Gammon wins David and Susan Barton Cooperative Leadership Scholarship

October 29, 2019 (MANHATTAN, Kan.) –Jaqueline Clawson of Meade, Kansas, a senior in agricultural economics and business marketing, and Sara Gammon of Drexel, Missouri, a senior in agricultural economics and global food systems leadership, have been awarded the David and Susan Barton Cooperative Leadership Scholarship through the Arthur Capper Cooperative Center and the Department of Agricultural Economics at Kansas State University.

Jaqueline Clawson has served as a College of Agriculture Ambassador and was the Career Fair Coordinator for both the All-University Career Fair and the Agri-Industry Career Fair. She actively participated on the College of Business Sales Competition team, the National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA) team and was a Sales Ambassador for the College of Business. In addition, Jacqueline was selected to be a student fellow for the Center for Risk Management at K-State and has participated in international study abroad experiences to India, Australia and Ireland. She has held leadership positions in a variety of campus organizations and worked at the Sales Lab. 

Jacqueline completed internships with CoBank, John Deere, Seed Sowers LLC and Plains State Bank. She will graduate in December and has taken a position with John Deere. The Clawson family is affiliated with the following cooperative: CMS Electric Cooperative, Cooperative Elevator and Supply (Meade), Dairy Farmers of America, Farm Credit of Western Oklahoma, MKC and United Telephone Association, Inc.

Sara Gammon has been involved in student government, serving as a College of Agriculture Senator. She was a Cargill Fellow, facilitated events at Global Youth Institute and also served as the Vice President of Political Outreach for Collegiate Farm Bureau. Sara was selected as a Borlaug-Ruan International Intern and served in India working with dairy cooperatives.

She also served as a K-State International Service Teams volunteer working at the Children and Youth Empowerment Center in Kenya and participated in an international study experience to Japan. Sara works as an extension research assistant in the Department of Agricultural Economics. She will graduate in May 2020 and after graduate school, hopes to work in economic research on global issues. The Gammon family is affiliated with the following cooperatives: Osage Valley Electric Co-op.

The David and Susan Barton Cooperative Leadership Scholarship has awarded over $84, 000 in scholarships since its establishment in 2014. David and Susan Barton came to Kansas State University in 1976 and have been contributing to cooperative education for many years. They are now encouraging the next generation to develop into strong educated leaders.

“The purpose of the David and Susan Barton Cooperative Leadership Scholarship is to encourage the development of leaders in the agribusiness community,” states Professor Brian Briggeman, director of the Arthur Capper Cooperative Center. “It’s also to provide significant financial assistance to eligible students enrolled in educational programs emphasizing these areas of study.”

To be eligible for the David and Susan Barton Cooperative Leadership Scholarship, a student must be either a junior or senior in K-State’s College of Agriculture at the time the scholarship is received and be pursuing a degree in Agribusiness or Agricultural Economics. The recipient must also have strong academic performance and be affiliated as a member or as a child or dependent of a member or employee of a company operating on a cooperative basis in the United States (including agricultural, farm credit, credit union, rural electric or rural telephone cooperatives).

The David and Susan Barton Cooperative Leadership Scholarship was established by donations from cooperative leaders as a thank you to the Bartons for their years of service to cooperatives. Family and friends added to the fund upon David’s retirement from the university. David and Susan Barton matched more than twice the amount of each contribution made to the fund to further benefit outstanding students at Kansas State University. “Additional contributions by those who want to honor David and Susan Barton and support the purposes of the scholarship are welcome,” Dr. Briggeman said.

They should be made payable to “KSU Foundation/Barton” and sent to the Arthur Capper Cooperative Center, Kansas State University, Department of Agricultural Economics, 342 Waters Hall, Manhattan, KS 66506.