4-H Club Experiences (1)

Winning a Trip to College Station 

I had started in the 4-H club when I was Elmdale at the age of nine.  I remained active with the 4-H club through my first year of high school.  I was selected as a member of the dairy judging team for Callahan County during that year.   To everyone’s surprise, we won the district championship, and I was the high point man.   I thought I was pretty hot stuff.   Winning the district championship, meant we qualified for the state contest to be held at the annual 4-H club roundup hosted by Texas A and M.   At that time I had never been far from home without my parents.    From Daddy’s point of view, Texas A and M was located in Africa somewhere.   He set his foot down.  I was not going. 

 

Our county agent was a likeable man named Oliver Werst.  He was also quite persuasive.  Mr. Werst came to the farm while we working in the field.   He begged Daddy to let me go.  He said, “Mr. Bales, your son has won a very great honor.   I know that you are members of the Church of Christ, and I’ve already assured Mr. Hays (father of Bob and his young brother Keelon) that I would see that they attend the Church of Christ in College Station. I think you need to let him go.”  Daddy caved in and let me go. Two other boys were from the Church of Christ and Mr. Werst had already made the same promise to their parents.  He made good on his word.  

One of those boys was from another school in the county.  His name was Thurman Atchley and I had not met him previously.  He was on the trip to judge soils or something like that.  Later on, I got into a little country band, and Thurman played the mandolin for us.  Still later we attended Abilene Christian College.  Thurman was a chemistry major, and one smart dude.  He told me that he didn’t like Bible classes because there was always something to argue about.  You didn’t have that problem in chemistry class.

I’ll share some things about our invasion of College Station in my next blog.