Bowie County Citizens Tribune/DeKalb News August 16, 2000 Used with Permission Bill Jones of DeKalb was recently awarded the Vocational Agriculture Teachers Association of Texas Distinguished Service Award for this 36 years of service to agricultural science and education. This award is designed to commend individuals who are dedicated and supportive of agricultural education in Texas. Jones was presented his award during the Agricultural Teachers' Professional Development Conference on Wednesday, Aug. 2 in Lubbock. "This year's conference focused on the need for agriculture for a changing society," stated Ray Rabroker Jr., president of the Vocational Agriculture Teachers Association of Texas. "As we move forward into the 21st century, it's imperative that agriculture be recognized as a vital component of people's lives. This recognition begins in the classroom with students and we aim to continue to improve our teacher's knowledge and applicability of agriculture each year with our annual summer conference," said Rabroker. In Texas, there are over 1,500 agricultural science and technology teachers that impact over 108,000 students who are enrolled in agricultural education classes at the secondary level. The Vocational Agriculture Teachers Association of Texas is headquartered in Austin and aims to improve agriculture by teaching.