1966-67 President---James E. Anthony
James E. Anthony was born in Amarillo, Texas, in 1932. He attended the public schools of Amarillo, Texas, and graduated from Yale University in 1954 with a B. A. degree. After graduating from Baylor University College of Dentistry in 1958, he practiced dentistry in Fort Worth, Texas, for 3 years. In 1961, he became the managing partner of Leonard Farms.
Jim and his wife, Jane, live at 6300 Indian Creek Drive in Fort Worth with their six children; Ben, age nine; Martha, age six; Mathew, age four; Mark, age three; John, age two and Sarah, age one. In addition to his activities with the Texas Pecan Growers Association, Jim has served on the Board of the Federated Pecan Growers Association and is presently President of the Fort Worth Farm & Ranch Club.
President's Address
James E. Anthony
AS PRESIDENT of the Texas Pecan Growers Association, I want to welcome each of you to this 46th Annual Conference. The fact that our registration up to this time appears to be the largest we have ever had indicates two important things to me. First, the members of this association and others in the industry enjoy getting together once a year to renew old friendships and make new acquaintances. Secondly, your presence here shows an eagerness and desire to improve your knowledge concerning the propagation of high-quality pecans here in our State of Texas.
Although 1966 was a disappointment for most of us as far as production was concerned, a year such as this is not without its blessings. For the first time in several years, we find the industry without a surplus of pecans in storage going into the next crop year. The prices we received for the 1966 crop were exceptionally good in relation to our experience during the past several years. The fact that no surplus is hanging over our heads at the present virtually assures us of a reasonable price situation for the 1967 crop.
One would think that such a small crop in 1966 would be followed by an above-average crop in 1967.However, much to our further disappointment, early indications point to the fact that we are not going to have an exceptionally large crop in 1967. This situation dramatically points out what we already know to be true; that is, we have a great deal to learn about pecan production. More research must be carried on at our colleges and experiment stations. Our Association cannot afford to be reluctant to encourage such research and to be willing to work hard with both State and Federal authorities in seeing that such research projects are properly funded.
Although not of great significance from the technical or scientific aspects of pecan production, we have had three important developments in our Association this year. The first of these is the revamping of our State Pecan Show and the instigation of three Regional Pecan Shows in San Antonio, Abilene and Fort Worth. The Regional Pecan Shows gave us a tremendous amount of exposure over the state this past year, and generated much of interest in our product. These shows also allowed us to streamline the administration of our State Show to where we can best exhibit the champions from this Regional Shows. After you have had an opportunity to see the results in the Texas Pecan Show on display here at our conference, I am sure you will agree that it is a great improvement over our previous system.
Secondly, you have received the first edition of our new publication, The Pecan Quarterly. Our association is greatly indebted to Mrs. Dorothy Holland of College Station for the necessary editorial help she has given in order that this publication might be something that we could present to the industry with great pride. It already has generated a lot of interest outside our Association and outside of the State of Texas, and we are hopeful that the quality evident in the first publication will be carried through in future editions. The Pecan Quarterly will be an excellent vehicle for the use and benefit of our Association and for publication of technical and research papers dealing with the many problems under study at our colleges and experiment stations over the country.
Thirdly, it is at this conference that we will see the changes made in our method of choosing a Texas Pecan Queen. As you know, in the past the Queen was chosen automatically from the county which scored the most points in the Texas Pecan Show. This year each county has been privileged to send its own Queen to our conference where a group of judges has been assembled for the purpose of selecting our State Queen on the basis of beauty, poise and personality. The final selection of these judges will be announced tomorrow night at our banquet and at that time our new Texas Pecan Queen will be crowned. We feel that this new method will generate more interest in the selection of a Queen and allow the various counties to participate in this contest on a more equitable basis.
I want to give my personal thanks to those who have been of great help to me during the past year .Such thanks should be directed especially to Dr. Benton Storey and Bluefford Hancock since they are the fellows who really make this Association go. But I also want to thank others on the faculty and staff at Texas A & M University who support us so readily, as well as the staff at the Brownwood Experiment Station for their capable participation in our activities. I also want to express my appreciation to the other members of the Board who have served with me so ably. The associations I have made during this year with the Board members as well as the membership have given me a great deal of pleasure and satisfaction. I think it also would be in order at this time to extend our thanks to the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce for their help in arranging this conference. We appreciate very much the personnel and equipment they have furnished, as well as the big hearty welcome given to us.
And finally, I want to thank each and every one of you for your presence at this conference and for the support and encouragement you have given me during the year. I am convinced that the Association will continue to grow and prosper and be able to accomplish a great deal for the pecan industry in our state. So my wishes for you are that each of you will enjoy good foliage, no insects, plenty of rain, high prices and a good harvest in the barn.
