Exhibit Opening and Presentation: Farm Life and Farming in the 50s

6:00 PM

The Brazos Valley Museum of Natural History, is pleased to announce Farming in the 50s, an opening presentation by Dr. Bill Lazenby, an expert on the history of farming in Texas and the Brazos Valley. His presentation will be followed by a free reception and gallery viewing of Farm Life: A Century of Change for Farm Families and Their Neighbors, a nationally touring exhibition at the Museum from November 10, 2011 – January 7, 2012. This engaging exhibition allows visitors to gain insight into how families lived and worked on farms, as well as the economic and cultural roots influencing families today.

Dr. Lazenby taught Vocational Agriculture at Kingsville, Deweyville, and Texas before going into Agribusiness. He currently works at Producers Cooperative Association in Bryan, Texas where he has been a Supply Chain Manager for fifteen years and works to educate the community on a variety of agricultural topics. His passion for local agricultural stories comes from his personal experience and his interest in history.

Born into farm life, Dr. Lazenby was raised on a farm that had been in his family since 1835. After his father’s return from WWII, the Lazenby family farm was converted from truck farming to dairy farming. In order to escape early 3:30 a.m. milkings seven days a week, Dr. Lazenby enrolled at Stephen F. Austin University and claimed a B.S. in Agricultural Education. He later went on to achieve his Masters in Agricultural Education and Ph.D. in International Agricultural Development from Texas A&M University.

Farm Life was made possible in part through Hotel Tax Revenue funded from the City of College Station through the Arts Council of Brazos Valley, and by NEH on the Road, a special initiative of the National Endowment for the Humanities. It has been adapted and is being toured by Mid-America Arts Alliance. The exhibit was organized by The Chippewa Valley Museum, Eau Claire, WI and is based on a larger exhibit permanently stationed in their galleries.

The Brazos Valley Museum of Natural History is open to visitors Tuesday-Saturday from 10 am-5 pm. For more information about this exhibit and other displays, events, programs and activities, please contact the Museum at 979-776-2195 or visit us on the web at www.brazosvalleymuseum.org.

Painting: Grant Wood, Spring in the Country, 1941. Oil on Masonite, 24 x 24 in. Cedar Rapids Museum of Art, Museum purchase. 93.12