The late Eugene and Stella Nagel family, Gettysburg, received the South Dakota FFA Foundation’s 2023 Family of the Year award. The award honoring a family’s long-term involvement in the South Dakota FFA Agriculture Education program was recently presented at the State FFA Convention in Brookings. The Nagel family includes Stella, the late Eugene Nagel, their two daughters, Dawn and Gerri, and Gerri’s husband, Shon Eide, and grandchildren Hunter, Tanner and Bobbi Eide.
The Nagel family has a long history in the South Dakota FFA, spanning three generations. Eugene, Dawn, Gerri, Hunter, Tanner and Bobbi have all been active Gettysburg FFA members, serving as chapter and district officers, leading service projects, and conducting Supervised Agricultural Experiences. Involvement encompasses livestock and crop production, land and range judging, agriscience, various leadership and career development events, and many camps, conferences and international experiences. Stella and Shon provide encouragement and serve as an on-going support system. Each family member has their own favorite experience. Eugene loved sharing his experience of attending the 1957 National FFA Convention in Kansas City, as a senior from “little old” Gettysburg, South Dakota.
“This award recognizes a South Dakota family that goes the extra mile for FFA,” said FFA Foundation Board President Sandy Osterday. “The actions of the entire Nagel family through multiple generations have modeled the FFA mission of developing premier leadership, personal growth and career success.”
The Nagels value learning and leading through the FFA experience, with four district officers, a state president, state vice president and state secretary. Accomplishments include numerous state proficiency winners, a state job interview leadership event winner, a national proficiency winner, four State FFA Degree recipients, three American degree recipients, three National Officer candidates, two National Agriscience Fair finalists, two Honorary Chapter FFA Degrees, four Honorary State FFA Degrees, and one Honorary American FFA Degree. Membership continues with four Lifetime FFA Alumni members, and three current FFA members.
As individuals in FFA and as a family, they continue to attend and support the local, state, and national FFA activities. Dawn shares, “Agriculture has always been an integral part of our family life. The FFA motto, learning to do, doing to learn, earning to live and living serve were brought to life for us through involvement in the FFA organization. As a family, we believe in the future of Agriculture, our rural communities and wholesome food and fiber production. We strive to promote agriculture, learn through the hardships and persevere to make the future better for all agriculturalists. FFA provided each of us a place to grow our passion for agriculture and develop lifelong friendships that have enabled us to share our knowledge while continuously learning from others.”
Beyond their time as active FFA members, the Nagel family has given back to the organization in many ways. As local alumni and supporters, family members have chaperoned trips, brought in livestock for the Gettysburg Area Career Development Event, provided practice and contest sites for soils, range, and nursery landscape judging, helped with service projects, and served as coaches, judges, and leadership development chairs for local, district, state, and national events. Dawn chaired the State Job Interview Leadership Development Event for a dozen years, served as the State Alumni president, is a State Equine Proficiency area sponsor, and served on the State Officer nominating committee numerous times. Gerri taught high school agricultural education and FFA in Rapid City and filled in as the interim Gettysburg ag teacher and FFA advisor twice, until the position could be filled. She has served as South Dakota FFA or South Dakota FFA Foundation staff for 25 years. Shon was the State Natural Resources CDE coordinator four years. Each family has opened their home to countless FFA members during trainings and event travels. All family members are state level supporters through the South Dakota FFA Foundation. Eugene, Gerri, Dawn and Hunter all are lifetime National Alumni members. In addition, Eugene and Stella sponsor a scholarship for local FFA members and FFA jackets for Gettysburg freshmen.
The entire family has given freely of their time and talents with a reach far beyond FFA. Eugene and Stella each served as EMTs for 25 years, Eugene was a Farm Bureau officer, and Stella Dawn, Gerri and Shon are all 4-H leaders. Dawn served on City Council and on the South Dakota Women in Ag board. They all volunteer for their church and help with state and community service projects. In addition to full time jobs in agriculture, they are all actively involved in the family farm and ranch and continue advocating for agriculture.
The South Dakota FFA Foundation thanks the Nagel family for their tremendous impact on agriculture education and FFA.
