The loss of one bright, shining moment

Jerry Litton was flying back to Kansas City with his family to celebrate his primary election victory as the Democrat nominee for the U.S. Senate. But the plane the Littons were in crashed during takeoff at the Chillicothe Municipal Airport, killing the entire family as well as Litton’s friend and pilot, Paul Ruff Jr.

In the blink of an eye, farmers not just in Missouri but throughout small-town America lost one of their greatest proponents. Those who can remember still grieve about what might have been.

How can we convey to our youth today what that loss meant?

I distinctly recall a classroom filled with teenagers less than 20 years removed from the Vietnam War — and their blank stares upon mentioning some of the most basic, widely known events and places from that conflict. It was already and completely “ancient history” to them; few feigned enough interest to ask a couple of questions … in less than 20 years.

It’s been 40 years since we last heard Jerry Litton’s voice.

That’s our challenge. Too often anything tagged as “history” or “museum” gets a cold shoulder. We don’t teach our past in terms of cause and effect, meaning today’s effect was caused by a previous decision. We don’t celebrate the people that define our times, meaning the generations immediately preceding us. Too often we think historic figures must be of a vintage of at least 100 years or more.

So, should we wonder if people today only know the Litton name if only by curiosity, meaning the name on the visitors center at Smithville Lake? Or perhaps it’s the handsome yet isolated Litton Memorial in Lock Springs, located along the blacktop that eventually leads past the Litton Agri-Science Learning Center in Chillicothe.

Some aspiring FFA members today may know Jerry Litton in the context of that student organization. Litton was a state and national FFA officer. His leadership experiences included meeting former president Harry Truman who encouraged him to start a business and enter politics — which he did.

Litton Charolais Ranch developed as the white French beef cattle breed gained in popularity among cattle breeders. Jerry Litton (1937-1976) grew up on a farm with no electricity and no indoor plumbing when he arrived in this world. But eventually the Littons used new technologies to full advantage, including TV monitors in barns and computers to record statistics on the animals. The Littons had a national reputation as among the premier livestock breeders in the nation.

But Jerry Litton may be best remembered as something foreign in today’s world — a positive politician. He was a Democrat representing the 6th District in Congress. His political presence emerged at a time before a number of factors changed the face of rural America forever, before the Farm Crisis and economic demise of the traditional small family farm.

Scholars point to a Farm Summit meeting which Litton organized in June, 1973. This brought all farm organizations together in Washington to discuss how to better communicate with consumers. He also coauthored major legislation on how government could use private information collected on its citizens — as a freshman in Congress!

Some of us recall the televised Dialogue with Litton show. This was a monthly program very unusual for its time. Guests like Jimmy Carter, outspoken Secretary of Agriculture Earl Butz, Missouri Senator Thomas Eagleton, and House Speaker Carl Albert spoke directly in unscripted response to questions from the audience. In retrospect, it was political conversation in a positive way despite such negatives as the aftermath of the Vietnam War and the Watergate scandal.

Jerry Litton, with a farmer’s optimism, remained positive in such negative times. That’s an important part in the definition of leadership.

Jerry Litton was a pioneer in using the media. Men like Ed Turner and Chuck Haney of Chillicothe have stories (many, and often humorous) about those shows — but they worked. In 1976 Litton ran against two tough opponents — former Gov. Warren Hearnes and Congressman James Symington. By staging Dialogue with Litton sessions throughout the state, Litton won the primary and appeared ready to take on Republican John C. Danforth in the November General Election to become Missouri’s U.S. Senator.

Then the tragedy.

Jimmy Carter is among those who believe that had Jerry Litton lived, he might eventually have become president of the United States. Those of my generation remember exactly where they were and what they were doing when the news broke about the plane crash, similar to memories of JFK’s assassination or the 9-11 terrorist attack.

Since Jerry Litton grew up at Lock Springs where he attended school through 8th grade, Daviess County lays some claim to this historic person. The Littons are most closely associated with Chillicothe and Livingston County where Jerry graduated from high school before enrolling at the University of Missouri.

When the Gallatin R-5 School District wanted to expand its vo-ag program, I recall how former newspaper publisher Joe Snyder suggested an approach be made to the Litton family for financial support. That didn’t materialize. But  everyone loved the idea of honoring Jerry Litton. Unanimous.

For quite a while, the State Historical Society of Missouri’s website had a link to easily view some video clips of Dialogue with Litton. During the time it aired (1974-76), a total of 29 special guests and leaders in government agreed to participate (go online for documentation and manuscripts).

What would we give today if we could listen to Litton’s dialogue about the cattle industry, rural communities, tax reform and the middle class! No doubt Jerry Litton would put Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump to shame — and not on just these, his favorite subjects.

Maybe discussing Jerry Litton as a history lesson fails to impress many youth today, even if you coaxed a conversation while standing amidst the Litton memorabilia on display in the visitors center near the dam at Smithville Lake. How do you describe charisma, energy, self-confidence, unequaled communication skills? How do you get youth today to share Litton’s burning desire to step up and make a difference?

Before becoming Speaker of the House, Tip O’Neill said this about Jerry Litton: “I’ve been in Congress 22 years and I have never yet met a freshman member of Congress that could equal Jerry Litton.” That’s one way to describe potential.

Here’s another that might strike a little closer to home for teenagers approaching high school graduation: While in high school Litton leased farm property and by the time he graduated from high school, Jerry had saved $15,000.

Jerry Litton was unafraid of work.

Jerry Litton seemed like a powerful magnet attracting success. But his achievements were based on hard work, seizing the opportunity of the moment while building for a better future. He saw the same mountains of problems facing everybody, but he remained undeterred and unafraid. He simply focused on the next step.

It is no wonder we lament and remember our loss of two score years ago. For Northwest Missouri, he was perhaps our brightest shining moment. And as long as we remember him, we’ll remain haunted by what might have been.