Former Hopkinsville FFA Members Create Endowment to Support Local Agricultural Education Programs

There is a long list of successful Hopkinsville High School graduates who credit their agriculture teacher, Mr. Earl Webb, for having a tremendous influence on them in high school. 

“We had an excellent vocational agriculture/FFA advisor,” said Terry Ashby, who graduated in 1975. “He had a very positive influence on several of us in Hopkinsville and Christian County. Because of that positive impact I wanted to do something in appreciation and recognition of him and other FFA advisors.”

After high school, Ashby earned his degree in agricultural economics from the University of Kentucky, and went on to have a 41-year career with Perdue Farms. He held positions in sales and production with Perdue which took him to several other states, and eventually returned him to Kentucky in the late 1990’s. 

A couple of years ago, he came up with an idea for a fund to support current agriculture programs in Christian County, while recognizing the impact of current and past agriculture teachers. He bounced the idea off a few of his classmates, who wholeheartedly supported it and were excited to get involved. 

One of those classmates, Keith Buckingham, credits his time in Mr. Webb’s agriculture classes for giving him a sense of direction, leadership skills, problem solving practice, and other tools that he still uses in his day-to-day career with Bayer Crop Science. 

Buckingham had stayed involved in supporting FFA, and helped Ashby make a connection with the Kentucky FFA Foundation. Executive Director Sheldon McKinney loved the idea also, and not only helped the Christian County group get organized, but used Ashby’s idea as the basis for the Foundation’s recently formed Forever Blue Endowment Fund.

“The goal of the Kentucky FFA Foundation’s Forever Blue endowment program is to give donors the opportunity to make a difference in something they are passionate about – the lives of FFA members – for generations to come,” said McKinney. 

“The FFA Foundation will disperse 5 percent of the total endowment annually to accomplish our mission of Growing Leaders in Christian County. When we set up the framework, we thought, ‘this has to still work in 50 years, when there’s a different Foundation director, different teachers, agriculture is different.’ We believe we have created that opportunity to be philanthropic for generations, in a sustainable way.”

Locally, the goal is to raise $100,000 for the Christian County Ag Teacher Appreciation endowment from supporters of agriculture in Christian County. The proceeds will be granted directly to the agricultural education programs at Hopkinsville High School and Christian County High School each year. These funds will be used by the programs to provide opportunities for agriculture students, like helping them pay for trips to FFA Camp, National and State FFA Convention, and purchase FFA jackets.

“We have a very diverse group of students from a wide variety of backgrounds,” said Olivia Clark, an agriculture teacher at Christian County High School. “There is more financial need than many people realize. This endowment is going to give our students opportunities to see what’s beyond the classroom and expand their horizons. We are fortunate to have a very supportive community.”

1973 Hopkinsville FFA Officers

“It was important for us to give something back to the process that helped us so much.”

Those are exactly the kinds of opportunities Mr. Webb showed his students, and they credit him with setting a foundation for their future careers. David Delaney, who was a member of the same class as Ashby and Buckingham, said his four years with Mr. Webb helped him develop from a timid freshman to a confident graduate with a clear direction. 

“I will forever be grateful for the huge impact Mr. Webb and FFA had on my development during my high school years,” he said. “The skills that I obtained during this time have served me well over and over again throughout my life.”

“I think young people today have more challenges than they’ve ever had,” said Ashby. “Agricultural education and FFA can be a big benefit to help young people as they begin to consider careers and even what their whole ethics and morals will be. We saw this as a great opportunity to help young people make great decisions to benefit them like it has us.”

Besides having the idea to start the endowment, Ashby, along with his wife, Donna Sadler Ashby (also a Hopkinsville native), have made a gift to help get it started. 

Hopkinsville FFA class 1975 40 year reunion

Yet another classmate, local farmer David Wimpy, has made a gift as well, and is excited about the possibilities.

“I just can’t emphasize enough the importance of FFA, and if you’ve got the right teachers in there, the impact it can have on kids at an early age. It can be life-changing,” said Wimpy. 

“Mr. Webb was a pioneer. He started the first ag program at Hopkinsville High School. I’m still using things he taught me in class today, and everyone in our 1975 class can tell you the same thing – how much impact FFA had on our careers and our love for agriculture.”

Buckingham and his wife, Loloy, have designated a portion of their estate be gifted to the endowment. 

“It was important for us to give something back to the process that helped us so much,” said Buckingham.

“Anyone can contribute to this endowment at any gift size,” said McKinney. “A $1,000 gift, a gift from an estate, a donation of grain….it all goes back to the cause of supporting opportunities to FFA members in Christian County.”

“I would like for people in all aspects of business in Christian County that have anything to do with ag to step in and financially support this cause,” said Buckingham. 

From equipment dealerships to farms, to even the railroad in Christian County – Buckingham pointed out that agriculture programs are a critical part of the developmental grounds for future generations of employees and leaders.

If you would like to give to the Christian County Agriculture Teacher Development Endowment Fund, contact Sheldon McKinney at

(606) 782-4620 or sheldon.mckinney@kyffa.org.

Donors to the Christian County Forever Blue Endowment 

Ashbel Brunson III 

Ben Bolinger

Bestway Ag

Christian County Agri Buisness Association 

Christian County Chamber of Commerce

CoBank

Commonwealth Agri-Energy

David & Rita Wimpy

Gary Keeton Agency 

Grace Gorrell 

H & R Agri-Power, Inc. 

Hopkinsville Elevator Co. Inc. 

John C Campbell 

Planters Bank 

Randy & Judy Arnold

David Delaney

Terry & Donna Ashby