A Family Tradition

478-227-7126

JULY 14, 2017

Tifton, Georgia

www.tiftongrapevine.com

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A FAMILY TRADITION

THREE GENERATIONS OF FAMILY WITH TIFTON ROOTS

ATTEND UGA COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE & ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

Willie Tyson, Tifton native and patriarch of a South Georgia family, is said to be the longest-serving, unofficial recruiter for the University of Georgia's College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES).

In the new edition of Southscapes magazine, published for alumni and friends of UGA's CAES, Tyson and three generations of his family -- all of whom have attended CAES -- are profiled.


	Photo by Dennis McDaniel/Southscapes Willie Tyson speaks with his granddaughter, Samantha Strickland, about the cattle on his Perry farm. .

Tyson received his degree in

agricultural engineering in 1957. He grew up on a Tifton farm and attended Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College before transferring to UGA. He devoted his career to the U.S. Air Force, spending most of it in personnel management where his CAES recruitment efforts began.

"I convinced the Air Force there are lots of good people coming out of the ag college, that the best engineers coming out of Georgia were in Athens," he told the magazine. There are many agricultural engineers working at Robins Air Force Base in Warner Robins as a result of Tyson's efforts.

He never pushed his children into CAES, they said, but Tyson had influence. He first learned of his son, Tony Tyson's (B.S., agricultural engineering, '79; M.S., agricultural engineering, '80) interest in pursuing a CAES degree in the local newspaper.

"When Tony got some scholarships in high school ... someone interviewed him, and I read that in the newspaper," Willie Tyson said. "That's the first I learned he wanted to go into agricultural engineering."

Willie Tyson was always open to sharing his knowledge and CAES experiences with his children and their friends.

"When they were trying to decide what they wanted to do, I talked to them and other young people," he said. "We'd have cookouts, and they'd ask questions about the college. I saw several of them go to the UGA college of ag."

Tony Tyson went on to work for the college, spending nearly 40 years in the UGA Cooperative Extension, including a year at the Tifton Coastal Plain Experiment Station. Tony's younger sister, Jody Tyson Strickland (B.S., agricultural engineering, '86), came to CAES undecided on a major. She knew her father and brother had good experiences, but she was interested in all aspects of agriculture. Her father encouraged her to major in agricultural engineering.

Strickland is currently vice president of F&W Forestry Services. She married another UGA agricultural engineer, Edmond Strickland. Tony Tyson and Jody Strickland's sister, Betsy Tyson Flanders, is married to Reuben Flanders, another CAES alumnus.

Tony Tyson's son, Nathan, graduated from the CAES program in 2010. All three of Jody Strickland's children also graduated from CAES -- Tyson Strickland, Morgan Strickland Grizzle and Samantha Strickland.

According to the article in Southscapes magazine , Willie Tyson continues to recruit students. He serves on the board of his county Farm Bureau in Perry and still encourages students to consider agriculture careers. He said he hopes that he has set an example.

LOCAL KIDS ATTEND SUMMER CAMP TUTORING AT SOUTH TIFTON

LEARNING CENTER

The beginning of the public school year is still more than

two weeks away, but some Tifton children are getting an early start.

The South Tifton Learning Center (STLC) on Dorminey Street has been holding the Lester Summer Camp.

STLC is a non-profit community-based organization providing reading and math tutoring to students in grades pre-K through eighth.

Melanie Lester founded STLC in 2000. The organization provides mentoring, youth leadership training and other resources to improve student academic performance.

To be part of the program, a student must maintain honor or merit roll status.

SYLVESTER CADET COMPLETES D.C. INTERNSHIP

Austin Griffin of Sylvester, a West Point cadet, recently completed a three-week internship in the Washington, D.C., office of Congressman Austin Scott, R-Tifton.

"I had the honor of nominating Cadet Griffin to the United States Military Academy in West Point, N.Y., and it has been a pleasure having him in our D.C. office helping our legislative staff, giving constituent tours, attending briefings and speaking with constituents," Scott said.

Griffin said he is "grateful for the opportunity to personally experience and participate in the daily operations of the federal government. I gained valuable knowledge regarding how Congress operates and how it impacts me as a future second lieutenant. Experiencing our nation's capital for the first time was also a surreal experience."

Griffin is a law and legal studies major at West Point.

Photo: Griffin, left, with Scott at the Capitol.

TIFTON-TIFT COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

RIBBON CUTTING

Atwater Insurance

622 N. Tift Ave., Tifton

July 13

GA POWER DONATES TO EDUCATION

Georgia Power Co., which has has been a major supporter of the Tift County Foundation for Educational Excellence for many years, recently awarded the education group a $1,000 check from the Georgia Power Foundation.

The education foundation supports students and teachers in the Tift County public schools though funding various initiatives and recognizing top teachers in the school system.

Several current and former education foundation board members gathered for the check presentation along with Executive Director Mike Brumby. From left in the photo above are Brumby, Frank Sayles Jr., Charleston Carter, Shaundra Clark, Lynn Lovett, Kaylar Howard, Jonathan Jones and Bret Wagenhorst.

UGA TIFTON'S NEW FRUIT PATHOLOGIST TO FOCUS

ON DISEASES OF PERENNIAL FRUIT CROPS


	OLIVER

Jonathan Oliver recently joined the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences in Tifton as a fruit pathologist specializing in blueberries, blackberries, citrus, pomegranates, olives and mayhaws.

" Georgia has a tremendous array of commodities just in fruits. That's one of the reasons I am excited about working here," Oliver said. "We have established fruits, like blueberries, and up-and-coming fruits, like citrus, that should only continue to grow in popularity. Hopefully, I can help our farmers continue to be as successful as they have been."

Georgia is a national leader in blueberry production. Georgia blueberries were valued at more than $255.7 million in 2015, according to the UGA Center for Agribusiness and Economic Development's farm gate value report.

Oliver previously worked at Auburn University, where he studied the cause of bacterial leaf scorch in blueberries. He coordinated some of his research with UGA Cooperative Extension county agents in Georgia and hopes to continue those studies in his new role at UGA.

In his new role at UGA, Oliver will also help the citrus industry continue to expand in Georgia. More than 150 acres of satsuma oranges -- potentially more than 21,750 new citrus trees -- have been planted in South Georgia in the past four years.

Oliver is researching citrus greening, a bacterial disease that has wiped out a number of trees in Florida. The disease, spread by an insect that has been found in South Georgia, is the largest threat to citrus production worldwide, Oliver said. While citrus greening has only been found in Georgia's coastal counties, Oliver wants to be proactive in keeping Extension county agents updated on its progression.

REP. SCOTT NAMES CHIEF OF STAFF


LAWRENCE

U.S. Rep. Austin Scott, a Republican from Tifton, has named a gun lobbyist as his chief of staff, according to LegiStorm,a non-profit online congressional tacking site.

Jason Lawrence had worked as a federal liaison to the National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action, the NRA's lobbying arm, since 2015. The NRA has given Scott, a lifetime member of the advocacy group, a 93 percent rating last year for his positions on gun issues.

Lawrence previously worked for other current and past members of Congress, including Rep. Tom Graves and Sen. Saxby Chambliss.

Lawrence is a graduate of Georgia Southern University.

YOUR WEEKEND

. ..at a Glance

FRIDAY, JULY 14

GRPA B&C State Swim Meet, 8 a.m., Tift County Recreation Pool, Tifton

SATURDAY, JULY 15

One Street at a Time Clean-up, 7:30 a.m., Copeland Park, corner of Southern Avenue and Doc Melton Sr. Drive, Tifton
GRPA B&C State Swim Meet, 8 a.m., Tift County Recreation Pool, Tifton
Irwin County Farmers Market, 8 a.m., 5th Street, Ocilla
Wiregrass Farmers Market, 9 a.m.-Noon, Ga. Museum of Agriculture, Tifton
Sylvester Farmers Market, 9 a.m.-Noon, downtown train depot, Sylvester
"Beautiful Wood to Beautiful Art" Opening Exhibit Reception, 6-8:30 p.m., Tifton Museum of Arts and Heritage, Tifton