E-edition PLUS unlimited articles & videos
Personalized news alerts with our mobile app
*FREE access to newspapers.com archives
Hundreds of games, puzzles & comics online
*Refers to the latest 2 years of agupdate.com stories. Cancel anytime.
The Whirry home in Montello, Wisconsin, sits next to the old Trinity UMC Church. John Sumwalt says of Jack Whirry, ‘Little did I know we were moving next door to a legend when the moving van pulled up to the Methodist parsonage in Montello, Wisconsin in June of 1978.’ An active member of the Trinity United Methodist Church for 60-plus years, Whirry served on the church’s official board for decades. In recent years he helped guide the development of the church prayer garden.
Jack Whirry, 1919-2015, born in the front room of a farm house in the town of Buffalo in Marquette County, Wisconsin, is the 1965 Wisconsin Teacher of the year and the 1966 Wisconsin’s Outstanding Vocational Ag Teacher of the year.
Jack and Mickey Whirry pose in 1953 with their family in Montello, Wisconsin. From left are Jack, Jane, Merry, Mickey, Kathy and Jon Whirry.
Jack Whirry’s high-school teaching career begins at Gibraltar High School in Fish Creek, Wisconsin. He taught there from 1940 to 1943.
Jack Whirry poses in 1999 with his wife, Mickey Whirry.
Jack Whirry earns numerous awards as ag teacher, FFA adviser and as tree farmer. In 1982 he’s the Regional Tree Farmer and in 1999 the Wisconsin FFA Hall of Fame recipient. But he says he’s most proud of the awards achieved by his students during his years in the classroom at Montello High School.
Jack Whirry and Marion Schmidt – she used the name Mickey – meet in 1939 at a summer dance at Scharenberg’s Resort next to White Lake outside of Montello. They married in June 1941 at the Lutheran Church in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin – one block from her home.
Jack Whirry writes in his memoir, Wisconsin Grown, ‘I have had a wonderful life filled with more blessings than I could have ever dreamed of when I was a young boy on the farm.’
Jack Whirry poses with ag students at Montello High School.
Jack Whirry’s students earn first place in the nation in 1961 as winners of the Poultry Management Contest. His FFA judging teams won national awards in 1948, 1953, 1955 and 1956, and were honored with National Golden Emblem Award for six consecutive years beginning in 1958.
During his years at Montello HS, Jack Whirry guides the purchase of two Montello High School Forests, which were prototypes for high school forests across the nation. He took an early retirement in 1980 to manage Evergreen Ranch, the family tree farm in the town of Buffalo in Marquette County, Wisconsin.
Jack Whirry, far right, hangs out about 1925 with neighbor kids on the farm in Marquette County, Wisconsin.
Ray Miller, left, and Jack Whirry are inducted in 1999 into the Wisconsin FFA Hall of Fame.
A sign reflects the success of judging teams.
One of Jack Whirry’s national-award-winning poultry-judging teams receives a grand welcome home in Montello, Wisconsin.
MONTELLO, Wis. – Little did I know in June 1978 that we were moving next door to a legend. After our moving van arrived at the Methodist parsonage in Montello, I knocked on the neighbor’s door to introduce myself.
John Sumwalt
John Sumwalt is a retired pastor and the son of dairy farmers. He is the author of “Shining Moments: Visions of the Holy in Ordinary Lives.” Email johnsumwalt@gmail.com or call 414-339-0676 to reach him.
Get local news delivered to your inbox!
The best part of this job of writing spiritual columns is hearing from readers.
I grew up in a rural community and am proud of it.
My wife, Jo, took me to the emergency room recently after two nights of excruciating abdominal pain. My condition included the most wretched r…
An egg, a seedling, an eaglet, a fawn, a tadpole, a flower bud or a fungus mycelium are all the start of something great outdoors. Embryonic s…
Hello friends,
The Whirry home in Montello, Wisconsin, sits next to the old Trinity UMC Church. John Sumwalt says of Jack Whirry, ‘Little did I know we were moving next door to a legend when the moving van pulled up to the Methodist parsonage in Montello, Wisconsin in June of 1978.’ An active member of the Trinity United Methodist Church for 60-plus years, Whirry served on the church’s official board for decades. In recent years he helped guide the development of the church prayer garden.
Jack Whirry earns numerous awards as ag teacher, FFA adviser and as tree farmer. In 1982 he’s the Regional Tree Farmer and in 1999 the Wisconsin FFA Hall of Fame recipient. But he says he’s most proud of the awards achieved by his students during his years in the classroom at Montello High School.
Jack Whirry and Marion Schmidt – she used the name Mickey – meet in 1939 at a summer dance at Scharenberg’s Resort next to White Lake outside of Montello. They married in June 1941 at the Lutheran Church in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin – one block from her home.
Jack Whirry’s students earn first place in the nation in 1961 as winners of the Poultry Management Contest. His FFA judging teams won national awards in 1948, 1953, 1955 and 1956, and were honored with National Golden Emblem Award for six consecutive years beginning in 1958.
During his years at Montello HS, Jack Whirry guides the purchase of two Montello High School Forests, which were prototypes for high school forests across the nation. He took an early retirement in 1980 to manage Evergreen Ranch, the family tree farm in the town of Buffalo in Marquette County, Wisconsin.
Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device.
