noted that four chapters were needed to join the national FFA and that it would be sometime before that happened in Guam, the Virgin Islands and Alaska. The minutes (p. 5) indicate “The possibility was discussed of setting up provisional, or affiliate chapters in such cases, until such time as they could form the required number of chapters.” Apparently, this became a reality.
1959, January – At the January 1959 FFA Board of Directors Meeting the Board members (p. 8) “discussed the status of Alaska, the Virgin Islands, and Guam in regard to their relationship to the national organization of FFA.” A committee was appointed to study the situation and make recommendations at the July Board meeting. But no committee report was made at the July 1959 Board meeting nor at the October 1959 Board Meeting. A report on territorial groups was on the agenda for the January 1960 Board Meeting but the minutes contained no such report.
1959, August – “Youth Tells of Young Farm Group” was the title of an article that really confused me. It was published in the Kodiak Mirror on August 15, 1959, a good 17 years before Alaska was chartered by the FFA. I really wasn’t expecting to find a 1959 article about the FFA in Alaska. The article was embedded in a story about a Rotary Club meeting.
Figure 2. Kodiak Mirror, August 15, 1959
1959, October – Even though no official actions (of which there is a record) were taken in regard to Alaska in 1959, Alaska was prominently represented at the 1959 National FFA Convention. At the opening session of the convention Bill McKinley of Palmer, Alaska brought greetings from Alaska. At the American Royal Parade, which was held in conjunction with the FFA Convention, Alaska and Hawaii representatives were honorary Marshals of the parade (see Figure 3).
Figure 3. Photo from the 1959 FFA Convention proceedings. Note all were wearing FFA jackets. Bill McKinly of Alaska is in the middle.
So apparently vocational agriculture students from Alaska could belong to the FFA as early as 1959. The 1959 FFA Convention proceedings reveal the Official Manual Committee recommended (p. 33)
- On page 66, delete “Washington” from “from the State of Washington to Puerto Rico and from the State of Maine to Hawaii”. Insert the word “Alaska.”
The delegates at the 1959 convention approved the report of the Official Manual Committee but the changes in the wording of the opening ceremony in the FFA Manual did not change until 1978. More about that later.
1961 – The photo below is from the 1961 Palmer, Alaska High School yearbook. This indicates Palmer had an active FFA chapter in 1961 and if you believe the banner, it was the first FFA chapter in Alaska.
Figure 4. From the Polaris, 1961 Yearbook of the Palmer High School in Alaska
1962, January – At the January 1962 FFA Board of Directors meeting there was a discussion about the possibility of having FFA members in the Virgin Islands, Guam and Alaska. A decision was made (p. 6) “that students of Vocational Agriculture in areas that are not large enough to have a state association may become members of the FFA.” It was also decided these FFA members could compete in National FFA judging contests if they wanted to, but they would not be eligible for any of the awards (p. 10). It appears to me a decision had been made previously but now the FFA Board is codifying that decision.
1962, July – At the July 1962 FFA Board meeting (FFA Board of Directors Minutes, p. 14) “Dr. Tenney reported that Alaska, Guam and the Virgin Islands have accepted this offer and now have dues-paying members.”
1962, October – Rick Pettit from Alaska was introduced at the FFA convention and gave a brief greeting. The financial report stated that $1.80 in dues had been collected from Alaska.
1963, August-September – This issue of the National Future Farmer Magazine contained a short news item about FFA in Alaska. There was a photo of two Palmer FFA members inspecting turfgrass. The article stated that Palmer was the first FFA chapter in Alaska and had recently celebrated its sixth year of existence (This was 13 years before Alaska received a national charter).
1976, November – On November 11, Alaska received a charter as the 51st State FFA Association at the national FFA convention. The convention proceedings (p. 2) report that “It was officially passed by the delegates to amend the opening ceremony by deleting Washington and substituting Alaska in the reporters part.” Even though a similar motion was passed in 1959 apparently that motion was ignored. The change in the opening ceremony did not appear until the 1978 FFA Manual was printed.
Alaska was represented by a group of FFA members from Newhalem, Alaska. The 22 Newhalem students were members of the first FFA chapter in Alaska (according to the article in the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner even though Palmer claims to be the first) They brought an 80 pound cabbage to display along with some football size turnips to the national convention. See Figure 5.
Figure 5. Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, November 9, 1976. The article states “Newhalen” but the FFA Convention proceedings say “Newhalem”.
1976/1977 – An article in the December 1976/January 1977 National Future Farmer Magazine tells about the chartering of Alaska in 1976. Before you read the article following this paragraph, what “gift” do you think the Alaskan delegation presented to the National FFA (I wonder where it is now)? Which state agreed to pay the FFA dues for the Alaskan FFA members to encourage their membership? Which tractor company provided travel funds for the Alaskan FFA members to attend the convention? The answers are below.
Figure 6. Article from December 1976/January 1977 of the National Future Farmer Magazine.
1977, August – One year after Alaska affiliated with the National FFA, they had eight FFA chapters. An article in the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner (August 18, 1977) provides a good overview of the growth of the FFA in Alaska. See Figure 7.
Figure 7. Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, August 18, 1977
Concluding Remarks
In researching this Footnote I found conflicting information. Which was the first FFA chapter in Alaska? Was it Palmer or Newhalem? When did the National FFA make the decision to allow agriculture students to be FFA members in states or territories with few students? There are conflicting dates. And the list goes on. It is a challenge constructing the history of a state or local FFA organization years after the fact.
Perhaps it would be advisable to write a history of your FFA chapter. Many FFA chapters have historians. This might be a worthwhile endeavor to work on this year.
Before we know it 2028 will be here and we will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the FFA. So now would be a good time to get started.