Birth Announcement: 

• Kathie Short is a proud grandma! Her daughter, Amber and son-in-law, Bortier welcomed her first child Maximus Nii Bortey Manison into this world on 9-11-2017 weighing 8lbs 7 oz. and 20.5 inches long.  Mom and baby are doing great.  Congratulations Kathie on your first grandchild! 

• Blaine Riley, Ag Teacher at Coalgate had his first baby today.  Marshall Scott Riley was born at 12:41 p.m. on Wednesday, August 23.  He is a healthy 9 lbs.12 oz. and is 21.5 inches long.  Mom and baby are doing just fine!

Sad News:

• 9-12-2017 Arlie Cloud (Retired Ag Teacher who taught at Haskell, Boynton, Haileyville, and Savanna) passed away Sept 10^th.  Memorial service for Arlie will be held on September 14th at 10:30 a.m. at the First Assembly of God in McAlester, Okla. (1800 Hardy Spring Road).  Arrangements are with the Brumley Mills Funeral Home in McAlester.  Please keep the Cloud family in your thoughts and prayers during this time.

•  June Dean, better known to past participants of Oklahoma FFA Alumni Leadership Camp as “Grandma Dean,” passed away Friday, September 8, 2017, in Owasso.  Services are scheduled for Monday, September 11, 1 p.m., First Baptist Church of Owasso. June served as the 1995-1996 president of the National FFA Alumni Association…and long-time Secretary of the Oklahoma FFA Alumni Association.  Truly an OK FFA legend.  We love you Grandma.

  The family is requesting that financial contributions to honor June be made to the Grandma and Grandpa Dean permanent trust in the Oklahoma FFA Foundation.  You can mail checks to:

  Lisa Eden, Treasurer Oklahoma FFA Foundation PO Box 33090 Tulsa, OK  74153       

       The family will be sent notification of your generosity.

• L.E. Castle, Jet passed away Sept. 3, 2017. He taught at Billings from 1950-1952 and Burlington from 1952-1970.   He was recognized in the Ag Ed Teacher Hall of Fame in 2000. He was also recognized in the Oklahoma Deptartment of Ag Hall of Fame in 2007.   You can read his biography at this link:  http://www.oda.state.ok.us/halloffame-castle.htm.  Services will be September 11 at 10:30 a.m. at the Jet Methodist Church in Jet, Oklahoma.

• Services for Jim Strawn will be tomorrow (Tuesday 8-29-2017) at 2:00 p.m. at Cornith Baptist Church (located about 10 miles south of Gould on Highway 5).  Visitation is today from 6-8:00 p.m. at Lowell Funeral home in Eldorado.  Jim began teaching Ag in 1961 at Vinson.  He also taught at Carnegie, Kingfisher, Clinton, and last taught at Eldorado in 1991.  He then taught Ag at WOSC (Western Oklahoma State College in Altus).  Our thoughts and prayers are with his family during this time.
  

Thoughts and Prayers: 

• 9-6-2017  A New Day: Texas Agricultural Education Disaster Relief Fund      
  

  This fund will help FFA chapters and agricultural education programs rebuild following natural disasters such as Hurricane Harvey. Donations to this fund will be dispersed via an application process directly to the programs and chapters affected by the storm. This is our chance to show the country and the world how much Texans and the Agricultural Education Family care about each other.
  
  A donation to the “A New Day: Texas Agricultural Education Disaster Relief Fund” can be made HERE.
  
  You can also send a check or money order to:
  
  Texas FFA Foundation
  Attn: A New Day Crisis Fund
  614 E. 12th Street
  Austin, TX 78701
  
  Please make checks payable to the Texas FFA Foundation and write “A New Day Crisis Fund” in the memo section of the check or money order. Donations are tax deductible.