E. T. York
Encyclopedia
E. Travis "E.T." York, Jr. (July 4, 1922 – April 15, 2011) was an American agronomist
, professor
, university administrator, agricultural extension
administrator, and U.S. presidential adviser. York was a native of Alabama
, and earned his bachelor's
, master's
and doctorate degrees in agricultural sciences. He served as the director of the Alabama Cooperative Extension Service
, the administrator of the federal Extension Service
, the interim president of the University of Florida
, and the chancellor
of the State University System of Florida
.
community in DeKalb County
in northeast Alabama
, and came of age during the Great Depression
. After graduating from high school
in 1939, York enrolled at Alabama Polytechnic Institute
(API) (now Auburn University
) in Auburn, Alabama
, and earned his bachelor of science
degree
in agricultural science in 1942. After completing his World War II
service as a captain in the U.S. Army field artillery, York returned to API to continue his education in soil science. During this time, he met and married Vermelle "Vam" Cardwell of Evergreen, Alabama
, a business administration undergraduate and president of the API Women's Student Government Association.
York graduated from API with a master of science
degree in agronomy
and soils in 1946, and was accepted into the doctoral program at Cornell University
in Ithaca, New York
. At Cornell, he studied under nationally renowned soil scientist Richard Bradfield, who imparted to York his passionate interest in how food shortages contributed to chronic hunger in much of the developing world
. Much of York's later career would focus on ways to harness the resources of the U.S. land-grant educational system to alleviate world hunger.
After finishing his doctor of philosophy
degree at Cornell, York was hired as an associate professor of agronomy at North Carolina State University
in Raleigh, North Carolina
, where he would later assume the chairmanship of the Department of Agronomy. In 1956, he left North Carolina State to work as a regional director for the Potash Institute.
to succeed the retiring P. O. Davis
as director of the Alabama Cooperative Extension Service in Auburn, Alabama. York remains the youngest person to serve as Alabama Extension director.
York's two-year tenure as extension director, though brief, was considered a watershed event in Alabama Extension history, reflected in the laudatory remarks in contemporary Alabama newspapers, including the Andalusia Star-News, which described his brief directorship as "a new and enlightened era" in Alabama farming. York's vision of the Alabama Extension was that of an organization committed to the economic betterment of the state as a whole, rather than only to the farming sector or to urban Alabamians with lawn and gardening problems.
He was a vocal supporter of cooperation with other groups, calling on extension educators to "make these other groups members of our own team rather than [to] compete with them by attempting to do the total job by ourselves." Perceiving the need for a highly trained and qualified staff, York developed a liberal study program to allow extension professionals to qualify for leave to pursue advanced degrees while earning full pay. York also established a practice of replacing vacancies only with professionals with advanced degrees—a policy credited with greatly enhancing the quality of Alabama Extension programming.
York is remembered for ending the long-standing public perception that the Alabama Extension was hopelessly entangled in local, state and even national politics. One of his earliest actions as the new Alabama Extension director was to remove the organization from partisan politics. He invited the senior county extension agents to a dinner, all of whom had actively used their positions in state and local politics, and announced to his shocked audience that anyone who used his position for political gain or influence in the future would be summarily fired.
In 1961, at the request of U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Orville Freeman
, York took a planned leave of absence as director of the Alabama Extension to serve as the administrator for the federal Extension Service (now the Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service) in Washington, D.C.
, and became the youngest person to ever hold the position.
for agriculture at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida
. Later, he also served as the university's vice president
for agricultural, natural and human resources, and its executive vice president.
During his tenure at Florida, he was credited with implementing far-reaching changes. He was remembered for merging the College of Agricultural Life Sciences, the Florida Cooperative Extension Service, and the Florida Agricultural Experiment Station under the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences
(IFAS) in 1964. He established the Center for Tropical Agriculture, which extended IFAS' international influence, and initiated DARE (Developing Agricultural Resources Effectively), a long-range agricultural planning program. York also founded SHARE (Special Help for Agricultural Research and Education), a University of Florida Foundation program that raises private funds for agricultural research. Since its inception, SHARE has raised more than $169 million through monetary and in-kind gifts from thousands of donors.
Upon the resignation of university president Stephen C. O'Connell
in 1973, York was named interim president of the University of Florida. After Robert Q. Marston
was chosen as his permanent successor in 1974, York was appointed chancellor
of the State University System of Florida
, serving from 1975 until 1980.
York authored more than 100 technical papers, journal
articles and books, and lectured at more than forty universities in the United States and throughout the world. He served as an adviser on sustainable agricultural development and famine relief to U.S. Presidents John F. Kennedy
, Lyndon Baines Johnson, Richard M. Nixon, Gerald R. Ford, Jimmy Carter
and Ronald Reagan
.
Among his many life-time honors, York received honorary doctorates from Auburn, Florida, Ohio State and North Carolina State, and was a member of the Alabama Agricultural Hall of Honor and the Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame. In 1997, the Museum of Florida History
named York as a "Great Floridian," becoming one of the first twelve individuals honored for "shaping the state of Florida as we know it today."
Although York achieved his greatest academic stature at the University of Florida, he and his wife Vam remained loyal Auburn University alumni. Dr. and Mrs. York contributed more than $1 million to Auburn, including a $300,000 planned gift to the College of Business; more than $600,000 to the E.T. and Vam York Endowed Fund for Excellence in International Agriculture to support worldwide experiences for faculty
and graduate students; and $150,000 to establish the E.T. York Distinguished Lecturer Series, which draws national and international leaders in agriculture and related disciplines to deliver public addresses on the Auburn campus.
York died on April 15, 2011 in Gaineville; he was 88 years old. He was survived by Vam, his wife of 64 years, and their son Travis and daughter Lisa.
Agronomist
An agronomist is a scientist who specializes in agronomy, which is the science of utilizing plants for food, fuel, feed, and fiber. An agronomist is an expert in agricultural and allied sciences, with the exception veterinary sciences.Agronomists deal with interactions between plants, soils, and...
, professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
, university administrator, agricultural extension
Agricultural extension
Agricultural extension was once known as the application of scientific research and new knowledge to agricultural practices through farmer education...
administrator, and U.S. presidential adviser. York was a native of Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
, and earned his bachelor's
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
, master's
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
and doctorate degrees in agricultural sciences. He served as the director of the Alabama Cooperative Extension Service
Alabama Cooperative Extension System
The Alabama Cooperative Extension System provides educational outreach to the citizens of Alabama on behalf of the state's two land grant universities: Alabama A&M University and Auburn University .The System employs more than 800 faculty, professional educators, and staff members operating in...
, the administrator of the federal Extension Service
Cooperative extension service
The Cooperative Extension Service, also known as the Extension Service of the USDA, is a non-formal educational program implemented in the United States designed to help people use research-based knowledge to improve their lives. The service is provided by the state's designated land-grant...
, the interim president of the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
, and the chancellor
Chancellor (education)
A chancellor or vice-chancellor is the chief executive of a university. Other titles are sometimes used, such as president or rector....
of the State University System of Florida
State University System of Florida
The State University System of Florida is a system of eleven public universities in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2011, over 320,000 students were enrolled in Florida's state universities...
.
Early life and education
York was born and raised in the Valley HeadValley Head, Alabama
Valley Head is a town in DeKalb County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 611.-Geography:Valley Head is located at .According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all of it land....
community in DeKalb County
DeKalb County, Alabama
As of the 2010 Census DeKalb County had a population of 71,109. The median age was 37.5. The racial and ethnic makeup of the population was 81.6% non-Hispanic white, 1.5% African American, 1.4% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander , 9.9% from some other race, 2.2% reporting two or...
in northeast Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
, and came of age during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
. After graduating from high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
in 1939, York enrolled at Alabama Polytechnic Institute
History of Auburn University
Auburn University is a public university located in Auburn, Alabama, United States With more than 25,000 students and 1,200 faculty members, it is one of the largest universities in the state.-Origins:...
(API) (now Auburn University
Auburn University
Auburn University is a public university located in Auburn, Alabama, United States. With more than 25,000 students and 1,200 faculty members, it is one of the largest universities in the state. Auburn was chartered on February 7, 1856, as the East Alabama Male College, a private liberal arts...
) in Auburn, Alabama
Auburn, Alabama
Auburn is a city in Lee County, Alabama, United States. It is the largest city in eastern Alabama with a 2010 population of 53,380. It is a principal city of the Auburn-Opelika Metropolitan Area...
, and earned his bachelor of science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
degree
Academic degree
An academic degree is a position and title within a college or university that is usually awarded in recognition of the recipient having either satisfactorily completed a prescribed course of study or having conducted a scholarly endeavour deemed worthy of his or her admission to the degree...
in agricultural science in 1942. After completing his World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
service as a captain in the U.S. Army field artillery, York returned to API to continue his education in soil science. During this time, he met and married Vermelle "Vam" Cardwell of Evergreen, Alabama
Evergreen, Alabama
Evergreen is a city in Conecuh County, Alabama, United States. As of the 2010 census the population was 3,944. The city is the county seat of Conecuh County.-History:Early settlers to the area came from Georgia and South Carolina beginning in 1818...
, a business administration undergraduate and president of the API Women's Student Government Association.
York graduated from API with a master of science
Master of Science
A Master of Science is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in the sciences including the social sciences.-Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay:...
degree in agronomy
Agronomy
Agronomy is the science and technology of producing and using plants for food, fuel, feed, fiber, and reclamation. Agronomy encompasses work in the areas of plant genetics, plant physiology, meteorology, and soil science. Agronomy is the application of a combination of sciences like biology,...
and soils in 1946, and was accepted into the doctoral program at Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
in Ithaca, New York
Ithaca, New York
The city of Ithaca, is a city in upstate New York and the county seat of Tompkins County, as well as the largest community in the Ithaca-Tompkins County metropolitan area...
. At Cornell, he studied under nationally renowned soil scientist Richard Bradfield, who imparted to York his passionate interest in how food shortages contributed to chronic hunger in much of the developing world
Third World
The term Third World arose during the Cold War to define countries that remained non-aligned with either capitalism and NATO , or communism and the Soviet Union...
. Much of York's later career would focus on ways to harness the resources of the U.S. land-grant educational system to alleviate world hunger.
After finishing his doctor of philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
degree at Cornell, York was hired as an associate professor of agronomy at North Carolina State University
North Carolina State University
North Carolina State University at Raleigh is a public, coeducational, extensive research university located in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Commonly known as NC State, the university is part of the University of North Carolina system and is a land, sea, and space grant institution...
in Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh is the capital and the second largest city in the state of North Carolina as well as the seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's 2010 population was 403,892, over an area of , making Raleigh...
, where he would later assume the chairmanship of the Department of Agronomy. In 1956, he left North Carolina State to work as a regional director for the Potash Institute.
Extension service
In 1959, York returned to his alma materAlma mater
Alma mater , pronounced ), was used in ancient Rome as a title for various mother goddesses, especially Ceres or Cybele, and in Christianity for the Virgin Mary.-General term:...
to succeed the retiring P. O. Davis
P. O. Davis
Posey Oliver “P.O” Davis , was an American educator and administrator, as well as a pioneering agricultural editor and broadcaster.He perhaps is best remembered as the longest serving director of the Alabama Extension Service and for helping Alabama agriculture through a critical period of...
as director of the Alabama Cooperative Extension Service in Auburn, Alabama. York remains the youngest person to serve as Alabama Extension director.
York's two-year tenure as extension director, though brief, was considered a watershed event in Alabama Extension history, reflected in the laudatory remarks in contemporary Alabama newspapers, including the Andalusia Star-News, which described his brief directorship as "a new and enlightened era" in Alabama farming. York's vision of the Alabama Extension was that of an organization committed to the economic betterment of the state as a whole, rather than only to the farming sector or to urban Alabamians with lawn and gardening problems.
He was a vocal supporter of cooperation with other groups, calling on extension educators to "make these other groups members of our own team rather than [to] compete with them by attempting to do the total job by ourselves." Perceiving the need for a highly trained and qualified staff, York developed a liberal study program to allow extension professionals to qualify for leave to pursue advanced degrees while earning full pay. York also established a practice of replacing vacancies only with professionals with advanced degrees—a policy credited with greatly enhancing the quality of Alabama Extension programming.
York is remembered for ending the long-standing public perception that the Alabama Extension was hopelessly entangled in local, state and even national politics. One of his earliest actions as the new Alabama Extension director was to remove the organization from partisan politics. He invited the senior county extension agents to a dinner, all of whom had actively used their positions in state and local politics, and announced to his shocked audience that anyone who used his position for political gain or influence in the future would be summarily fired.
In 1961, at the request of U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Orville Freeman
Orville Freeman
Orville Lothrop Freeman was an American Democratic politician who served as the 29th Governor of Minnesota from January 5, 1955 to January 2, 1961, and as the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture from 1961 to 1969 under Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson...
, York took a planned leave of absence as director of the Alabama Extension to serve as the administrator for the federal Extension Service (now the Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service) in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, and became the youngest person to ever hold the position.
University administrator
Instead of returning to Auburn University as he originally planned, York accepted an offer to be the provostProvost (education)
A provost is the senior academic administrator at many institutions of higher education in the United States, Canada and Australia, the equivalent of a pro-vice-chancellor at some institutions in the United Kingdom and Ireland....
for agriculture at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Alachua County, Florida, United States as well as the principal city of the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area . The preliminary 2010 Census population count for Gainesville is 124,354. Gainesville is home to the sixth...
. Later, he also served as the university's vice president
Vice president
A vice president is an officer in government or business who is below a president in rank. The name comes from the Latin vice meaning 'in place of'. In some countries, the vice president is called the deputy president...
for agricultural, natural and human resources, and its executive vice president.
During his tenure at Florida, he was credited with implementing far-reaching changes. He was remembered for merging the College of Agricultural Life Sciences, the Florida Cooperative Extension Service, and the Florida Agricultural Experiment Station under the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences
Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences
The University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences is a federal-state-county partnership dedicated to developing knowledge in agriculture, human and natural resources, and the life sciences, and enhancing and sustaining the quality of human life by making that information...
(IFAS) in 1964. He established the Center for Tropical Agriculture, which extended IFAS' international influence, and initiated DARE (Developing Agricultural Resources Effectively), a long-range agricultural planning program. York also founded SHARE (Special Help for Agricultural Research and Education), a University of Florida Foundation program that raises private funds for agricultural research. Since its inception, SHARE has raised more than $169 million through monetary and in-kind gifts from thousands of donors.
Upon the resignation of university president Stephen C. O'Connell
Stephen C. O'Connell
Stephen Cornelius O'Connell was an American attorney, appellate judge and university president. O'Connell was a native of Florida, and earned bachelor's and law degrees before becoming a practicing attorney...
in 1973, York was named interim president of the University of Florida. After Robert Q. Marston
Robert Q. Marston
Robert Quarles "Bob" Marston was an American physician, research scientist, governmental appointee and university administrator. Marston was a native of Virginia, and, after earning his bachelor's, medical and research degrees, he became a research scientist and medical professor...
was chosen as his permanent successor in 1974, York was appointed chancellor
Chancellor (education)
A chancellor or vice-chancellor is the chief executive of a university. Other titles are sometimes used, such as president or rector....
of the State University System of Florida
State University System of Florida
The State University System of Florida is a system of eleven public universities in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2011, over 320,000 students were enrolled in Florida's state universities...
, serving from 1975 until 1980.
Legacy
York retired from academia in 1980 to devote his full-time efforts to fighting global hunger, primarily by improving the agricultural infrastructure in developing countries. He was the former chairman of the Board for International Food and Agricultural Development (BIFAD) (a subagency of the Agency for International Development (AID)), which works to strengthen and mobilize the resources of American land-grant universities to help Third World countries improve their agricultural industries through better educational and research institutions. York also served as the chairman of the Board of the International Fertilizer Development Center, with sponsored programs around the world.York authored more than 100 technical papers, journal
Academic journal
An academic journal is a peer-reviewed periodical in which scholarship relating to a particular academic discipline is published. Academic journals serve as forums for the introduction and presentation for scrutiny of new research, and the critique of existing research...
articles and books, and lectured at more than forty universities in the United States and throughout the world. He served as an adviser on sustainable agricultural development and famine relief to U.S. Presidents John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
, Lyndon Baines Johnson, Richard M. Nixon, Gerald R. Ford, Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
and Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
.
Among his many life-time honors, York received honorary doctorates from Auburn, Florida, Ohio State and North Carolina State, and was a member of the Alabama Agricultural Hall of Honor and the Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame. In 1997, the Museum of Florida History
Museum of Florida History
The Museum of Florida History is located at the R.A. Gray Building, 500 South Bronough Street, Tallahassee, Florida. It houses exhibits and artifacts with interpretive information designed to educate on Florida history and culture....
named York as a "Great Floridian," becoming one of the first twelve individuals honored for "shaping the state of Florida as we know it today."
Although York achieved his greatest academic stature at the University of Florida, he and his wife Vam remained loyal Auburn University alumni. Dr. and Mrs. York contributed more than $1 million to Auburn, including a $300,000 planned gift to the College of Business; more than $600,000 to the E.T. and Vam York Endowed Fund for Excellence in International Agriculture to support worldwide experiences for faculty
Faculty (university)
A faculty is a division within a university comprising one subject area, or a number of related subject areas...
and graduate students; and $150,000 to establish the E.T. York Distinguished Lecturer Series, which draws national and international leaders in agriculture and related disciplines to deliver public addresses on the Auburn campus.
York died on April 15, 2011 in Gaineville; he was 88 years old. He was survived by Vam, his wife of 64 years, and their son Travis and daughter Lisa.
See also
- Florida GatorsFlorida GatorsThe Florida Gators are the intercollegiate sports teams that represent the University of Florida located in Gainesville, Florida. The "Lady Gators" is an alternative nickname sometimes used by the Gators women's teams...
- History of AlabamaHistory of AlabamaAlabama became a state of the United States of America on December 14, 1819. After the Indian Wars and removals of the early 19th century forced most Native Americans out of the state, white settlers arrived in large numbers....
- History of Auburn UniversityHistory of Auburn UniversityAuburn University is a public university located in Auburn, Alabama, United States With more than 25,000 students and 1,200 faculty members, it is one of the largest universities in the state.-Origins:...
- History of FloridaHistory of FloridaThe history of Florida can be traced back to when the first Native Americans began to inhabit the peninsula as early as 14,000 years ago. Recorded history begins with the arrival of Europeans to Florida, beginning with the Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León, who explored the area in 1513...
- History of the University of FloridaHistory of the University of FloridaThe history of the University of Florida is firmly tied to the history of public education in the state of Florida. The University of Florida, colloquially known as "Florida" or "UF," originated as several distinct institutions that were merged to create a single state-supported university by the...
- Land-grant universityLand-grant universityLand-grant universities are institutions of higher education in the United States designated by each state to receive the benefits of the Morrill Acts of 1862 and 1890....
- List of Auburn University people
- List of Cornell University alumni
- List of North Carolina State University people
- List of Presidents of the University of Florida
- List of University of Florida faculty and administrators
External links
- Alabama Cooperative Extension Service – Official website of the Alabama Cooperative Extension Service.
- Auburn University – Official website of Auburn University.
- Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences – Official website of Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.
- Florida Board of Governors – Official website of the State University System of Florida.
- University of Florida – Official website of the University of Florida.
- York Lecturer Series – Official webpage of York Lecturer Series.