Interview with John Kenneth Evans, March 11, 1985

Interview Summary

John Kenneth Evans was born August 22, 1929 "at Oakley, Kentucky, in Laurel County".
He graduated from Annville Institute High School in Jackson County in1946. He earned his B. S. from the University of Kentucky in 1957, his M. S. from U.K. in 1960. He took a ten month sabbatical leave to attend Oregon State University to study nuclear science radiation biology from 1967-1968. Evans was active in 4-H programs in Laurel County and worked with contour work in crop management after high school.

In the summer of 1957, Evans worked with a special extension research program on Johnson grass (forage) control in Franklin County, Kentucky, with special funds from U.K. From 1958-61, Evans performed research work in forage crops management in Christian and Owen counties. From 1961-1963, he worked as a Specialist in Agronomy with the Eastern Kentucky Developmental Resource Project. In 1963-1967, he was Extension Specialist in Rural Civil Defense at U.K. in Lexington, where he advocated a radiation education approach, in addition to providing information on nuclear shelters. In 1967, Evans became the Extension Specialist in Agronomy as well as an Assistant to the U.K. Agriculture Department Chairman, where he states "his function was to coordinate, locate, instigate and irritate, agitate, instigate, investigate, communicate, demonstrate, educate". From 1968-1969, Evans assisted in planning the Agronomy Research Farm, 750 acres split between U.K.'s Main Chance and Spindletop facilities in Lexington. He talks about problems in forage issues, especially Kentucky 31 Fescue and opportunities to improve renovation of pasture. He became Extension Specialist in Forages in 1974. Evans discusses the problems associated with the implementation the Area Extension Program. He talks about the Extension Council.

Evans emphasizes that the College of Agriculture offered the support for him to develop his potential, to do what he likes to do, and to perform his duties in an independent environment. He mentions his membership in several professional organizations. Evans felt he was most successful when he was helping to educate the farmer in the best utilization of resources and says the issue of developing resources to support other crops besides tobacco needs to be addressed. He talks about his family.

Interview Keyword

Kentucky's Cooperative Extension Service University of Kentucky

Interview LC Subject

Evans, John Kenneth Evans, John Kenneth--Interviews University of Kentucky University of Kentucky--History University of Kentucky. Cooperative Extension Service

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