A Legacy of Leaders Built MJC Agriculture By Anna Genasci
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n the eve of its centennial, to be celebrated in 2022, the Modesto Junior College (MJC) Agriculture & Environmental Sciences Program was looking for a story that outlined the transformation of their teaching facilities to demonstrate the growth of the program over the last 100 years. However, in combing through old articles, pictures and speaking to retired instructors, what I found was this: the MJC faculty and its leaders created a program that has not only impacted the terrain of its school farm, affectionately referred to as just, “West Campus,” but also the lives of its students. Let’s take a look back. Fredrick Knorr 1923 – 1935, The First Instructor The first agricultural instructor, a man known to all who have spent many years in the Modesto area, was Frederick “Pop” Knorr. To him we owe a considerable debt not only for his long teaching career, which began at MJC in 1923, but for a variety of unusual trees with which he landscaped the campus. With some occasional help from Willet Murray and Paul Kurtz, “Pop” Knorr carried the program until 1934 when he transferred to fulltime teaching in the Science Department. The Modesto Chamber of Commerce is proud to host Leave Management Solutions for a Virtual Business Forum:
CFRA 2021 IMPACTS ON FEHA/ADA, WORK COMP, PREGNANCY AND MEDICAL LEAVES: RED FLAGS FOR SMALL AND LARGE EMPLOYERS Our guest Speaker is Beth Brascugli De Lima, M.B.A., SPHR-CA, SHRM-SCP is founder, president, and principal of Leave Management Solutions, LLC and HRM Consulting, Inc., providing Human Resources (HR), Vocational Rehabilitation Consulting and HR Training/Coaching, and
EDUCATION
Expert Testimony services.
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In this workshop, you will: Understand the implications of the new CFRA Amendments on both small and large employers, as it relates to other medical leaves. Pregnancy, Workers' Comp, and ADA/FEHA accommodations. Learn practical, clear, simple strategies for responding to employees who may be committing fraud or abusing leave. Gain enlightenment on the one major step you do not want to miss as a large or small employer in CA covered by the NEW CFRA Amendments to avoid litigation.
Fees: Chamber Member $15
Non-Chamber Member $20
To register please contact flopez@modchamber.org or go to www.modchamber.org.
MODESTO CHAMBER OF COMMERCE I MODCHAMBER.ORG
Reuben Sylva 1936 – 1944 From 1934 to 1935 Reuben Sylva and Warren Hilliard of Modesto High School conducted project courses on a part-time basis for the college, and in 1936, Reuben Sylva was given responsibility for developing a fulltime agriculture program. An energetic and enthusiastic man, he organized a combination terminal and transfer program and an Aggie Club for agriculture majors, which was one of the most active on campus. Agriculture classes were held in the basement of North Hall. In 1939, Ken Frost, a long-time instructor at University of California, Davis, took over the agriculture engineering and farm shop program and during the years 1940-1943 two instructors, Timothy Alcorn and Arthur Eggers, assisted in the Horticulture areas. Enrollment in agriculture in 1936 began with 19 majors and by 1941, this had increased to a peak of 78. With the advent of World War II enrollment dropped to a low of 22 and Reuben Sylva was again the sole staff member. For the full story, go to: https://www.facebook.com/
