Celebrating Fifty Years of Female Membership in the FFA

Fifty one years ago, those attending the 1968 National FFA Convention engaged in heated debate. Donald Shinn from New Jersey had declared on the business floor, "Any student who is regularly enrolled in vocational agriculture is entitled to become an active member of any chartered FFA chapter." At that time, approximately 3,300 females were enrolled in vocational agricultural classes. The motion was quickly seconded by Richard Posthumus from Michigan, but it was defeated. The FFA would not allow female memberships.

Then, one year later, on October 15, 1969, Paul Bankhead of California moved an...