ARKADELPHIA — The public is invited to a dinner and auction May 6 in Arkadelphia to raise money for the Troy Buck Family Scholarship endowment. The endowment will provide annual scholarships for students studying agriculture at Southern Arkansas University in Magnolia. Sponsors, which include Arkansas Farm Bureau, Clark County Farm Bureau and Farm Credit of Western Arkansas, hope to raise $25,000 for the endownment this year.

The buffet dinner, along with a live and silent auction, will be held at the Arkadelphia Recreation Center at 2555 Twin Rivers Drive in Arkadelphia. Individual tickets are $35 each and can be purchased at the Clark County Farm Bureau office, 2702 Caddo St., Arkadelphia; Farm Credit of Western Arkansas, 2858 Walnut Street, Arkadelphia; Farm and Ranch feed, 525 N. 1st St., Glenwood; Centerpoint High School, 755 Highway 8 East, Amity; Chambers Bank, 111 W. Thompson, Amity; and Farm Credit, 1722 E. 3rd St., Hope. Corporate sponsorships also are available.

The scholarship honors the Troy Buck family of Alpine. Buck is a long-time vocational agriculture teacher in Arkansas and member of the Arkansas Agriculture Hall of Fame. Buck was last week recognized by Farm Credit as one of 100 leaders who are changing rural communities and agriculture for the better.

Since 1961, Mr. Buck has guided vocational agriculture programs in Hope and Amity and for the consolidated Centerpoint School District. He has helped shape the futures of thousands of students, including mentoring state FFA officers and numerous state competition winners. 

One of his most significant achievements was the completion of the student-run Centerpoint High School meat processing lab and school farm, which are considered among the jewels in Arkansas agricultural education. In 2000, Centerpoint's vocational-agricultural program was named the Outstanding Ag Program in America. 

Honored three times as the state Agriculture Teacher of the Year, Buck also was awarded the Pioneer Award by the Arkansas Department of Vocational Education in 1982. In 1992, under Buck’s guidance, the Amity FFA won the national Building our American Communities award for restoring the old school building and turning it into the Alpine Community Center.

Troy serves as a member of the board of directors for Arkansas Farm Bureau and Farm Credit of Western Arkansas. In 2004, he was awarded the Dan Pilkinton Award for Outstanding Service to Public Education by the Arkansas School Boards Association. 

For additional information, contact Justin Reynolds at 501-228-1217 or justin.reynolds@arfb.com.

Arkansas Farm Bureau is a nonprofit, private advocacy organization of more than 190,000 families throughout the state working to improve farm and rural life.