Thank you, Our Veterans

By Ron Rosati, NCTA Dean

Our students and faculty of the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture will be joining the community of Curtis on Wednesday in the local salute to veterans.

November 11, especially, is a significant opportunity for each of us to express and display the respect and gratitude we hold with those who have served in military service, who are active service personnel, and particularly to pay tribute to those who died in valor for our country and fellow citizens.

I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to those who served in the United States military. Your service to our country is appreciated.

Public ceremonies will be in three area towns on Wednesday, here at the NCTA Education Center auditorium at 11 a.m. and at the Maywood School and Eustis-Farnam School Gyms, both at 1 p.m. We are honored to work with several military veterans in our NCTA family. I appreciate their dedication and service.

I look forward to seeing our elementary children individually recognize each veteran in attendance including Bob Furrow and Ward Schick, veterans of World War II. The band from the Medicine Valley Public School will play. Thank you to the Curtis American Legion Post #95 for being such a great part of our community. Legion Chaplain Doug Widick, Stacey Owens, and Wilford “Buzz” Cole, a retired and longtime employee of our college, will provide remarks.

Again, thank you to all veterans and active military personnel for your sacrifices, and for the sacrifices made by your families, to ensure our freedom and peace.

On Friday of this week, we salute those who founded our college.  Thank you to the hundreds of faculty, staff and industry partners who have been instrumental over these 50 years of providing technical agriculture education for college students.

The creation of our college is a demonstration of the great vision and insight present in Nebraska agricultural leaders 50 years ago. Agriculture is Nebraska’s leading industry and Nebraska plays an important role in supplying the United States and the world with food, fiber, agricultural technologies and other products from our agricultural industries.

To satisfy the workforce development needs of Nebraska’s agricultural industries, leaders in the early 1960s saw the need for an institution with a statewide mission for conducting technical education in agriculture. The University of Nebraska School of Technical Agriculture was created to satisfy that need. Over the past 50 years UNSTA, and then NCTA, have served that need very well.

We will recognize early college leaders and celebrate our 50th anniversary on Friday with a program at 1:30 p.m. at the Education Center.  Tours, memorabilia and anniversary refreshments will be at the Student Activities Center (The Barn).  Call my office at 367-5200 or e-mail chauptman4@unl.edu to RSVP or for more details on this celebration.

I look forward to seeing you at some of our events at NCTA this week. This campus is your campus.

Events this week:

Nov. 11 – Veterans Day Program, 11 a.m., NCTA Education Center

Nov. 12 – Nebraska Grazing Lands forum, 5-9 p.m., NCTA Education Center

Nov. 13 – 50 Years as UNSTA-NCTA, 11 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. tours, 1:30 p.m. Celebration Program

Nov. 13-15 - Aaron Ralston Horsemanship and Ranch Horse Clinic, 8 a.m. daily, LTC Arena

Nov. 16 – Discovery Day, 9 a.m., NCTA Education Center

Nov. 17 – Agribusiness Management Systems Advisory Council meeting, 10 a.m., Ag Hall