A big thank you to our good friend Gene Hemphill for sharing a photo of Marsha Purcell who has just retired from a career of service to agriculture. He went further though in also providing us with these fantastic comments:
Email Dateline: Friday, Aug. 2, 2013 – “Wow! The day has finally come and I can’t believe it – it’s retirement day!“
And there it is, the final public message launched into cyber space from her American Farm Bureau Federation e-mail address. It was a farewell to professional relationships across the country – all who were touched and inspired by her dedication, expertise, dependability and humor – all laced into a tremendous work ethic that spanned throughout her 35-year career.
Marsha Purcell was and indeed remains a reluctant trailblazer – reluctance enhanced by her inherent sense of humility; I do not believe she ever fully recognized the footprints she was implanting thus far through her journey. Those footprints include raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for research and ag literacy … revitalizing safety programs … continued refocusing efforts of the Women’s Leadership Committee … managing the American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture for 13 years … working diligently with Ag in the Classroom, where she earned the USDA Distinguished Service to Ag in the Classroom award . She also earned the Centennial Laureate Award from her alma mater (University of Kentucky)… the Management Executive Achievement Award from the Association Forum of Chicagoland, and the list indeed really goes on. All of this and more from a lady who began her career with the Kentucky Farm Bureau and eventually became the first female member of the AFBF’s management team. Beyond the doors of Farm Bureau she has also served on, among many others, the boards of organizations such as the International Society for Agricultural Safety and Health and the National Farm-City Council (NFCC). As past chair on the National Farm-City Council and current board member, I had the honor of presenting Marsha with a special plaque which offered tribute to her more than 30 years of dedication to the organization. During that presentation I recited words from a letter directed toward Marsha from current NFCC chairman Hugh Whaley:
“This letter is not intended to recall memories. Rather, it is intended to celebrate the future, your future and the future of the goals to which you have endeared yourself. From all of us on the National Farm-City Board, we wish for you safe travels as you journey forward exploring new highways. It is a comfort knowing that one of those roads will always carry your never-fading spirit as a steward of agriculture.”