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Western Oregon | I was in 4H 1 winter. I had polio as a kid and the doctor and Dad decided a few ewe lambs would be good for me. Chase them on the big hill behind the house to strengthen my legs. Also lambs would eat grass out of the peppermint and not eat the peppermint, where as older sheep get a taste for the peppermint. So, I went to 4H to learn about sheep and show them at the fair. I went to Oregon State University to their sheep shearing school that spring. I was done with the 2 ladies that ran the club before summer and so was Mom, because it was all about their kids and their great registered sheep. Mine could be registered but that wasn't important to Dad. When I got into high school I took shop classes and joined FFA. I went to a couple ag mechanics contests but mostly was involved because of shop. I was farming on my own and had my projects that went to the county fair and on to the State Fair but the big deal for me was the night welding classes. I was farming on my own since I was 12, cattle, sheep, hogs, wheat, peppermint, grass seed, sweetcorn and bush beans for the cannery. I built a farm truck from a semi tractor, lengthened the frame, built a 21' bed, added a hoist and built racks. Built an irrigation pipe trailer, a flatbed hay trailer, cattle and sheep working equipment. I didn't have a welder (didn't need one since I could use the school welders and had other things that I really needed) I learned to weld at 8, picking up spent rods at the county shops where my half brother worked. Dad had an old Forney welder. I was never a FFA officer. I did my books and got my State Farmer. I didn't have much money so bought equipment and rebuilt it into what I needed. I became a good fabricator.
I didn't do any after school sports, never was in any clubs. I had a farm to run. I went 1/2 junior year, left to shear sheep. Didn't go back for senior year. I had enough to get my deploma. Was going to walk with my class but I was working that day. They mailed my diploma, it said that I had completed classes as a foreign student. I called them and got it straightened out so I have two diploma's from high school....James
Edited by jwal10 9/19/2020 14:35
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Who else was never in FFA or 4H?
