UAM Agriculture Alumni Society

This society was first organized in 1998 and was initially made up of six members.  The group decided to form a nonprofit alumni association in order to accept donations.  Officers were: Mike Phillips, President, Jimmie Hilburn, 1^st Vice President, Phillip Young, 2^nd Vice President, Lynne Rodgers, Secretary, Mark Owen, Treasurer, Tommy Tooke, At Large, Carolyn Hughes, At Large, Ed Colburn, Ex Officio, and Guy Wilson, Ex Officio.  The first priority for the group was to set up a scholarship to be given to agriculture students to honor Dr. Robert Kirst, Professor of Animal Science in the UAM Division of Agriculture.  The goal  was to create an endowed scholarship of $25,000.  Dues for the organization were set a $10.00 for annual dues, and $100.00 for lifetime members dues.  Dues for graduating seniors would be at no cost for the first year.  Dr. Kirst was given a lifetime membership.  Letters were sent to all alumni asking for dues, and the money donated became a seed to form the endowed scholarship.

The first activity planned by the society was held on October 31, 1998 beginning with a reception at the UAM Agriculture Building followed by a luncheon recognizing Dr. Kirst for his 25 years of service to UAM, and concluding with a  alumni reunion at the Drew County Fairgrounds.  Five hundred letters were mailed to agriculture alumni informing them of this event and inviting them to attend.  Approximately 80 attended this event. 

In a meeting in January 1999, the Alumni Society set up the following criteria for the Robert C. Kirst Scholarship, which was scheduled to be awarded for the first time in the fall of 1999:

                Applicants must be classified as a junior or senior in the fall of 1999 with a cumulative GPA of 2.50.  The recipient must maintain a GPA of 2.50 per semester.  The applicant will need three letters of recommendation that will be sent along with a letter applying for the scholarship by the first Friday in April of each year.  The UAM faculty was asked to select a minimum of two and a maximum of five applications which would be forwarded to the Board of Directors by the regular quarterly meeting date, along with a complete list of applicants.  The scholarship will be applied toward tuition and paid directly to the school.

The first fund raising activity to benefit the Robert C. Kirst Scholarship was on October 9, 1999 at the Monticello WalMart.  Tyson Foods’ chicken cooking team was on hand to provide and cook chicken dinners with all proceeds going toward the scholarship fund.  The UAM Agriculture Club members assisted by selling tickets for the dinners and distributing dinners to ticket holders.  This was to become an annual event to raise funds for the Kirst Scholarship.  Another fund raiser for the scholarship was a raffle for a fish cooker which was given away on June 30, 2000.    The primary activity of the alumni society in recent years has been the annual fund raising activity held every November immediately prior to the opening day of deer season.  The funds go to support the Kirst Scholarship.

The second annual aggie reunion was held July 29, 2000 at the Drew County fairgrounds in Monticello.

Sufficient funds were available in the Society’s treasury in the fall of 2001 to begin awarding two $250/semester Kirst scholarships.

The goal of endowing the Robert C. Kirst Scholarship was achieved in October 2007 when the UAM Agriculture Alumni Society presented a check to UAM Chancellor Jack Lassiter during the Agriculture Alumni Reunion for that purpose.   

For more information or to join the UAM Agriculture Alumni Society contact:

Mark Owen of the Agriculture Alumni Society presents check to UAM Chancellor Jack Lassiter to endow Kirst Scholarship.	Left to right: Dr. Kelly Bryant, Dr. Jack Lassiter, Dr. Robert Kirst, Mark Owen and Phillip Young
UAM Agriculture Club assisting with Scholarship Fund Raiser