Since the recent Friday Footnotes have been focusing on agricultural education in New Jersey, today we will look at the agricultural and vocational education teacher conventions held in Atlantic City. NVATA and AVA have held four combined conventions in Atlantic City. One of the conventions was especially memorable.
In case you don’t recognize the initials in the previous paragraph, the National Association of Agricultural Educators (NAAE) was previously known as the National Vocational Agriculture Teachers Association (NVATA). The name change occurred in 1997. The American Vocational Association (AVA) changed its name to the Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) in 1998.
The reason for the name changes was because the word “vocational” had a negative connotation in some circles and what was being taught was more scientific and much more than just vocational.
The AVA – NVATA Relationship
In 1926 two major vocational organizations merged. The two groups were the National Society for Vocational Education and the Vocational Education Association of the Middle West (VEAMW). The name selected for the combined groups was the American Vocational Association (AVA).
Agricultural educators were very active in the AVA from the very beginning. They were often in positions of leadership and typically had greater numbers of AVA members than any other group.
The first Secretary of AVA, the person who handled most of the business functions, was Z. M. Smith, the state supervisor of Agricultural Education in Indiana. He served in this position during the formative years of the newly created AVA (1926-1931).
Starting in 1934, as the first full-time AVA Executive secretary, and serving until 1950 was L. H. Dennis who previously was the state supervisor of Agricultural Education in Pennsylvania. Dennis had previously served two terms as President of the National Society for Vocational Education and was instrumental in creating the AVA.
Dennis was followed by M.D. Mobley of Georgia who had been an agriculture teacher, state supervisor of Agricultural Education and state director of Vocational Education. Mobley served from 1951 to 1965.
The following agricultural educators served as national presidents during the first 40 years of the existence of the American Vocational Association.
| Paul Chapman (Georgia) – 1930 | M. D. Mobley (Georgia) – 1946 |
| Ray Fife (Ohio) – 1933 & 1934 | Julian McPhee (California) – 1948 |
| A. K. Gettman (New York) – 1937 | H. C. Fetterolf (Pennsylvania) – 1951 |
| Ralph Woods (Kentucky) – 1939 | Mark Nichols (Utah) – 1954 |
| L. R. Humphries (Utah) – 1941 | R. E. Bass (Virginia) – 1958 |
| Fred Smith (Arkansas) – 1943 | Milo Peterson (Minnesota) – 1963 |
The first classroom teacher to be president of AVA was an agriculture teacher from South Carolina – Floyd Johnson in 1967-68. Prior to this time, the AVA Presidents had been university professors or state staff.
Based on the information above it is obvious there has been a close and symbiotic relationship between agricultural educators and the AVA/ACTE. The annual AVA conventions had some general sessions but most of the time was dedicated to the various vocational disciplines to focus on what was important for that discipline.
The New Jersey Conventions
Let’s visit the AVA and NVATA conventions that have been held in New Jersey. There have been four conventions in Atlantic City – 1949, 1955, 1963 and 1977. But first a word about Atlantic City.
Atlantic City first became popular in the nineteenth century because of its location along the ocean and its easy access from major cities such as Philadelphia and New York. The development of railroads helped bring visitors to the shore, and the construction of the Boardwalk in 1870 gave the city a unique identity. Hotels, shops, amusement piers, restaurants, and theaters grew around the beach, turning Atlantic City into a major vacation spot. By the early twentieth century, it was widely known as a place where people could escape city life, enjoy entertainment, and experience the excitement of the coast.
The 1949 Convention – The NVATA was organized at the AVA convention in Milwaukee the previous year (1948). So this was the first year for the NVATA to plan their part of the convention program. The president of the newly formed NVATA, Lionel Cross of California, spoke about “What the National Vocational Agricultural Teachers’ Association is Doing for the Individual Teacher of Vocational Agriculture. The presentations at the agricultural education division focused on helping students to get established in farming.
Scenes from the 1949 convention follow.
 Convention attendees were given a coupon in their registration packets to exchange for a Mr. Peanut salt and pepper shaker. |
 If you needed a smoke at the convention, you could be accommodated. Zoom in and you will see the sign says Cigarettes, Cigars, Newspapers, Cookies, etc.
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 If you think computers are complicated, how would you like to play this organ? The convention hall had a huge organ where Lois Miller played music for the attendees.
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 It was cold in Atlantic City in December as these boardwalk strollers will attest. I wonder how the carts were powered? It appears fur coats and hats were popular. There is a reason that conventions today are often held in the South. |
Figure 1. Images from the 1949 AVA Convention in Atlantic City. Images from the ACTE Archives.
The 1955 Convention – For the first time in history, student representatives of the youth organizations spoke at the convention. Lennie Gamage, the Southern Region FFA Vice President stated (American Vocational Journal, January 1956):
The vocational agriculture instructor is the primary instrument in the development of character and the training for useful citizenship….Essentially the farm boy is taught one thing above all others—to believe in himself and his ability. In our creed are these words, “I believe in my own ability to work efficiently and think clearly with such knowledge and skill as I can secure…”
Our motto is “Learning to Do, Doing to Learn, Earning to Live, and Living to Serve.” Learning to Do—in the vocational agriculture classroom those modern and improved methods that will make us better farmers. Doing to Learn–on the farm by putting into practice that which we have learned in vocational agriculture. Earning to Live–by reaping the harvest of knowledge and excellent training that vocational agriculture offers. Living to Serve–our God, our Country, and the brotherhood of man faithfully in the years ahead.
For the younger teachers in the profession, Lennie Gamage is a name intimately associated with the national FFA. After graduating from Virginia Tech in 1958 he worked for the national FFA for decades, primarily in international programming.
There was a tour of local farms sponsored by the Sears Roebuck Foundation. Cal Crandall, an agriculture teacher from Idaho, was featured in a short article in the American Vocational Journal (January, 1956).
The 1963 Convention – The U.S. Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare, Anthony J. Celebrezze, spoke at the Convention. He said:
We must put an end to racial discrimination wherever it occurs—in education, in employment, in housing, in the provision of health services and public accommodations. Barriers faced by some Americans because their skin is dark or because of their culture must be lifted once and for all. They have no place in our democratic society.
Was it just a coincidence that the New Farmers of America and the Future Farmers of America merged two years later in 1965?
The 1977 Convention – This was a “memorable” convention for the Friday Footnote Curator. In 1977 I was an assistant professor of agricultural education at Purdue University in Indiana. My wife, Barbara, was an assistant professor of Home Economics Education at Purdue. We were both members of the AVA.
The Purdue Ag Ed faculty decided to drive to Atlantic City for the convention. So the four of us piled into the station wagon and headed out. The Home Economics Educators decided to fly to Atlantic City. I arrived in Atlantic City a day before my wife arrived.
So what was Atlantic City like in 1977? It was a rundown, mostly deserted town. The decline of Atlantic City began as travel habits changed after World War II. More Americans owned cars, air travel became more common, and vacationers had many new choices, including Florida, Las Vegas, and other resort areas. Atlantic City’s older hotels and attractions struggled to compete with newer destinations. As visitors decreased, businesses closed, jobs disappeared, and parts of the city began to deteriorate. The once-busy resort became associated with economic hardship and an aging infrastructure.
When I checked into the hotel, I was shocked. It was obvious the hotel had been shut down for several years but had just opened for the convention. The hotel room was grungy and badly needed attention. I knew Barbara would balk at staying there when she arrived.
In the meantime, I went to visit L. H. Newcomb and his wife Beverly who were staying in a different hotel. L. H. was one of my professors from my graduate student days at Ohio State. His room was in worse shape than mine.
When Barbara arrived a day later, I suggested we go visit L. H. and Beverly before going to our room. I knew if she saw how bad their room was, she might be willing to stay in our room. The plan worked.
The food served at the various restaurants was mediocre at best. It was obvious several had reopened just for the convention. To make matters worse, it was very cold in Atlantic City. Daytime temperatures were in the 30s and 40s.
The AVA and agricultural education convention sessions were good. I enjoyed listening to the presentations and interacting with the attendees.
Then it came time to go home. The drive to West Lafayette, Indiana was a nightmare. We had plans to drive through the night. A major winter storm with snow and ice had hit the eastern United States. We took turns driving. One of the older professors in our group drove exceedingly slow on the Pennsylvania turnpike. We had a CB radio in the car and could hear the truckers making nasty remarks about his driving; but he was oblivious to the fact they were talking about him. We switched drivers at the first chance we got.
I had to drive the last 100 miles. At 5 am the interstate from Indianapolis to Lafayette was a sheet of ice. I was a nervous wreck by the time we arrived back at Purdue.
So, the 1977 AVA/NVATA convention will always be a memorable convention for me, but for the wrong reasons. Why was the convention held in Atlantic City if the city was so bad? The retiring AVA Executive Director had started his career with AVA at the 1955 convention held in Atlantic City and wanted to go out in the city in which he came in.
In the 1970s, New Jersey turned to casino gambling as a way to revive the city. Casino gambling was legalized in Atlantic City in 1976, and Resorts International opened as the city’s first casino in 1978. Casinos brought new jobs, attracted millions of visitors, and gave Atlantic City a fresh reputation as the “Las Vegas of the East.” The 1977 AVA/NVATA convention was a couple of years too early to benefit from the resurgence of Atlantic City.
Concluding Remarks
The first AVA/NVATA convention I attended was as a high school agriculture teacher in Chicago in 1972. That was also a memorable convention, but for an entirely different reason. It was my first convention, and I received the NVATA Region V Career Orientation Award and the Region V Ideas Unlimited Award.
I have attended about fifty of the AVA/NVATA (now ACTE/NAAE) conventions since then. I have learned much that helped me improve as a teacher and researcher. I have met many of the outstanding leaders in our profession and made many new professional friends. I enjoyed exploring new cities and states.
If you have never attended an ACTE/NAAE convention this is the year to do so. ACTE is celebrating its 100th anniversary in New Orleans (December 1-5). Lots of special activities are planned with some special commemorative items being distributed. You will not want to miss it. This celebration happens once every 100 years. None of us will be around for the next one. Think about that. It will be a “memorable” convention for all the right reasons.
To help you get in the convention frame of mind you might want to check out the AVA/ACTE trivia quiz. This activity started last year and there are 100 trivia questions, one a week leading up to the 2026 convention. The URL is https://www.acteonline.org/trivia-challenge/.
For more information about the 2026 convention go to https://www.naae.org/convention/ or https://www.careertechvision.com/. The deadline for the early bird registration is July 31.
Hope to see you in New Orleans in December.