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Six extremely important West Virginians have been voted into the West Virginia Agriculture and Forestry Hall of Fame. The enshrines banquet, open to the public, will be held at the Hall at Jackson?s Mill in Lewis County on Saturday, June 21, 2008 at 5:00 pm.

The six are Rush Butcher of Summersville, Nicholas Co.; James Kinsey of Flemington, Taylor Co.; Sam Tuckwiller from Lewisburg, Greenbrier Co.: French Armstrong of French Creek, Upshur Co.; Robert Keiling of Beckley, Raleigh Co.; and David McCurdy of West Columbia, Mason Co.. The first three have made outstanding contributions to Agriculture in the State and Nation and the latter three have done the same in Forestry.

Tickets to the enshrine dinner are priced at $30 and are available at the locations on the enclosed list. A reception at the Hall begins at 5:00 followed by the dinner at 6:00.

Brookley Rush Butcher of 765 Armstrong Road, Summersville, WV 26651 is widely recognized as an exemplary Soil Conservation District Supervisor, as the dynamic leader of the Conservation Supervisors Legislative Committee that brought many improvements in erosion and sediment control legislation, as President of the Nicholas County Extension Committee and as a livestock farmer and Christmas tree grower. A graduate of Berea College and a veteran of World War II, Rush?s life has also been one of great community involvement. He has many accomplishments and honors for his efforts in the Methodist Church, including serving as Chairman of the Board and singer in the choir, in the Ruritan Club, serving multiple times as President, and as founder of the Heritage Dance Team which through the Heritage Youth Camps has taught good citizenship and heritage dancing to thousands of the States youth.

James Kinsey of Rt. 1, Box 169, Flemington, WV 26347, a graduate of Fairmont State College, is highly acclaimed for his work in the beef cattle industry, especially his breeding and selection of genetically superior Angus cattle that are sought all across the nation. As a long standing member of the West Virginia Cattlemen?s Association, his diligent efforts did much to improve management practices and production methods. On the state level, he was responsible for the daily operations of the West Virginia Beef Industry Council and for 28 years held numerous important positions with the Farm Credit System. On the national level he served as director of the National Cattlemen?s Beef Board and for nearly a decade was a member of the USDA Cattlemen?s Promotion and Research Board where he initiated several recognized programs.

Sam Tuckwiller of 220 McElhenny Road, Lewisburg, WV 24901, a graduate of West Virginia University, is recognized for developing a nationally known beef cattle farm of more than 2,000 acres with approximately 300 Angus cows.. While he and his sons have been developing a national prominence, Sam has found time to Chair the West Virginia Farm Bureau Beef Cattle Committee, serve on the American Farm Bureau?s Beef Advisory Committee, assisted in organizing the West Virginia Beef Industry Council, was a long time director of the National Livestock and Meat Board, has served in every office during his nearly five decades of membership with the Greenbrier County Farm Bureau and attendant organizations. A Methodist, he has held several Church lay positions, has chaired the Greenbrier County Board of Zoning Appeals, is a well known Raritan member having served in all of the offices during his 4-decades membership, and has received numerous state and national Distinguished Service, Merit, and Outstanding Service wards, among numerous other recognitions garnered during his life-long agricultural and civic duties.

French W. Armstrong of Rt. 1, Box 78, French Creek, WV 26218 is a veteran of WW II and joined the West Virginia State Police in 1948. At about the same time, he started planting Christmas trees and acquiring timberland. As a member of the WV Christmas Tree Grower?s Association for more than three decades, he has served in the various offices including multiple terms as a member of the Board of Directors of both the state and national associations where he is known for his practical solutions to governmental problems. He has served as a member of the West Virginia Forest Stewardship Committee since its inception, served as a County Commissioner, served on the Buckhannon Upshur Chamber of Commerce, the Upshur County Development Authority and belongs to the Central Upshur Lions Club.

Robert E. Keiling of 102 McTaggart Drive, Beckley, WV 25801 has a more than five decade service to the forestry industry. After service in the U. S. Navy, he graduated from North Carolina State University and afterwards worked for the WV Conservation Commission, largely in fire protection in the Raleigh County area. Bob became an employee of the Tillinghast and Reed Consulting Forestry firm in Boone Co.. Moving from this to J. P. Hamer Lumber Company as Chief Forester, Bob was active in the WV Sawmill Operators Association, forerunner of the WV Forestry Association, was President of the WV Forest Council, and was a noted participant in the Southern WV Forest Fire Protection Association. Bob was one of the first to use rubber tired skidders in WV. In 1981, he began to manage timberlands for the Beaver Coal Company and later organized his own consulting service. For many years, he was an instructor in the WV Forest Industries Camp and he served on the review board that approved the WV Forest Practice Standards that preceded the US EPA timber harvesting sediment regulations by several years. Bob is active in the church, boy scouts and other civic endeavors.

David C. McCurdy of P. O. Box 8, West Columbia, WV 25288 is known far and wide for his service as superintendent of the WV Division of Forestry forest tree nurseries, a position he has occupied for more than 40 years. A graduate of North Carolina State University, Dave started as a service forester, but soon moved to Parsons Forest Tree Nursery as superintendent. He raised millions of seedlings for various forest tree and Christmas tree operations until the historic flood of 1985 destroyed him nearly two decades of work. He moved to and reopened the Clements Forest Tree Nursery in Mason County which he still operates. Dave is highly regarded among the scientists working to recover the American chestnut as a timber tree, is prominent in the Presbyterian Church, a long time member of the WV Christmas Growers Association, the Society of American Foresters, a founding member of the Northeastern Area Nurserymen?s Association and is a statewide instructor in defensive driving as well as a certified instructor for the U.S. Forest Service.