By Tom Curl, AAEA 1993 Past President
Besides (hopefully) gaining some wisdom from life experiences, one of the few advantages of growing older is that my hearing has improved. For example, just a few years ago, I couldn’t hear myself groan when I got up from putting a slipped gear chain back on the riding mower.
Another little reminder that time passes quickly came when I was asked to reflect on my term as President of AAEA in 1993. It is sobering to consider that there are members of the Agricultural Communicators Network who weren’t even born then.
I won’t dwell on how technology has changed our profession and how time has changed our publishing and business models. However, it occurs to me that an organization like ACN serves many of the same purposes that AAEA did almost 30 years ago.
People who may be competitors for more than 360 days a year gather for a few days to learn from each other and better understand their role in providing information, inspiration and even at times hope to hardworking individuals and families in America’s most basic industry. As a bonus, those competitors will become your friends.
The younger ones, if they are paying attention, will watch the industry veterans and learn from them. The older ones will marvel at the talent and focus of the next generation and take heart that their profession’s bench is deep.
I became aware of AAEA in early 1970’s when I was an Associate Editor for Progressive Farmer, working and learning from Del Deterling, one of the most organized, disciplined and professional people I’ve ever known. For some reason, I was chosen to be the magazine’s guinea pig and attend the second-ever Ag Editors Photo School at Mizzou. I learned more in that week in Columbia than I did in an entire semester of photography class at Texas A&M.
That initial introduction to this professional organization was followed by several years of deepening involvement in AAEA committees and projects. After a four-year detour as Managing Editor of Southern Living magazine, I returned to Progressive Farmer and again got back into AAEA, just in time to be asked to chair a committee to update the organization’s Standards of Integrity (a minefield, as I recall).
I never was Writer of the Year or Photographer of the year, but my professional abilities and horizons were definitely expanded by involvement with professional colleagues including Larry Harper, Gene Johnston, Jim Dickrell, Betsy Freese, Harlen Persinger, Sara Wyant and others.
All of them were people who possessed an abundance of talent and knowledge. Moreover, they were willing to share their knowledge with others. And this was well before “network” became a verb.
If I have any advice for today’s Agricultural Communicators Network members, it is to keep your eyes, ears and mind open to learning from others—even those who get paid to outperform you each day. Be willing to say “Yes” when you are asked to do something to benefit the organization and profession. I guarantee that whatever time and effort you expend will come back to you many times over.
Tom Curl smiles next to his wife Lynda. The couple will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary in November. Tom is the owner of the TRL Group, a consulting and investment firm.