Mike Connor writes, “The gavel presented to me in June ‘61 when I was elected State FFA President along with the ‘story’ about it….the gavel is now on display at the ND FFA Foundation office in Bismarck.” (Photo courtesy Mike Connor)
Mike Connor writes, “The American Farmer Key, the highest award in FFA, which I received at the National Convention at Kansas CIty, MO in Oct 1963. The key is also on display at the ND FFA Foundation office in Bismarck.
The Devils Lake FFA Chapter was instituted in the fall of 1937 at the new Devils Lake Central High School. Arne Kunkel was the first chapter advisor. Kunkel wrote an article in the October 21, 1937, issue of the Devils Lake Journal explaining the Smith-Hughes Act which provided assistance for vocational agriculture programs in local school districts. Kunkel dedicated a large part of his article to the “… organization called the Future Farmers of America.” The article goes on to say “Meetings are held at regular intervals, all students in agriculture taking part in discussing various problems, that is usually followed by a social program of some nature put on by the boys.” The article concludes by stating “Various community services are rendered free of charge…” Kunkel’s article certainly laid out a broad spectrum for the future members of the Devils Lake FFA Chapter!
District meetings were held at the Benson County Agriculture School in Maddock and most years the chapter officers returned home with Gold Chapter Award, many ‘Officers of the Day’, and gold awards in public speaking events. Over fifty members earned the Chapter Farmer Degree and seven the American Farmer Degree: Calvin Konzak 1946, Bob Weed 1949, Mike Connor 1963, Terry Borstad 1965, Jay Olson and Richard Frith 1971, and Allan Olson 1972. The chapter also honored over 70 community members with the Honorary Chapter Farmer Degree.
The ‘Gold Chapter Award’ was awarded to chapters for participation in district, state and national activities. Advisor Norris Fagerlund (1947-73) can remember the Devils Lake Chapter receiving the award sixteen consecutive years! The Pershing Building, attached to Central High School, was home to the chapter for many years. Physical education classes were held just outside the door so Mr. Fagerlund attached padding to the door to deaden the noise! In 1975 the program was moved to the new Lake Area Vocational Center on the high school campus until its end in 1989.
The Annual State FFA Convention was attended by many and the Devils Lake Chapter has contributed its share of state officers, including: Bob Weed, Officer at Large 1946- 47 and State President 1947-48; Mike Connor, State President 1961-62; Terry Borstad, Officer at Large 1964-65; Richard Frith, State President 1968-69; Jay Olson, Officer at Large 1969-70 and Keith Maetzold, Officer at Large 1970-71.
During the Devils Lake ‘All School Reunion’ in 2000, former State Officers and American Farmers conducted the opening and closing ceremony for a chapter meeting under the benevolent eye of Norris Fagerlund seated “under the Owl”. Several hundred former chapter members, spouses, educators and friends of FFA joined together to honor one of the most outstanding high school programs ever conducted at Devils Lake!
The FFA Gavel
It was tradition in those years that the Chapter President of the B.E. Groom Chapter (Langdon High School) would present the newly elected State President a beautiful wood gavel that was made by the members of the B.E. Groom Chapter in their woodworking shop program. The Chapter Adviser in those years was Richard ‘Dick’ States. On Friday morning, immediately after my election, the ‘gavel’ was presented to me. At this time it escapes me if I ‘closed’ that session, but don’t think so…quite frankly was in a state of shock at what had just happened. I can remember sitting towards the back of Festival Hall (I was not a delegate to that convention) and as the names of the officer nominees were read, I leaned over the seats to whisper to Mr. Fagerlund (Chapter Adviser) and saying “…..well, I’m out of the running, wonder who is going to get President?” (the fellow I had picked as the new prexy was nominated as VP). The next thing I heard Mr. Fagerlund say “Mike-they just named you!”
Jim Huesgen, a Devils Lake jeweler, engraved a beautiful silver plaque and mounted it on the gavel as a gift to mark the gavel as mine immediately after the convention.
I used the gavel at all District meetings in the fall of 1961 around the state, at all other official FFA functions that I presided at during the year and at the 1962 State Convention.
In the early 80s, Willy Hartl who was the director of the woodworking program at the ND School for the Deaf saw the gavel on my desk one day and said “….we need to mount that on a nice plaque!” which he did.
Since that time where ever my work found me, the plaque and gavel were hung proudly on the wall by my desk!
I hope it will have a place of honor with the North Dakota FFA Foundation in the years ahead!
Submitted on December 6, 2014: Mike Connor Member~Devils Lake Chapter State FFA Association President 1961-62 American Farmer Degree 1963 – used by permission of Mr. Connor via telephone, March 13, 2026 – LAO.
Note: Next week look for a story about the FFA Organization and how it came back to DLHS, who is the advisor and the leaders of the 2026 FFA Organization. – LAO
