Epsilon Sigma Phi Newsletter
Summer 2001

President's Message
by Gail Carlson, ESP President

"What can I do to make a difference?”  This is the key message of John Miller’s book, Personal Accountability.  Rather than thinking about accountability as something we hold others responsible for, Miller emphasizes the importance of asking, “ What can I do?” and “How can I make a difference?”  ESP flourishes because of members who have taken this message to heart.          

Brenda Procter and the Awards Committee (Karla Spencer, Mark Stillwell, Roxanne Miller, Beth Burke, Richard Sparks, J.C. Owsley and Georgia Stuart-Simmons) have started the awards process.  You should have received an e-mail message from Brenda about submitting nominations.  One of ESP’s basic goals is to provide an opportunity to recognize colleagues. You can make a difference by taking time to nominate a colleague.  Yes it takes some time and effort to submit nominations but very little in comparison to the effort expended by deserving colleagues.

Joan Hickman and the Professional Development Committee (Janet LaFon, Joe Lear, Nancy Flood, Marsha Alexander, Linda Rellergert, and Jim Ronald) are exploring creative ways to offer professional development opportunities to ESP members.  Professional development is another of our primary goals.  If you have ideas or suggestions contact Joan or one of the other committee members.

Roxanne Miller serves on the National ESP Public Issues Committee.  This is her second year on the committee.  In preparation for the Public Issues Leadership Development Conference in Arlington, Virginia, Roxanne developed two Impact Statements based on Missouri programming efforts.  Roxanne also serves as our chapter secretary.

Wilma Jean Lower, Chair of the Courtesy and Memorials Committee, has been appointed to the 75^th National ESP Anniversary Committee.  She is representing the North Central Region.  The committee is charged with planning the 75^th gala celebration to be held during the 2003 Galaxy II Conference in Salt Lake City.

Georgia Stuart-Simmons, President Elect, is responsible for publishing the ESP newsletter three times a year.  The newsletter is a key communication link for all members including life members.  If you have suggestions or ideas for the newsletter let Georgia know.   

Call for Award Nominations
by Brenda Procter, ESP Awards Committee Chair

Dear ESP Colleagues,

Giving recognition is an important function of professional organizations like Epsilon Sigma Phi.  Such recognition is only possible if members assume their responsibilities of membership by participating in the awards process.  Please take time to nominate a fellow ESP member or colleague for an appropriate award.

For most awards the person you nominate must be an Epsilon Sigma Phi member.  However, there are a few exceptions such as the Friends of Extension Award, Visionary Leadership Award, and State Meritorious Support Service Award.  Awards Committee members are Karla Spencer, Mark Stillwell, Roxanne Miller, Beth Burke, Rick Sparks, J.C. Owsley, Georgia Stuart-Simmons, and Brenda Procter (chairperson).  To find out if your nominee is an ESP member, contact one of the Awards Committee members or refer to the current list of active members available on the web at: http://outreach.missouri.edu/esp/archive/members/active2001.html.  A list of past recipients can be found at: http://outreach.missouri.edu/esp/archive/awards/awardees.html

See Brenda’s e-mail for a copy of the nomination guidelines or they are also on the ESP website at: http://outreach.missouri.edu/esp/archive/awards/2001_Nomination_Form.html.  National ESP Guidelines indicate that nominations for all awards are limited to no more than two pages.  In order to simplify the process at the state level, we are willing to accept nominations that are shorter in length as long as they outline the individual’s key professional and program accomplishments and include a short statement of support.  We don’t need a picture at this point either.  If nominations are in categories that will go on for regional and national consideration, the committee will work with recipients to develop a more complete nomination packet.

A set of guidelines for the Team Award is also included.  The team award was designed to recognize outstanding efforts of extension staff teams in responding to one or more of the national initiatives identified by the Cooperative Extension System.  In order to be successful at the regional and national level programs need to be ongoing efforts that show impact.  Explaining who benefited and how individuals or communities were changed is a critical component of the nomination.

I hope that many of you take this opportunity to recognize and honor your colleagues and friends.  Nominations are due to me by September 7, 2001.   Start the process now.  Think of one or two colleagues that you believe are deserving of recognition. Then look at your calendar and block a few hours off to complete the nomination forms.  If you have questions, contact one of the other committee members or me. 

National ESP Board Updates Members at PILD Conference
by Roxanne Miller, ESP Secretary

I had the recent privilege to be among some 250 extension professionals from across the country to attend the 2001 Public Issues Leadership Development (PILD) Conference in Washington, D.C., April 29-May 2.

The PILD Conference promotes leadership, communication and cooperation among Extension professionals in the area of public issues education. The conference is sponsored annually by the Joint Council of Extension Professionals (JCEP), a partnership of professional Extension organizations, to provide hands-on professional development experience.

On the opening day of the conference, I represented our state Alpha Tau Chapter at a mid-year ESP meeting. Laurel Kubin, JCEP president and past national ESP president, announced several news items from the ESP National Board:

• The 2001 ESP National Conference will be held in Albany, NY, Sept. 19-22. The theme of this year’s conference is “Empire Builders: Extension’s Role in Developing a Civil Society.”  Information is available on the ESP web site, http://esp-nat.tamu.edu/. Online registration will be available in June. Delta Airlines has been designated as the official carrier for those attending the conference and will offer reduced rates. Conference details and a registration form are in the May issue of ESP Connection, available on the web site. (See next bulleted item.)

• The ESP Connection newsletter is now available on the national ESP web site. Check it out at http://esp-nat.tamu.edu/. Within a year’s time, the board plans to transition from mailing a printed version to electronic posting of the ESP Connection to annual members. Life members and retirees will continue to receive the newsletter via mailed print version. All Chapter presidents will receive an email with a link to the ESP website and will be asked to forward it to state members electronically. A pilot test will be conducted this year with a few state chapters to assess the process.

• The national ESP satellite conference has been discontinued. This professional development opportunity was offered the past few years at the opening of the national ESP conference. After fewer members participated last year, the board decided to encourage ESP members to attend the conference in person. In addition, plans are to web stream the keynote address by Dr. James Garbarino, Cornell human development professor and co-director of the Family Life Development Center. The board hopes this available technology will reach more members and help them “participate” in the conference in a personal way.

• The registration fee for life members to attend the ESP National Conference in September will be reduced. The reduced registration fee for all life members who attend will take the place of the $2,000 in scholarships previously offered.

• Although ESP’s 75^th anniversary is in 2002, the celebration will take place at the Galaxy II Conference, to be held Sept. 22-24, 2003, in Salt Lake City. The conference is presented by JCEP and its sponsoring member organizations:  ESP, NEAFCS, NAE4-HA, NACAA, and ANREP.

• A more user-friendly version of the ESP Handbook is now available on the national web site.  Take a look at http://esp-nat.tamu.edu/handbook/index.htm.

• New ESP marketing materials, including a new brochure and magnet, are being developed.

For the first time, the National ESP Public Issues Committee provided a resource list to help PILD Conference participants prepare for their legislative visits. The document Impact Statements for Your Visit to Capitol Hill contained many resources for writing impact statements, as well as several examples from across the country. Three Missouri publications were featured.

The conference was a great experience! I heard several top-notch speakers give insights into the Bush administration, learned public affairs tips from representatives of the Brookings Institution, visited all of our state’s legislative offices and talked with two of our state legislators, and networked with extension professionals from across the country. On top of all that, I got to experience rush hour in Washington on the Metro and see the city in full-bloom. Who could ask for more?

Max Miller’s Goal in Life - - Enjoy Every Day and Make a Difference
by Dick Lee, ESP Retirement Committee

“When I was working I went to work every day expecting to have a good day, enjoy myself, and make a positive difference,” Max Miller says.  “Now that I’m retired I have the same approach to life.”

Those who knew Max as a state 4-H Youth Specialist recognize his approach to his work.  Those who know him in retirement also recognize the same behavior.

Max started life in Darlington, a small Gentry County town of 100 plus citizens.  As a youth he was a 4-H club member and later, as an Albany high school student, he was an active FFA member.  Those two youth organizations pointed him in the direction of a professional career.

Max graduated from MU in 1959 with a degree in agricultural education and taught vocational agriculture at Cainsville for three years.

In 1962, Schell Bodenhammer suggested to Max that he could have a satisfying and rewarding career as a 4-H agent.  “I agreed and went to work as a 4-H agent in Livingston and Linn counties working out of the extension office in Chillicothe.  My county directors were Frank Miller and Charles E. Campbell and my regional director was Walter Heidlage.”

The next big event for Max was when he married Anne Carmichael in 1964.  They have a daughter, Jill Gardner who lives in Kansas City.

In 1967, regional director Jim Whitfield convinced Max to join the Boone County extension staff as a 4-H agent.  The new assignment eventually involved three counties - - Boone, Callaway, and Audrain and he later had a Howard County responsibility as well.  Along the way Max picked up a MEd degree in guidance and counseling from MU in 1970.

The final career move for Max came in 1976 when he joined the state extension faculty as a state 4-H youth specialist.

“When I worked in county offices Frank Graham was my state leader and on campus my project leaders were Charles C. Campbell, Larry Hale, Tom Hill, and Gerry Westwood,”  Max said.

“As a 4-H youth specialist I had several career highlights.  One that provided real satisfaction was working with young kids – Clover Kids we called them,”  he said.  “I helped build the framework and curricula for younger 4-H club members.

“Then I had the opportunity to work on the National Science Foundation SERIES – science, experience and resources, for informal educational setting – project,“ Max continued,  “It was a hand-on science program for teens who, in turn, acted as mentors for grade school 4-H’ers.”

And then there was the Missouri State Fair.  During his last 19 years on the job Max directed 4-H activities at the Fair.  “When I took on the Fair responsibility 300 4-H’ers had 1,000 entries,” he said.  “My last year – 1994 – we had 1,000 4-H’ers and 3,000 entries.

“And, along the way I had good help and we added dairy goat, rabbit, poultry, dog and horse shows.  The horse show grew until it occupied parts of five days.”

When Max retired he and Anne made a move that allowed them to enjoy pursuits not easy to follow in Columbia.  In 1998 they sold their home in town and bought another on 2.5 acres 10 miles north of Columbia.      “We share a 1.5 acre lake with a neighbor that gives me an opportunity to fish, and turkey and deer hunting sites are nearby,” Max said.  “We also have a garden site and fruit trees.”

Anne and Max have also traveled extensively having taken part in European tours each of the last six years and plan to be a part of a Scandinavian tour this summer.  Their interest in genealogy has taken them on trips to Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, Ohio and Utah.  The two have also made genealogy presentations at meeting of the Missouri Historical Society.

And that’s not all.  Max has been actively involved in the work of the Central Missouri Habitat for Humanity since 1994 and is currently a board member of the organization. In his work for Habitat for Humanity he works with several other retirees that have MU extension experience like Ross Swofford, Glenn Weaver, Bryan Phifer, and Uel Blank.  Ross and Max worked together at the Boone County Extension Center for several years.  Ross was named MU 2001 Retiree of the Year April 9 when nearly 800 former MU faculty and staff got together for the annual retirees’ luncheon. Max also takes an active interest in the group of MU Extension retirees in central Missouri and was appointed chair of the planning committee for the group’s 2002 annual meeting. Max’s career was one of service to the youth of Missouri.  In retirement he continues serving his community. And, true to his approach to life, he finds satisfaction and enjoyment in every day.

Max Miller after a day's work at a soon-to-be completed Habitat for Humanity home.

Professional Development 
by Joan Hickman , ESP Professional Improvement Committee Chair

National ESP Tidbits

National ESP Headquarters

The location of our national office / contact is:

Linda D. Cook, Executive Director
Epsilon Sigma Phi, Inc.
PO Box 357340
Gainesville, FL 32635-7340
Phone: 352-378-6665
Fax: 352-375-0722
E-mail: ldcook@mail.ifas.ufl.edu

Important Dates from National:

June 1, 2001
Register on-line for the 2001 ESP conference at Http://www.cce.cornell.edu/conferences/ESP/

August 1, 2001
Early bird deadline for 2001 ESP National Conference

August 29, 2001
Last registration date for 2001 ESP National Conference, which guarantees meals and tours

September 19 - 22, 2001
Year 2001 ESP National Conference in the State of New York at Albany.  Conference Theme: Empire Builders: Extension’s Role in Developing a Civil Society.  Plan to come early and visit the area.  Registration will be in the Spring ESP Connection.  Fall scenery will be beautiful. 

¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨

Epsilon Sigma Phi
Alpha Tau Chapter
Board Members
2000-2001 

For More Information
For newsletter items or information, contact:
Georgia Stuart-Simmons
Johnson County Extension Center
135 W. Market
Warrensburg, MO 64093
Phone:  660-747-3193
Email:  stuartsimmonsg@missouri.edu

| Home Page | Officers | Committees | Members | Benefits | Loan & Fellowship | Awards |
| Minutes | Newsletters | Photo Gallery | Bylaws| Handbook | Associations | Archives |

Web Manager:  Bob Schultheis Webster County Extension Center Email comments to: schultheisr@missouri.edu Last revised: 11/05/09