AG1217.14
County Agent Notes
Steve Moore, County Extension Agent for Agriculture
HISTORY OF HENRY COUNTY EXTENSION – THE AGENTS
The Smith-Lever Act of 1914 provided for the Cooperative Extension Service across the United
States. While some counties developed their County Extension Service earlier, Henry County’s first
County Extension Agent was hired in 1925. The motivating force for the hire came from the Eminence
Chamber of Commerce, who put together a package paid for by the seven banks, the Chamber, and the
Fiscal Court. With an agreement from the Editor Kenneth Small of the Henry County LOCAL that the
newspaper would provide free ‘office space’ in their large front room in New Castle, a selection
committee was formed and with the help of the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture’s State
Agent Charles Mahan, Carl Malone was hired. Malone served from 1925 to 1927. Kay Skidmore Smith
and Mary Lynn Skidmore Neat have told me about their father’s (L. C. Skidmore) experiences in a 4-H
Baby Beef club during that time. Malone made a personal visit to the Henry County Extension Office in
1983, and delivered his memoirs of his work here.
The next County Agent for Agriculture was Harry D. Rice, who served from 1927 to 1938. He was
succeeded by J. G. Dye, who served from 1938 to 1939. William B. Howell was next, from 1939 to 1946,
when he transferred to Mercer County. The April 6, 1946 edition of the LOCAL announced his
replacement as Holmes Ellis, who had just returned home from 8th Army Headquarters staff in the
Pacific with the rank of Major. Ellis served until 1948, when I’ve been told he moved to western
Kentucky and eventually served as Executive Director of the Dark Tobacco Association. The 6th County
Agent for Agriculture was O. D. Perkinson, who served 17 years, from 1949 to 1966. Many folks still
remember Mr. Perkinson, who retired to his farm near Hopewell Baptist Church. The current farm
owner has renovated all the barns and outbuildings on the property, including one which may well have
been the first ‘Henry County 4-H Building’ as a result of several 4-H meetings being held there.
A lot of folks fondly remember the service of the 7th County Agent for Agriculture, James T. Prewitt
from 1967 to 1983. Mr. Prewitt helped spearhead the move of the Extension Offices from the
Courthouse to the present Farm Bureau Building in 1978. Mr. and Mrs. Prewitt (who retired as Henry
County Librarian) currently reside at the Masonic Home in Shelbyville, and recently celebrated their 70th
wedding anniversary!
I became the 8th Henry County Extension Agent for Agriculture in 1983 after Mr. Prewitt’s retirement.
The position of County Extension Agent for Home Economics was first filled in 1939. As with the
hiring of the first Agent in 1925, Fiscal Court had a decision to make. This time, the choice was between
hiring a County Agent for Home Economics or replacing the coal stoker for the courthouse boiler. They
decided to hire Bina Baird as Agent. For years afterward, Attorney Jimmy Thomas called her ‘Stoker’.
Miss Baird married John M. Foree, and after serving as Home Economics Agent through WWII until
1951, retired as a Henry County Public School teacher. Doris Furnish served next, from 1951-1954,
followed by Ruth A. Marcum from 1954 to 1958.
The next Home Economics Agent was Geraldine Bentley, who served from 1958 to 1962. Geraldine
later retired as Jefferson County Home Economics Agent. While in Henry County, she lived in Eminence
and boarded with Andy and Margaret Johnson. Jennie B. Arvin was next, serving from 1962 to 1964.
Katie Sue Brumagen was hired as Home Economics Agent in 1964. As did Bina Baird Foree, she met
and married a local farmer, Robbie Yount. Katie Sue served as Home Economics Agent until 1970, when
she transferred to County Agent for 4-H and served there until 1972. Eloise McKitrick was the next
Home Economics Agent, serving from 1971 to 1973. She was followed by Jeri Cockrel, the 8 th Home
Economics Agent, who served from 1973 to 1985.
Maryellen Garrison became the 9th County Agent for Home Economics in 1986, and although the
position is now known as County Agent for Family and Consumer Sciences, Maryellen is still in that post.
Having served in two counties before Henry, Maryellen now has 43 years of Extension Service.
The County Extension Agent for 4-H position has had a couple of names over the years also.
Essentially, the first 4-H Agents were employed as Assistant County Agents. The first Assistant County
Agent for Henry County was Harold Binkley, in 1939. We have no record of his length of service. The
next Assistant was Wayne Sininger, from 1956 to 1961. Sininger later retired as Grant County Agent for
Agriculture. Next was Howard Baker, from 1961 to 1965, who rented a house from William Price and
Lena May Stivers on Scobie Lane. Howard retired from the Extension Service as Agriculture Agent in
Bracken County. Roger Leggett served from 1965 to 1969, and later retired from USDA Farm Home
Administration in the Bardstown area. We have record that a John Marcum served in 1970. At about
this time, the term Assistant County Agent was dropped, and County Extension Agent for 4-H become a
career, instead of a stepping stone to an agriculture position. Katie Sue Brumagen Yount become 4-H
Agent for 1971 and 1972. She and husband Robbie are still active in youth activities, each year hosting a
4th Grade Agriculture Field Trip showing food production from farm to table on their Bethlehem Farm.
Scheryl Reinhart followed Katie Sue, serving from 1972 to 1974. On June 1, 1974, I became the 8th
Henry County Extension Agent for 4-H, serving in that capacity until November 1, 1983, when I
transferred to become the 8th Henry County Extension Agent for Agriculture.
Following me were three 4-H Agents who served 5 or so years each. Donette Gaines served from
1984 to 1989. She later became Owen County 4-H Agent. Val Shields served from 1989 to 1994, when
he transferred to become Pendleton County Agent for Agriculture. Kevin Kinney served from 1994 to
1997, when he transferred to become Shelby County Agent for 4-H.
Cathy Robinson Toole became Henry County Agent for 4-H in 1997, the position in which she
currently serves. At 17 years, Cathy has the longest tenure (by a lot) as 4-H Agent in Henry County, and
may have been the first Extension Agent hired after a long standing tradition rule was changed. For
decades, Agents were not eligible to serve in their home county.
From this record of Extension Agents who have served Henry County for the past 90 years, a couple
of points stand out. Many went on to full careers elsewhere in the Extension Service, and many retired
and stayed right here. From these observations, it may be noted that Henry County has always been a
good training ground, but it has also been a good place to live and stay.