John Wood Community College (JWCC), in collaboration with the JWCC Ag Alumni, has announced the establishment of the JWCC Agriculture Hall of Fame as part of the 50th anniversary of the College. This initiative aims to honor alumni, past faculty and staff, as well as friends of the JWCC Agricultural Education Program for their outstanding professional achievements, industry contributions, and support of the program.
Starting this year, in 2024, the Agriculture Hall of Fame will annually recognize one or more inductees. A plaque in their honor will be installed in the JWCC Ag Hall of Fame, located in the Agricultural Sciences Complex – Fred L Bradshaw Learning Center. The induction ceremony will take place at the Annual Ag Banquet.
The inaugural class, inducted on February 1, 2024, includes:
Larry Fischer: Fischer served as an educator for 40 years, with 26 years as director of the JWCC Ag Program and seven years as vice president of instruction at JWCC. Following his retirement, Fischer was elected to the JWCC Board of Trustees and is currently serving in his 13th year on the board.
Donna Jansen: Jansen attended JWCC from 1985 to1986 and has served as the Ag Alumni Board Chair. She was the Chair of the first Alumni Golf Outing and currently serves as the president of the JWCC Foundation. She is a senior sales representative for Boehringer-Ingelheim Animal Health.
Don Peter: Peter is the owner of Peter Farms in Mendon and was a member of the Ag Advisory Council and part of the JWCC Ag Vision 2000 Expansion Project. He served on the Illinois Pork Producer Board of Directors, has provided livestock for JWCC evaluation contests, and served as a livestock evaluation contest official.
Bob Rhea: Rhea is a member of the Alumni of the first JWCC Ag Class of 1978 and served as a JWCC Ag Instructor. Rhea was named the first JWCC Outstanding Alumni in 2018, served as the Ag Alumni Board Chair, and is currently the Chair of the JWCC Board of Trustees. He is the chief executive officer for Illinois Farm Business Management.
Nominations for future inductees can be made through the JWCC Ag Facebook page. For more information, please contact the JWCC Ag Center at 217.641.4558 or bneiesen@jwcc.edu.
