The Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame inducted three UF alumni Tuesday night.
Joseph Joyce, Thomas Braddock and Charles “Chip” Hinton were recognized for their contributions to the state’s agriculture industry at the 37th annual banquet and ceremony in Tampa. The three helped encourage youth to be involved with agriculture and were nominated in September for their work.
Only four people are usually inducted each year, said Reggie Brown, the president of the Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame.
Billy Kempfer, an advocate for UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Science and the Animal Science Department, was also inducted.
Joyce helped establish IFAS’s Center for Leadership, Braddock is a retired IFAS extension director for Duval County and Hinton helped create new varieties of strawberries, which increased the fruits production and brought money to UF.
Joyce said a friend called him in the Fall to tell him he was nominated for the award. He said he never thought about being in the hall of fame before then.
“My first reaction is, ‘How in the world did they pick me?’” Joyce said.
Brown said the four inductees have supported leadership development programs and youth education. Getting inducted into the hall of fame is the most prestigious honor in Florida agriculture, he said.
“This group, for the large part, is a group of individuals who have been dedicated to youth education and career opportunity for students on campus and youth across the state,” Brown said.
While serving in the Army Reserves for 28 years, Joyce said he led an effort to manage invasive water hyacinths in Florida, a type of flower that lives on water.
Joyce retired from UF last year. Being at UF allowed him to build relationships, which he said helped him to become inducted.
“It’s about who you know and, more importantly, who you help,” Joyce said.
