Arthur Green has been everybody’s ag teacher, or at least that’s what people in Todd County like to say. Considering he taught high school agriculture in Todd County for the 33 years between 1973 and 2006, it’s probably pretty close to true.

Green’s influence on generations of community members as a teacher, an active member of his church, the county judge executive, and now as the mayor of Elkton, is evidence of his life philosophy of service to others.

Most recently, Green has found yet another way to support young people in FFA. He is giving $30,000 to the Kentucky FFA Foundation’s Forever Blue Fund. His gift will support student opportunities in the Growing Leaders category. For the first five years, Green’s donation will be earmarked for the Todd County Central High School’s FFA chapter, as well as for an annual FFA camp scholarship for a student from Lyon County (Green’s childhood home). After that, funds from his donation will be available to FFA members from the Pennyrile or Purchase regions of Kentucky.

Rolled out earlier this year, the Forever Blue program is fairly unique in that donors can designate exactly which chapters their gifts should benefit, and in what area – either Growing Leaders, Strengthening Agriculture, or Building Communities. The donation is invested with the FFA Foundation’s larger endowment, which offers management and investment advantages, and the dividends from that gift go back to the designated FFA chapter or chapters.

“My blood runs blue and gold – because of FFA and Murray State,” said Green. “It all started when I entered high school in Lyon County. I enrolled in the ag program and FFA. At that time, there were two ag teachers. You got one ag teacher as a freshman and kept that same teacher all the way through high school.

“My teacher was Mr. Clyde Grace, Jr., and like many former FFA members would say, he and his wife and kids became family to me. I grew up on a small farm in Lyon County, and back in those days I would have liked to farm. I knew that wasn’t going to be possible, so I looked for ways to stay connected to farming. I went to Murray State and got my degree in ag education.”

As Green neared graduation from Murray State University, one of his professors told him about a teaching opportunity in Todd County. Green applied, and has spent the last 48 years positively influencing his adopted community.

“I loved the opportunity to do what I hope was impacting students’ lives,” he said. “I wanted to give them a vision of the possibilities that were out there. I knew a lot of the students I had in class weren’t going to be connected to ag directly, but they needed the skills FFA produces – speaking, record keeping, being able to work cooperatively on projects. Even more important, they needed to know they don’t have to be stuck. There’s a whole world out there, if you strive and work and seek advice.

“Every student I ever had wanted the same two or three things: a job or something that would help them make money, family, and to be loved and accepted. Those three things haven’t changed. Many kids get up on their own, get themselves to school, and no one really has a good word for them. My belief for many years has been that a lot of the kids who acted out, who maybe were not good at the academics but good at the hands-on stuff just needed somebody to acknowledge that there’s good in what you do – there’s a need for that.”

Bradley McKinney was a student of Green’s, and is currently an agriculture teacher at Rowan County High School in Morehead, Kentucky.

“Some people are just kind of like the moral compass around you,” he said. “I had support at home, but Mr. Green was that for me at school.  When we want to things like National Convention, or any trip, he’d always take us out for a meal to a place we would have never gone. He’d call it ‘culture night.’ Mr. Green told me I had what it took to be a leader – I didn’t see that in myself. He didn’t push too hard though – he went ahead and let me figure it out on my own. He was just always trying to make you a little more well-rounded.”

Over the course of his career, and even now, Green took just as active a role in supporting his fellow Kentucky agriculture teachers. He has been the president of the Kentucky FFA Alumni Association, served on the Kentucky FFA Foundation’s Board of Directors, and spent ten years on the Kentucky Retired Teachers’ Association board.

“When it comes to anything around teachers’ rights and teachers’ advocacy, he’s been a part of it,” said McKinney.

“Mr. Green is a person who has lived a true life of service in every way you can count,” said Sheldon McKinney, executive director of the Kentucky FFA Foundation. “He has influenced agriculture in Todd County for generations.”

“My hope is that this donation is a forward touch that will continue to support FFA members,” said Green. “I don’t know what FFA or ag is going to look like in the future – my crystal ball stays cloudy most of the time – but the need for leadership, personal growth and student development is still going to be there.”

The Kentucky FFA Foundation cultivates partnerships which support the FFA vision to grow leaders, build communities, and strengthen agriculture. Kentucky FFA Foundation initiatives impact nearly 14,500 FFA members in 161 FFA chapters across Kentucky. Learn more about how you can support the mission of the Kentucky FFA Foundation at kyffa.org/ways-to-give.