Agenda - 03-16-2021; 4-a - Resolution Re-naming the New Orange County Environmental Agricultural Center (EAC) to the Orange County Bonnie B. Davis Environmental and Agricultural Center

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5 November 27, 2020 Bonnie B. Hammersley Orange County Manager P. O. Box 8181 Hillsborough,NC 27278 Dear Ms. Hammersley, I am writing to support the nomination to name the new Northern Campus of the Environment and Agricultural Building after Bonnie B. Davis, who faithfully served the citizens of Orange County through her 40 years of work with the Cooperative Extension Service. I had the pleasure of working with Bonnie Davis as her co-worker for several years just before she retired in 1990. Having worked with Cooperative Extension for 12 years before coming to Orange County, I had heard of Mrs. Davis, since she had a statewide reputation as an excellent Extension Agent, but it was a pleasure to be able to work with her personally. Even though I was an experienced educator, she helped me hone my skills and become a much better and more effective professional. Mrs. Davis was always willing to help people better their lives by giving them the skills necessary to excel, and she made a difference in countless lives during her career. I was always encountering young and old people who credited Mrs. Davis in helping them succeed in their lives and careers. She was always gracious, professional, regal, and a wonderful role model. She got along with people from all walks of life. When Mrs. Davis started work with Extension in the 1950's, I think she was the first Black Extension Agent in Orange County and only worked with Black clientele. Extension had a volunteer organization called Home Demonstration Clubs at that time,who were community clubs that Extension delivered educational programs to on a regular basis. (The clubs have changed names through the years, and are now called Extension and Community Association or ECA Clubs.) Mrs. Davis organized many of the clubs during her career. Until the 1960's,the Black and white groups were separate. In the middle of the 1960's,the Extension Agents and the Home Demonstration Clubs were integrated. I spoke to the white Extension Agent who was Mrs. Davis's co-worker during that integration effort, and she told me that working with Mrs. Davis made the transition much easier,because Mrs. Davis was "thorough, smart, generous, and gracious." Since one of the Orange County Home Demonstration Club members was State President of the organization at that time, Orange County served as a model for the whole state. Mrs. Davis's calm,peacekeeping skills, and forgiving strength helped make this transition smoother. Early in her career,Mrs. Davis also served as the person in charge of 4-H Youth programs for the Black community. She organized the first 4-1-1 clubs in the northern part of the county. Those clubs have remained active for many years, and the youth who participated have gone on to successful careers and.lives.