FFA Historic Records, Photos at IUPUI Archives

INDIANAPOLIS – Indianapolis holds the future of the National FFA Convention and IUPUI holds its past.

More than 50,000 visitors will attend the 79th National FFA Convention, which begins October 25, 2006 in the Indianapolis Convention Center, the first year of a seven-year contracted run in Indianapolis.

Just a few blocks away, the Ruth Lilly Special Collections and Archives at the IUPUI University Library, 755 W. Michigan Street, holds the historic records of the FFA, including correspondence, minutes, newsletters, publications, reports, audio cassettes, video cassettes, and photographs dating back to 1928.

The National FFA Organization was organized as the "Future Farmers of America" in 1928 in Kansas City, Mo. In 1988, the official organization name was changed to The National FFA Organization to reflect the broadening field of agriculture, which today encompasses more than 300 careers in everything from agriscience to biotechnology to turf grass management.

The FFA’s historic records were moved to the archives in 1998 when the FFA moved its national center from Virginia to Indianapolis.

The archives has put online a small portion of the more than 30,000 photographs documenting the organization’s history at www.ulib.iupui.edu/special/ffa. In addition, it has created an online searchable database of FFA awards presented to individuals and chapters over the years.

In honor of the convention, the archives has installed three FFA displays at University Library, including “Inspiring Future Leaders” on Level Two, Room 2110, “From Kansas City to Indianapolis: FFA Conventions” on Level One Lobby, and “Living to Serve” Lower Level Lobby and Room 0133.

The archives also has digitized films of FFA conventions, including the 1937 convention, that it will show to visitors during the convention in the Lower Level of University Library.

The Ruth Lilly Special Collections and Archives began with the creation of the University Archives in 1975 and expanded in the late 1980s to include non-university related materials, particularly in the areas on philanthropy and German-Americana.

Among other materials held by the archives are the national administrative records of Junior Achievement.