By Stephanie Schupska
University of
Georgia
Two men who helped turn University of Georgia programs into
powerhouses were
inducted into the Georgia Agricultural Hall of Fame at the 52nd
annual UGA College
of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Alumni Association
Awards Banquet
Sept. 15 in Athens, Ga.
M.K. “Curly” Cook of Oglethorpe County, Ga., and Ray Jensen of
Tifton, Ga., found
their faces on the wall that holds portraits of such agricultural
greats as D.W.
Brooks, Abit Massey and Martha Berry.
Each of these men’s contributions is unique. Cook helped make UGA
a leader in
Extension animal education, while Jensen is a pioneer in turfgrass
commercialization.
Cook was one of the most versatile Cooperative Extension
livestock specialists in
Georgia during his career. He was responsible for supervising the
newly formed
Georgia Beef Cattle Improvement Association. And under his
leadership, the
program grew into one of the largest and most effective BCIAs in
the nation. He also
helped organize the still-active National Beef Improvement
Federation.
Later, as head of the UGA Extension animal science department,
Cook’s crowning
achievement was the Georgia National Fairground and Agricenter.
In 1989, he
became associate director of UGA Extension.
Since retiring, he has served as vice president and president of
the Georgia
Cattleman’s Association and president of the UGA Agricultural
Alumni Association.
In 2005, Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue appointed him to the Georgia
Agrirama
Development Authority.
In 1950, Jensen was the first to commercially produce and harvest
centipede grass
seed. He was a key in helping transform the once unknown grass
into one of the
most popular lawn and landscaping grasses in the world.
Jensen developed large combines fitted with special heads and
vacuums and
pioneered the market for vegetatively propagated grasses. He also
developed a
transplanter that, modified and automated, is still used today.
To promote the improved Bermuda grasses developed by the U.S.
Department of
Agriculture and UGA for golf courses, Jensen formed Southern Turf
Nurseries. His
company was a key player in developing turf into a
multibillion-dollar business.
Including Southern Turf Nurseries, Jensen is the founder, owner
and operator of
Tifton Seed Farms and Hall and Jensen Farms. He has served as a
trustee for
Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College for more than 30 years and
was a founder of
the Tift Regional Medical Foundation. He remains active in
personally funding
scholarships.
The Georgia Agricultural Hall of Fame, a program of the UGA CAES,
was created in
1972 to recognize Georgians who made significant achievements in
agriculture,
agribusiness and service institutions. The program is funded
through private
contributions and administered by the CAES Alumni Association.
