UF/IFAS Okeechobee County Extension Service

458 Highway 98 North

Okeechobee, FL 34972-2578

Phone: (863) 763-6469

December 26, 2006

Debbie S. Clements, Extension Family  & Consumer Science Agent

Feature Article - For Release week of December 31, 2006

 

Florida Cookbook Honors Dr. Mary Harrison

Simply Florida. A Taste of Flavors from the Sunshine State is a cookbook started with a 4-H project in 1930.  It is a tribute to a woman who dedicated her life to educating people, all people, about the practical skills needed to improve their lives.

            Professor Mary Nall Harrison died in June 2006, nine days short of her 88th birthday.  Her passing ended a 43-year career with the University of Florida/IFAS Extension.  Her friends and colleagues are working to continue Harrison ’s Extension Education Programs through sales of the Simply Florida cookbook.  Funds will be used to endow the Mary Harrison Distinguished Extension Professional and Enhancement Award in the Family, Youth and Community Sciences Department at the University of Florida .  Mary Frances Nall (later Harrison) was a country girl living on a south Alabama farm during the depths of the Great Depression when she began her involvement with the Extension Service.

            The county education budget was short of revenue in 1930 and classes ended after three months.  At her mother’s insistence, she completed a 4-H record book and submitted it to complement the abbreviated school year.  Years later she reflected, “That 4-H project started my understanding the value of practical skills, I could see and touch the results of my work.”  My 4-H projects followed in the ensuing years.  Additionally, she took a variety of leadership roles in the local 4-H program, the focus always on practical skills.

            Following her college years Harrison taught in public schools, was the director of adult education in Corpus Christi , Texas and even worked in an aircraft factory during World War II.  In 1963, Harrison took the job as “Home Demonstration Agent” at the Nassau County Cooperative Extension Service in Callahan , Florida .  Her programs covered what are now identified as Family and Consumer Sciences and 4-H.  Harrison ’s efforts always stressed the applied value of the skills she taught and there was usually an innovative approach.  Sewing, canning and meal preparation on a budget were her stock in trade.  She also taught sharp shopping skills to anyone seeking to stretch a paycheck.  “On several occasions my mother packed my lunch with recipes she was testing for programs,” said her eldest son Les Harrison, who is now an Extension Agent in Leon County .  “My friends were always interested in what I would pull out of my brown sack and sometimes wanted to swap lunches.  It was always an adventure.”

            Harrison took a statewide specialist position with the Florida Cooperative Extension Service after four years in Nassau County .  She was promoted to Professor in 1982.  She continued her innovative approach to teaching practical skills covering such diverse topics as seat belt usage, fixing credit problems and planning a funeral.  She frequently visited Tallahassee during this time, working cooperatively with the Home Economics program housed at the Florida State College for Women.  Before her death, Harrison was aware that the award was named for her long service.  She confided in close friends that she was flattered by the honor. 

            The Simply Florida cookbook has been a fun and creative was for friends and colleagues to remember Harrison .  A collection of recipes highlighting unique Florida fare are captured in this colorful coffee table-style cookbook.  The book also provides nutritional analysis of each recipe for those who are health-conscience. 

            For more information or to purchase the Simply Florida cookbook contact Okeechobee Extension Service at 863-763-6469 or order online at www.SimplyFlorida.org. More about the Mary Harrison Distinguished Extension Professional and Enhancement Award can be found at http://fycs.ifas.ufl.edu/faculty/harrison.htm.    

I’ve placed more information on our Okeechobee web page, http://okeechobee.ifas.ufl.edu.  If you need additional information, please email us at okeechobee@ifas.ufl.edu or call us at 863-763-6469.  Local residents can stop by our office at 458 Hwy 98 North in Okeechobee.  Happy New Year!

Trade names, where used, are given for the purpose of providing specific information. They do not constitute an endorsement or guarantee of products named, nor does it imply criticism of products not named. The Florida Cooperative Extension Service - Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer authorized to provide research, educational information, and other services to individuals and institutions that function without regard to race, color, sex, age, handicap, or national origin.  Florida Cooperative Extension Service / IFAS / University of Florida.  Larry A.  Arrington, Dean. Last update: 01/03/2007