Agriculture Mule Award

The Agriculture Mule Award is available through the University of Central Missouri Alumni Foundation for full-time students in good academic standing at UCM who are pursuing a major or minor in Agricultural Sciences, Agricultural Education and/or a related major within the UCM Department of Agriculture. In addition, one of the following must be true:
a. Have taken first place in at least one Career Development Event (CDE) at the Missouri FFA Central District contest;
b. Has served, or will be serving, as a Missouri state or national FFA officer; or
c. Has served, or will be serving, as a Missouri state 4-H Council member.

This award was initially funded by a donation from Larry and Linda Wade, with support from the UCM Agriculture Department and endorsement from the Alumni Foundation. Larry and Linda were raised in rural Missouri. Linda was a “city girl” (coming from a town with a population of about 10,000) and Larry was raised on a farm about 15 miles from there. Larry went to a small school district, participating in 4-H in elementary school and FFA in high school. They feel blessed to have been raised in rural Missouri and worked in rural communities during their careers. They both graduated from UCM in 1970 with bachelors degrees; Linda majored in Education and Larry majored in Agribusiness. Larry went on to also earn his Master of Science in Agricultural Technology from UCM in 1981. Linda earned a Master of Science in Education from UCM in 1980 and later earned her Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership from the University of Texas.
The Wades believe that the opportunities they enjoyed should be available for rural youth who have the desire to succeed in agriculture. The mule is stubborn, competitive, strong, smart, and a leader; therefore, the Agriculture Mule Award is established to ensure continued funding to recognize students who are competitive, have a high level of performance, and have demonstrated strong leadership skills. The award is dedicated in Linda Wade’s memory.