[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 1]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 628]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




          IN RECOGNITION OF THE RETIREMENT OF DR. JIMMY CHEEK

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JEFF MILLER

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, January 13, 2009

  Mr. MILLER of Florida. Madam Speaker, along with my friend 
Congressman Adam Putnam, it is a great honor for me to rise today to 
recognize the retirement of Dr. Jimmy Cheek from the University of 
Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, IFAS. Since 
1975, Dr. Cheek has been instrumental in agricultural education at the 
University of Florida, where he was a mentor of mine.
  Jimmy Cheek's career with the University of Florida began as an 
assistant professor in the Department of Agricultural and Extension 
Education, and now, over 30 years later, he is retiring as a senior 
vice president for agriculture and natural resources. Through the 
course of his career, he served in a number of positions, but all of 
them were dedicated toward instilling an understanding of the 
importance of agriculture in his students. Dr. Cheek also received 
numerous awards and recognition not only for his dedication to teaching 
but also his vast knowledge of agriculture.
  His leadership in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, 
CALS, as well as IFAS, helped expand the programs offered and the 
student enrollment, making CALS the fourth-largest college at UF. Dr. 
Cheek took an outstanding program and improved upon it even further as 
he oversaw the addition of new programs and research opportunities, and 
he has been recognized for his efforts to this end. Some of the 
numerous awards bestowed upon him include the University of Florida 
Faculty Superior Accomplishment Award and the CALS Teacher of the Year. 
He has also been recognized by Who's Who in America, Who's Who in 
American Education, Who's Who Among American Teachers, and has received 
an honorary membership in Alpha Gamma Rho, of which I am a proud 
member.
  Madam Speaker, there is no doubt in my mind that Dr. Cheek's legacy 
will be remembered for generations to come, not just by students at the 
University of Florida but also throughout the Nation where his work has 
been recognized. He dedicated his career to educating students not just 
about agriculture, but also character, and he will be fondly remembered 
by all who know him. Jimmy Cheek will be missed in the classrooms in 
Gainesville and around the State, but he leaves behind an institution 
that will continue to flourish because of his hard work. He and his 
family are in my thoughts as they move into the next chapter of his 
life.

                          ____________________