An Ideal Takes Shape
The fall of 1938 marked the beginning of great strides forward in the organizational development and the establishment of operating procedures. The five original members were all living together in the house along with four prospective members and one boarder. E.E. Cockrum, a graduate student in agronomy, was the non-resident faculty adviser. The stage was set, and the men were anxious to move forward. The first official house meeting was held October 10, 1938, to elect officers Appropriately, Burdette Lutz was elected the first president at that meeting.
Object and Motto
Discussion of the house's objectives got underway at the second house meeting on Oct. 31, 1938. The discussion continued at the next regular house meeting on Nov. 21, 1938, as well as on a constitution, bylaws, and motto. A committee was formed to prepare the framework of a constitution and to submit a proposed object and motto at the next meeting. The committee consisted of Walt Parks, Chairman; Sam Ridlen; and Paul Lawson, a prospective house member. So, on Dec. 5, 1938, the committee proposed the following motto:
Educate, cooperate, and recreate to make farm life the best life of all. The motto was adopted at that meeting and remains today, never having been changed.
The object was adopted at the same meeting. But some individuals felt the wording should be changed. So, debate and minor changes continued several months before everyone was satisfied. After General agreement was reached, the object, as stated below, stands today as adopted at the house meeting on April 8, 1940: To unite in Christian fellowship and raise and strengthen our ideals and objectives, in order that we may be of greater service in agricultural education, cooperation, and recreation--steps which we firmly believe are essential to a more successful farm life. Membership Pin
Soon after the organizational efforts began in the fall of 1939, discussions about a membership pin started and continued both formally and informally. Much time was spent in numerous house meetings exploring and developing ideas for a pin. The conclusion evolved that the pin should symbolize, as much as possible, what the organization stood for, and thus, the pin would symbolically portray much of what is said in the object and motto. Developing the pin and finally adopting it covered a goodly time period. The original discussions started early in the fall of 1938 and continued until April of 1939, when the pin was finally approved. Minutes of the April 17, 1939, house meeting stated:
It was voted unanimously to buy a 10-karat gold pin from Burr-Patterson-Auld, at a price of $5. The design is to be a grain of corn, with an open book denoting education, the letters "NH" on its open leaves; in the background above the book, a rising sun standing for a new day in agriculture; clasped hands denoting cooperation; and a winged foot, denoting recreation. Walt Parks remembers that these symbols were inspired in great measure by the FFA symbol. The grain of corn was inspired by the FFA's ear of corn, which typifies Midwestern agriculture. The rising sun was borrowed directly, and the open book, the clasped hands, and the winged foot were chosen as the most appropriate symbols for education, cooperation, and recreation.Within three weeks -- the exact date is no longer remembered -- after the design was adopted, the pins were delivered. It was a gratifying moment for the men of Nabor House because a lot of energy had been invested in the pin. Sam Ridlen was quoted in the April 15, 1951, issue of the Nabor Nubbins saying, "Happy was the day when we received our pin, for it had been a long grind designing and redesigning, hashing and rehashing our ideas, until we finally agreed on our present emblem which further enhanced our unity." Nabors eagerly wore their new pins on campus with great pride.
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