Last night at UAHT’s Hempstead Hall, about 30 young members of Future Farmers of America and the 4-H Club in Hempstead County gathered for the Hempstead County Teen Leadership Dinner. The members were practicing etiquette, manners and social skills lessons that had been taught at their schools over the past few weeks. 

The meal of beef brisket, salad, green beans, boiled potatoes and various desserts was provided by the Hempstead County Farm Bureau Women’s Committee. The servers were from Hempstead County 4-H Teen Leaders and one was from the Unity Baptist Youth. Students in attendance came dressed in suits or in their respective FFA or 4-H coats. Decorations and organizational work was performed by the County Extension Office. 

Betty Wingfield, County Extension Agent and 4-H sponsor, said at the podium that she had travelled among the county’s schools presenting and demonstrating skills in formal dining and proper manners, including, she said, “Blevins, Hope, and Spring Hill FFA, FCCLA [Fami ly Career, and Community Leaders of America] FBLA [Future Business Leaders of America] and 4-H high school juniors and seniors.” 

Wingfield reminded the attendees of a quote from none other than Emily Post, early and mid-20th century author of many books and essays on proper behavior at the dinner table and in all other walks of life: “Manners are a sensitive awareness of the feelings of others. If you have that awareness, you have good manners, no matter what fork you use.” 

The guest speaker was McCaskill native Brent Talley, former Democratic state representative from 2013 to 2017, who described his upbringing, education and his several careers while providing advice on how to pursue success in life. 

Talley began by explaining that he himself had learned proper deportment from being a 4-H member as a youngster. “I was not a big reader as a kid. I was an outdoors kid. As soon as I got through with whatever I had to do inside, I was outside fishing, hunting, whatever I could do outside, and didn’t spend a whole lot of time reading. Not that I couldn't read, I just didn't do that as a hobby. And so it kind of made me nervous reading or speaking in front of folks as a young boy,” he said. 

Through his membership in 4H and FFA, Talley said he learned a bit about how to present himself as a speaker when he was challenged to appear at an event in Texarkana in which he had to speak about proper dental hygiene.  He began to use leadership skills when he later started a horseback riding club at his school. 

These came in handy in his time going to Southern Arkansas University. “I was active in the Ag[riculture] Club down there. I served in the SAU Baptist Student Union and was in the campus leadership program and served on the worship leader team,” Talley said.  At graduation, he wanted to see what the world was like outside of Arkansas, packing his bags for Washington D.C. to take a job as an intern that summer. 

In D.C., he advanced rapidly to the point he was writing briefing material for then-President Bill Clinton and then working at the US Department of Agriculture. Since he was volunteering for the U.S. Parks Service police, helping take care of their horses, he was permitted on his last day in D.C. to take part in a procession down the Capitol Mall, an event that amused his office colleagues a great deal. 

After D.C., Talley worked for the USDA in Arkansas and then for Congressman Mike Ross as a mediator between constituents in the 29 counties Ross represented and the federal government. After the birth of his second daughter, Talley said he wanted to come off the road. That’s when the chance came to work at then University of Arkansas Community College (now UAHT) in the public communications office which he did for ten years, becoming heavily involved with then Chancellor Chris Thomason in the creation and financing of Hempstead Hall. When it was found that a tax would be needed, many people told Talley, “Good luck.” 

“We needed to develop a marketing plan to get that tax passed. We met with some of the officers up there, and we wrote the marketing plan, which worked. Our community passed that tax, we built this building. And it's here for generations to come. And that's because people came together to make that happen,” Talley said. 

At the end of a decade of service to UACCH, an opportunity opened up to run for State Representative. In 2012, Talley won the first of two terms. Of the experience of legislating, Talley said, “What an honor it was to take on that role and to serve the people here in Hempstead and Nevada counties. And I certainly appreciate the people giving me that opportunity to serve this community very much.” 

Then Talley advised students to determine quickly their likes and dislikes before choosing a profession, learn as much as possible about that profession before beginning to train, perhaps by doing internet research, shadowing those who are in that profession and following developments in that field. He also told the students to embrace hard work but never to surrender their big dreams and be ready to seize chances to progress. He also advised setting goals to advance their skills or knowledge on a weekly basis and closed by asking students to begin the habit of volunteerism to meet the needs of their community. 

Also speaking at the event were Hope High School Agriculture teacher Christina Smith, Hope High Principal Kimberly Dunham.

Hope High Principal Kimberly Dunham thanks the attendees, which included several teachers from the Hope Public School system.