Earlier this month, NMSU lost a legendary professor. Some of you, especially those of you involved in FFA, probably knew Dr. Wagley. He was in charge of the FFA dance ever year at State Judging. You'd see him in his button up shirt with his red hair in a buzz cut wondering around talking to everyone there. Dr. Wagley was a fixture not only at NMSU, but also within the FFA organization.
My favorite Dr. Wagley memories are of him at National FFA Convention. By the time I was in high school, Dr. Wagley had been around forever, so everyone knew and loved him. At National Convention, he would always come and find us to say hi, and to give us free trinkets.
See, Dr. Wagley was sort of an FFA trinket-clepto. You know how you see the guys on tv who are in New York and have the trench coats that they open up to reveal like 50 watches for sale? That was Dr. Wagley giving out free stuff at the National FFA Convention. I came home from those conventions with more pens, pencils, notebooks, and pins then you could imagine.
My favorite trinket, however, was one he gave me at my last National FFA Convention. I was a freshman in college when I went back to judge FBM at Louisville. I was also on my college judging team and had to be in San Francisco to judge at Cow Palace the next weekend. In order to make this work, my ag teacher, Mr. F promised to have me to the airport for the last flight out of Louisville to Houston on Friday night, so that I would arrive in San Francisco in time to judge on Sunday morning. Well, because this is how things happen in my life, the awards ceremony for FBM ran a little over. So Mr. F. and I book it out of there for the car.
On the way, we run into Dr. Wagley. He stops us to chat, says that he remembers me from the unfortunate food poisoning incident three years earlier (this is a good blog idea...I need to remember to write about that experience!), and says that he has something for me. We just have to hang on while he goes to get it. Mr. F tried to argue with him and explain that we had to go, but he was wasting his breath. We stood there while Dr. Wagley shuffled off into the office with the goodies. He came back with an armful of stuff, including a really awesome glass FFA clock. I still have that clock to this day. (And yes, in case you are worried--we made it to the airport....barely...I got to the judging contest and finshed 9th individual the next day).
Dr. Wagley was 89 years old. He had been a professor at NMSU 25 years and was involved with New Mexico FFA for over 40 years. The number of NMSU students and FFA members whose lives he touched is countless. He will be sorely missed.
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