Ag champion's passing leaves gaping void

Col. Leland Thomas died last Friday at the age of 79, and friends say his passing leaves a gaping void in the agriculture community.

Just this week, for instance, he was scheduled to pull volunteer duty at an important annual livestock event. He was supposed to help cook steaks for the day-long Northwest Florida Beef Conference and Trade Show on Wednesday. He had a sizeable herd of cattle himself before health issues forced him to sell his stock several years ago, but he remained committed to the industry and to many other agricultural endeavors.

He was president of the Jackson County Cattlemen’s Association at his death and had served on the Jackson County Farm Bureau Board, the Jackson County Agriculture Center Administrative Board as chairman, and on the State Farm Bureau Forestry Advisory Board. He also served on the University of Florida IFAS Regional Advisory Committee.

A native of Jackson County, Thomas moved back here after a distinguished Air Force career that began in 1954 and spanned 30 years. He flew over 200 missions in Vietnam, served as a staff officer in the Pentagon, and retired as a vice wing commander of the 601st Tactical Control Group in the European Theater during the cold war of the 1970s and 1980s.

He was a master navigator for the Air Force and was highly decorated. His military awards include the Legion of Merit, three Distinguished Flying Crosses, 17 Air Medals, a Meritorious Service Medal, and many others. His military distinction was so strong that, for the rest of his life, he was usually referred to as “Colonel Thomas” when spoken of at public gatherings and in personal conversations as well.

And his retirement years in Jackson County were anything but idle.

Former Jackson County Extension Director Ed Jowers called Thomas “the guiding force” behind the county’s success in its quest to build the new agriculture complex on Penn Avenue in Marianna. He helped work out all the details, from acquisition of funding to selection of the site and designing the floor plan for the structure.

Jowers said Thomas had more than a fair share of “good old common sense and wisdom,” attributes that he put to work on that project and many others to benefit the ag community and the county at large.

“He was a wise man who thought things through logically,” Jowers said. “Once we had a clear plan going on something, he helped guide it to fruition. He was a thinker, a planner, and he did a lot of research on anything he did. For the ag center, he met with legislators, the county commission, and he was involved from start to finish and beyond; although the ag center is pushing 15 years now, he was still involved in it.”

Thomas was teasingly called “the Johnny Appleseed of blueberries” because he grew his own berries to sell as fresh fruit and took it a step further; he propagated the plants so that others could take from his stock and establish their own operations. He believed in blueberries as a viable alternative crop for local farmers and spread the word enthusiastically.

Thomas also at one time had a sizeable cattle operation of about 200 animals, and only sold his herd because his health in older age would not allow him to care for the animals as completely as he felt they deserved. He continued, however, to manage the timber on his 1,000-acre farm, which he named CAVU Plantation. It was a reference to his days as a flyer in the Air Force. Jowers, also a veteran of the Air Force, said the name was most appropriate because it described Thomas and his philosophy perfectly.

CAVU is an Air Force acronym for Ceiling And Visibility Unlimited.

“That really sums up the way he approached everything,” Jowers said. “He was a mentor and a counselor to me. I learned a lot from him, and he was a dear friend.”

As a cattleman and blueberry producer, Thomas earned many awards through the years. In 2007, he and wife Ginny were named Jackson County Outstanding Farm Family of the Year. In 1992, he was Tree Farmer of the Year; in 1994, he was Cattleman of the Year, in 1999 he was Conservationist of the Year; in 1995 the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce named him Citizen of the Year; and in 1996 the Florida Association of County Agriculture Agents named him an Outstanding Agriculturist.

Through the years, Thomas was involved in community projects outside agriculture as well. He served on the Jackson County Planning Commission and was chairman of that board for 10 consecutive years. He is a past president of the Kiwanis Club. He also chaired the First United Methodist Church Administrative Board.

Current Jackson County Extension Director Doug Mayo said Thomas reached out to welcome him when he came on to take that helm in 2000 and proved to be valuable resource.

“When we met, he was very open and anxious to help me get started and see that the long tradition of educational activities continued in agriculture,” Mayo said. “He was somebody that I knew that I immediately needed to contact when there was an issue or something that needed to be done. He was willing to help out on everything from cooking to taking an issue before the county commission. He was a go-to guy in agriculture for this county. He was somebody that people looked up to and I would definitely call him a leader.”

Mayo said that leadership ability was fueled in part by a hunger for knowledge that Thomas never stopped feeding.

“He was well-read and he kept up with what was going on,” Mayo said. “He knew how to work with people and he was a good planner. He knew how to do events and how to keep people moving forward on a project. You never had a problem knowing where the colonel stood. He was very straight-talking. You knew his opinion, and those were definitely worth listening to.”

Mayo said Thomas was one of the most dependable people he knew.

“You could always count on him to follow through with whatever he committed do,” Mayo said. “He was always one to step up and be involved. He was 79 years old, but that didn’t matter. He showed up, he was engaged in leadership and ideas. It was the way he looked at life … there was nothing that couldn’t be done if you were willing to define it and do what was necessary to go after it. He is going to be missed.”

Former Jackson County Commissioner Chanley Carter was in office when the campaign for agriculture center funding was being waged. He agreed that Thomas will always be linked to that effort.

“He was definitely a player in that ag movement,” Carter said. “He did a lot of pushing to get the funding when we built the ag center, and then for the auditorium that was added on. He deserves a lot of credit for that, and for helping get the beef research station out at Greenwood. He’ll be sorely missed, that’s for sure.”

Speaking for all the Thomas siblings, Leland’s son Cliff said they are encircling and supporting their mother as they grieve as a family. She was in the hospital after having back surgery when her husband fell ill a few days before he died, of causes yet unconfirmed, and remains in a medical facility in recovery.

Cliff Thomas said his parents were very devoted to each other, still as much in love as they were when they wed. They would have celebrated their 56th anniversary this coming Saturday.