The story behind the scholarship

You probably have never heard of the great Whitey Slim. He was a great man who knew the value of hard work, honesty, and compassion. How do you honor those whose lives honored you? I don’t know, but here is what we want to do.

First of all, there is no one man named Whitey Slim. Whitey was my grandpa Cecil’s nickname and Slim was my grandpa Watson’s nickname. They were different in physical stature and personality but were the same beneath the physical appearance where your true self is most wisely assessed.

Grandpa Watson lent both advice and assistance in my (FFA) project. I recall one instance when he drove to town to pick me up in his old blue and white pickup truck to get help in pulling a calf for one of my old cows. Unfortunately, he found me. I did not mind helping pull the calf, but grandpa drove so fast over those old gravel roads that my neighbor, Dick Worrell, who saw Slim’s driving, came down to our house to see if there had been something really bad happen! I saw my life flash in front of my eyes that day, and still refuse to ride in old pickup trucks on gravel roads with grandpa types.

Grandpa Cecil was a quiet man, soft-spoken, at least with me. While I was a member in FFA, there was no limit to what I wanted to do but there was a great limitation on my understanding of the value of the dollar. I recall well the local banker who refused to loan me the money for my first show calf. When grandpa learned of this, he offered to co-sign the note with me. I do not recall if that became necessary, but his offer never left my memory.

Secondly, when I wanted to fly on an airplane to the Washington Conference Leadership Program, the cost of the ticket was around $500. I didn’t have the money, and at one point it looked like the trip wasn’t going to happen. Grandpa Cecil paid the money; I went to Washington, and the rest of my life was transformed by that week in Washington.

Therefore, my wife, Kathy, and I want to honor these two men by honoring a member of the Gallatin FFA Chapter who has great leadership potential and a great work ethic but who just needs someone in an old pickup truck to help send them to the Washington Leadership Conference Program. Here is our check to do that.

Thank you. God bless, and good luck to the Gallatin FFA Chapter.

Scott Watson, Gallatin FFA member 1976-79