UTIA Retirees Association Newsletter

August 2025

Janet C. Cluck, UTIA Retirees President, Central/Western Areas

In Life’s Garden
Count your garden by the flowers,
Never by the leaves that fall;
Count your days by golden hours,
Don’t remember clouds at all.
Count your nights by stars, not shadows,
Count your years with smiles, not tears,
Count your blessings, not your troubles,
Count your age by friends, not years.
--Dixie Willson

What an honor it is for me to serve as president of the UTIA Retirees Association! Since our transition board meeting in May and a couple of area gatherings, it has been a pleasure to see some folks for the first time in many years. UTIA—with its mission of improving lives in classrooms, labs, farms, fields, homes, and communities across the state—is an uncommon workplace. Long hours spent planning and conducting educational experiences (think 4-H camp!) provide opportunities for professional and personal relationships that lead to lifelong friendships. I’m willing to bet that, like me, you have many friends who are amazed at the close-knit connections we made with people all over the state (and nation!) through our work. Involvement in the UTIA Retirees Association allows us to renew and maintain those relationships.

For those who may not know me, I began my employment with UT as a student worker in the office of the original creamery as a freshman and kept that job throughout my undergraduate years. I retired from UT Extension at the end of 2021 having spent my entire forty-plus year career in Dickson County except for two year-long stints as interim regional director (2010 in the Central Region and 2018 in the Western Region). My dream of being an Extension agent began during my own 4-H days in Rutherford County with Ben Powell as my first 4-H agent. The dream became reality with more than twenty years in youth work and another twenty in family and consumer sciences/community development.

One of my favorite quotes is from Herman Cain, former chair of Godfather’s Pizza and later a presidential primary candidate, who said, “Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.” I loved my career and considered myself blessed to have earned a living doing work that I enjoyed. The relationships with people (my 4-H members, volunteer leaders, FCE members, community partners, farmers, elected officials, and colleagues) rewarded my efforts. Each of us could write a book about those people, and that’s what makes us a unique organization!

At our state board/leadership team meeting on July 18, I shared the following goals for this year:
1) Increase membership and engagement
2) Update and maintain the association website
3) Revise the constitution and bylaws
4) Maintain association support and encourage individual support of UTIA programs

With your help, these goals will be easily achieved. If you aren’t sure where to start, here are my suggestions:

Please feel free to contact me with suggestions or questions! As I always told my staff in Dickson County, we don’t have to know the answer to all the questions, but we should know whom to call for the information we need!

I hope to see you at a retiree gathering soon to remind me of my age in friends, not years!

Deborah Seward, Secretary, Western Area

The Western Area retirees fall meeting is scheduled for Jackson on Tuesday, September 9. Retirees will meet at the Jackson Fairgrounds at 11:30 a.m. (CDT). Members will have the opportunity to support the Madison County 4-H program by purchasing lunch from the 4-H Chicken Shack. Our quarterly educational program will be provided by TN SHIP. TN SHIP is a valuable resource offered by the state of Tennessee that assists residents who are navigating the complexities of Medicare.

Whether residents are new to Medicare or have been a beneficiary for years, TN SHIP can provide the support needed to make informed decisions about health insurance coverage and the Part D Drug plan. I look forward to seeing many of my friends and former coworkers on September 9 in Jackson. RSVP to Deborah Seward at deborahseward1@gmail.com to let her know you plan to attend and complete your lunch order.” Please put the date on your calendar and be there!

Steve Harris, Vice President, Central Area

The Central Area Retirees July lunch meeting was recently held on Thursday, July 24, at Crawdaddy’s West Side Grill in Cookeville. Our State UTIA Retirees President, Janet Cluck, reported on the happenings with our State Retiree Association.

Keith Harrison from the UTIA Office of Advancement discussed the 4-H picnic at the Tennessee State Fair and how it funded 4-H members to attend 4-H camp.

Paul Denton, Vice President, Eastern Area

The Eastern Area retirees fall meeting will be held at noon (EDT) on October 16, 2025, in Knox County at Washington Presbyterian Church, 7405 Washington Pike, Corryton, TN 37721. We will have a catered lunch in the recreation hall of the church, followed by ample time for socializing with former colleagues.

In addition to lunch and fellowship, an optional tour of the nearby Oakes Daylily Farm corn maze and fall festival will be available to those who are interested.

Details regarding food, cost, and the visit to Oakes Farm will follow by email later in August. The event will be very informal with good food, fellowship, and a short introduction to Oakes Farm and the history of the church. Looking forward to seeing everyone there. Please mark your calendar!

Paul Denton, Vice President, Eastern Area

Mark your calendar for Ag Day on Saturday, September 20. Ag Day will, as usual, precede a UT football game, in this case with the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Ag Day exhibits and activities will begin at 8:15 a.m. (EDT) and end at 11:15 a.m. prior to game day kickoff at 12:45 p.m.

The UTIA Retirees Association will have a table and display as in past years, and volunteers are needed to greet visitors. If you plan to attend Ag Day and would like to represent the UTIA Retirees Association for an hour or two at our display, please contact Paul Denton by email at pdenton@utk.edu or by text at 865-599-0413.

It will be a great opportunity to greet old friends and make new ones. An email to our membership with more details regarding the program and volunteering for the display will follow in the next few weeks. Looking forward to seeing you there!

Ruth Henderson McQueen, Past President, Eastern Area

A few months back, I had the opportunity to spend time with an outstanding group of young professionals, who serve on the newly established UTIA Young Alumni Council. All twenty-one of these young adults have graduated from the Herbert College of Agriculture within the last ten years. It was such a positive experience for me to be able to interact with these amazing individuals.

A seed planted that day is turning into an article that I am now writing. You are invited to participate in an informal, unscientific survey that I am doing to gather input. It will only take a few moments, and you may submit your answer either signed or anonymously.

The question is: What do you know now that you wish you had known when you were twenty-five years of age? Please send responses to me at mhender3@utk.edu or text to cell number 865-680-6614. Results will be used in a future newsletter. Thank you for taking the time to share your wisdom!

Charlie Goan, Retired UT Extension Dean

The June/July 2025 issue of the National Association of Retired Federal Employees (NARFE) magazine included an article about some changes in the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) retirement laws. The Social Security Fairness Act of 2023 was signed into law on January 5, 2025. With this signing, CSRS retirees became eligible for Social Security benefits based on a deceased spouse’s or former spouse’s Social Security work record. In Tennessee, there may be several UT Extension CSRS retirees who can benefit from these changes.

In early May, I contacted the national Social Security office by telephone and was told that I did qualify for this deceased spousal benefit. An appointment was set up for early July at my area Social Security office in Knoxville. I was instructed to bring proof of marriage, spouse’s death certificate and some form of identification (such as driver’s license, passport, etc.).

On July 8, I met with a Social Security representative for about 20 minutes. I answered several questions and verified some data. At the conclusion of the meeting, I was given actual figures of the monthly benefit that I will receive. In addition, a lump-sum benefit will be awarded for the previous six months. I provided a bank account number for the funds to be direct deposited into my bank account. I encourage any UT Extension CSRS retiree who may have a deceased spouse or former spouse to check into this new benefit.

The following is quoted from the NARFE magazine article: “As a CSRS-covered employee or retiree, you may have never applied for a Social Security spousal benefit based on your former spouse’s work record. If that’s the case, you should do so as soon as possible. If your spouse or former spouse is deceased, then you would be eligible to receive the full amount of the Social Security widow’s or widower’s benefit. To be eligible as a former spouse, the CSRS retiree must have been married to the former spouse for at least 10 years, been divorced from that spouse for at least two years, and have not remarried.

The most convenient way to apply for Social Security benefits or a spousal benefit is online at ssa.gov/apply. However, a survivor benefit application is not available online. To apply by phone or schedule an appointment, call 1-800-772-1213, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. (EDT). If you have previously used your benefits, they may be payable retroactively to January 2024. If you have not yet applied or are not yet eligible, benefits may be payable retroactively for up to six months.”

Ken Goddard, Past Vice President, Eastern Area
(Contributors to this article: Ken Goddard, Fred Allen, Bob Montgomery, and Bob Williams)

Extension’s Standardized Variety Testing (SVT) program for agronomic crops created tremendous grower interest in Tennessee. What is now a statewide effort to provide on-farm comparison data for farmers began in the early 1980s. The following is an account of how this educational effort began and how it developed over time as an important tool for growers when selecting varieties to plant.

Several counties in West Tennessee planted variety comparisons prior to the 1980s. Seed were provided by Charlie Graves, Joe Burns, and several seed companies. Counties would plant a number of varieties side by side, either by hand or with two, four, and six row planters. Harvest yields were collected, and reports were provided to county growers via newsletters or printed in local newspapers.

Bob Montgomery, Extension agent in Obion County, along with Bob Williams, Extension agent in Weakley County, asked for several agents in West Tennessee to meet in Union City to discuss on-farm variety testing. Attending this meeting were Tim Smith (Obion County), Jerry Parker (Lauderdale County), Greg Allen (Dyer County), Chuck Danehower (Dyer County), Melvin Newman (Extension specialist), Ken Goddard (Henry County), Bob Williams (Weakley and later Gibson County), and Bob Montgomery (Obion County). Montgomery had begun his PhD studies at UT Knoxville. He and Bob Williams asked each participant to bring a list of crop varieties planted in prior years. Each county list varied considerably. Some varieties (corn and soybeans) were planted in only a couple of counties.

Montgomery suggested the agents request the same varieties be planted in every county by maturity groups, so that the varieties by county would become a replicated test comparison. The county comparisons could then be statistically analyzed. The summary of this test could be made available to all growers.

This meeting and this group of Extension agents started the county SVT program in cooperation with participating farmers. The varieties selected to plant were limited to twenty per maturity group, as suggested by Greg Allen. Additional varieties could be added in any county, based on cooperative grower interest.

From the beginning, comparisons were planted for corn, soybeans, wheat, and grain sorghum. Corn and soybeans had several maturity and herbicide resistance groups. As interest grew for this educational program, Bob Williams became the first area Extension agent responsible for standardized variety testing. Williams ordered all varieties to be planted by participating counties and became a popular provider of yield data from these comparisons at many farmer meetings. More counties began testing field crop varieties, too, in western, central, and eastern regions of the state. The Tennessee Soybean Promotion Board and the Tennessee Corn Growers Association began providing funds for weigh wagons and other equipment agents needed for planting and harvesting field crop varieties.

In 2001, Fred Allen was appointed as coordinator of agronomic variety testing statewide. His role was to conduct the small plot replicated variety tests on UTIA’s AgResearch and Education centers and collaborate with Bob Williams to assemble, analyze, and publish the SVT data along with the center data into one publication for each crop. Companies were required to test some varieties in both the SVT and center tests. This meant that there were some common varieties in both tests. The consolidated publication of the center and SVT data resulted in farmers having comprehensive sets of data from which to make variety choices for their farming operation, The UTIA variety testing program became known as one of the most comprehensive programs in the US. Another development from this educational effort is the annual Soybean and Grain Conferences held in each region within Tennessee Extension.

One seed representative reported that with state variety testing, standardized variety testing, company variety testing, and grower’s own variety comparisons, Tennessee provides growers with the best package of information for farmers to make planting decisions than any other state. What an impact this program has for Tennessee Extension thanks to UT Extension and UT AgResearch working together.

Ruth Henderson McQueen, Past President, Eastern Area

Last year, two of the UTIA Retirees Association members, Warren Gill and Drucilla Ray, shared stories about being selected to serve as grand marshal of parades in Petersburg and Monterey, respectively.

One evening last spring, I was rendered speechless when a member of the Loudon Lions Club phoned. He communicated that the club had selected me to serve as the grand marshal for the Loudon Fourth of July parade. Public recognition has always been difficult for me. This caught me totally unaware, but how can one not respond positively to such a request?

By accident, I found a tiara with starbursts of red, white, and blue at a local store and decided that I could do this. A Loudon police officer, Scottie Newman, volunteered to drive me in one of his antique vehicles, a white 1967 Oldsmobile convertible. Scottie was amazing: he can drive, wave, talk, throw candy, and do several other things all at once. He is truly a multi-tasker, and the car only died one time!

The streets of Loudon had many folks out early on the Fourth with their chairs and fans and cold drinks waiting for the parade. It was festive, it was fun, but most of all it was an honor to represent the community as the grand marshal.

It reminded me how fortunate we are to have the freedoms that are enjoyed in this country, and the fact that they are often taken for granted. The grassroots of the USA are found in the feeling of community. That sense of belonging and the opportunity to serve is an experience that is invaluable. It was humbling to be named grand marshal, but it was also a reminder of values that matter in our lives and the places where we live, work, worship, and volunteer. Despite my original hesitancy, it was truly a memorable experience. Thank you, Loudon, for the opportunity!

Linda Kay Bower, Secretary, Eastern Region

While attending this year’s Major League Baseball All-Star game in Atlanta, the stars came together for me to meet UT’s head baseball coach, Tony Vitello. He was very nice and most willing to pose for a picture with me. Meeting our popular baseball coach certainly made my day! A brief visit with coach Vitello was a great way to begin a wonderful experience at the 2025 All-Star baseball game!

Sandie Morton, Retired, Extension Dean’s Office, Eastern Area

Working with budgets in the Extension dean’s office for twenty-seven years was a most pleasant and rewarding experience, but it did not compare to the recent excitement I enjoyed on July 23, 2025. That was the date of my first ever skydiving event. I jumped from a single engine airplane, flying at an altitude of 11,000 feet, in total confidence my parachute would do its job. Writing this article for the newsletter is proof positive that it did.

I thoroughly enjoyed soaring for some six to seven minutes where eagles soar, as my family and close friends below looked to the sky and eagerly watched my descent from the opening of my parachute to my smooth and safe landing on the ground. At that point, everyone took a deep breath.

Skydiving was high on my bucket list of things to do for my eightieth birthday, which was July 15. The jump was so much fun that I plan to skydive again next year at age eighty-one. The staff at Skydive East TN took the best of care of me, and I was not the least bit nervous. They made me feel very safe.

A special thank you goes to my loving and supporting family and co-workers who were present to cheer me on! Their presence was certainly an assuring and encouraging part of my adventure.

Paul Denton, Vice President, Eastern Area

Paul Denton, Vice President, Eastern Area This spring, my wife and I were able to join a two-week tour through central and northern England and northern Wales. It was a great trip; my first time in Europe other than a few hours in downtown Warsaw during a long flight layover.

When most people think of England, I believe they envision a mostly urban scene with palaces, castles, cathedrals, ancient ruins, beautiful gardens, lively shopping districts, and cultural activities like music and theater. All those things are there, and we experienced many of them. But the aspect of England and Wales that really impressed me was the general rural nature of the country as a whole and the vibrant agriculture in those rural areas.

Cities, towns, and villages are very compact with little sprawl into the surrounding landscape. The boundary between urban land and rural open land is very sharp; one minute you are on a city street and the next minute you are on a rural road surrounded by pasture and crop land fields. The rural areas are truly rural with little sign of any development other than for agriculture. No subdivisions encroaching on productive fields, no strip shopping malls, and no billboards along the road. Retail businesses and services are pretty much all together confined within the boundaries of towns and villages

The landscape itself is very beautiful. Most of the land is cleared and intensively used for farming with forested areas occupying high ridges above the fields. Fields of wheat, canola, and hay cover the gently sloping land with pastures on the steeper or rockier areas. Thousands of sheep, along with some cattle, graze in the fields. Hedgerows and rock fences divide the fields. Add old stone farmhouses and barns with thatched roofs, and you have a beautiful, idyllic scene stretching to the horizon with little or no sign of any non-agricultural encroachment. It is easy to understand why the English countryside has inspired poets and artists for centuries.

Of course, this doesn’t happen by accident. Development of rural land is heavily restricted by regulations designed to maintain the open agricultural nature of much of the country. Restrictions on development of this sort would not go down well here in the US, and indeed as a rural landowner myself I would have problems with them. But there is no denying the loveliness of the landscape the policies have created.

We are saddened to report the death of these former UTIA Retirees

Deepest Sympathy is extended for the death of these UTIA Retirees’ family members: