Mary Cooper Scholarship Fund

I was working in a law firm and several Gentlemen, led by Jack Hudson, came in to talk with Charles Warfield, an attorney, about starting a "feed association" and asking his help in drawing up the proper papers - this was in 1960 and THE TENNESSEE FEED MANUFACTURES ASSOCIATION was born. Very shortly after it began, I was asked to come to the meetings - our law firm was paid a retainer fee of $150.00 a month for our services and this paid for 3 hours of our services and for me it was the beginning of something I loved and enjoyed for years. I did most of the TFMA work at home as my responsibilities for the Law Firm was doing private adoptions which took a lot of time and it was something I loved doing too - I always said that my job was a hobby I got paid for and I truly felt that way. The TFMA was also like a hobby that I truly enjoyed doing. I was very fortunate to have such a wonderful husband and didn't need to work which made me enjoy what I did even more.

TFMA was state-wide and we took turns in having the yearly conventions, which were held in the fall, at Nashville, Gatlinburg, and Memphis because we had members all over Tennessee. Conventions would begin on Friday night at the Peabody Hotel downtown (when we were in Memphis) and we would head to the Rendezvous for barbecue - everyone looked forward to that. Saturday we would be in session all day and have a big dinner and dance (with good Band) on Sat. evening and everyone headed home on Sunday morning. When we were in Gatlinburg or Nashville we could take in a football game.

It was about 1988 when several people who were in the Grain industry came to our office to see if they could join the Tennessee Feed Manufacturers Association - and after several meetings and a vote from TFMA, we became the TENNESSEE FEED & GRAIN ASSOCIATION - with the same agenda for conventions. After several years the grain people had a problem with the conventions being in the fall as that was a busy time for them so the Board decided to have the conventions in January. We began to see a lot of companies merging - membership got smaller as we lost a lot of companies in West and Middle Tennessee (I still have some membership directories and have one for 1994 when we had 151 members). The members finally decided to hold all conventions in Memphis as most of the members were now in West Tennessee. At about the same time we found the EMBASSY SUITES, who gave us a good rate, furnished us a hospitality suite for free, had a wonderful breakfast for free for all the guests, so we began having all our Conventions there and they have been very kind to us over the years. Everyone looked forward to coming early as the Hospitality Suite was always open and ready for our members - - my husband Ray stocked the bar and he and son Jack were the bartenders for years. After my husband passed away, Jack took vacation days from his work and took over the hospitality suite and it was always open to our members - keeping our guests happy with drinks and his wonderful personality and this continued until Sheila took over as Executive Secretary.

I retired from the Law Firm in 1994 and the Board offered to pay me if I would continue to be the Executive Secretary. Since I had never really been paid (the law firm got the retainer) I told them I would continue to do the job until they could find someone else - that I didn't want any pay but they could pay out-of-pocket expenses, which they did. Ray Wilson, who had been a member of the association for a long time and retired about 2002 wanted the job of Executive Secretary when he retired. Since he had been involved for years, we were all very pleased that he wanted to take over and the Board decided on a salary for him. After about 4 years Ray developed a health problem where he could no longer do the job and the Board asked me to take over until they could find someone else, so once again I took over and worked a couple years until we were fortunate enough to have our present Executive Secretary Sheila Atchley take over and she is doing a terrific job.

The Association surprised me at the Convention when I retired after 42 years of doing something I truly loved doing by telling me they had established a Mary B. Cooper Scholarship with the 4H Foundation. I had been representing the Association for years at the 4H Congress here in Nashville and speaking at the Leadership Luncheon which TF&GA helped to sponsor (and I am still being contacted each year to come to the luncheon which TF&GA helps to sponsor and am introduced as a representative from TF&GA)- so this Scholarship was an unexpected gift that means so much to me. I am invited each year to the 4H Roundup and have had the pleasure of presenting this Scholarship to some very fortunate young people in the last few years. It is exciting to do this as most of the scholarships presented are "in memory" of someone and they have waited until the end and say they now have a lady who is going to present her own scholarship. There is no way I can THANK TF&GA enough for honoring me in this way. YOU MADE ME VERY HAPPY WHEN YOU CAME UP WITH A GIFT LIKE THE SCHOLARSHIP AND I THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUING SUPPORT OF IT BECAUSE YOU ARE HELPING TO MAKE SOME YOUNG PERSON HAPPY EACH YEAR AND BECAUSE YOU ARE HELPING TO PAY THEIR WAY IN SCHOOL!!!