Johnie Jenkins
I was born in Phillips County, Arkansas in 1934, grew up on a small dairy and cotton farm, and graduated from Barton High School. I attended the University of Arkansas, and then graduate school at Purdue University, earning a Ph.D. in plant genetics and statistics. I have worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agriculture Research Service for 59 years, and am a member of the ARS Science Hall of Fame. My career has been a rewarding one, as I have been able to be both a scientist and a mentor to over 70 graduate students through the years. I was married in 1959 to Diane, a Godly woman, and we spent 52 years together before she was taken home to God. I have two daughters who were brought up in this congregation. My daughters Jean, June, son-in-law John, and my granddaughter Lauren, worship here at the Starkville church. I enjoy traveling and camping with my family. My family and I became members of this congregation upon moving to Starkville in 1961. I served an integral role in the founding of the University Christian Student Center (UCSC), was asked to serve as a deacon in 1967, and was appointed an elder of this congregation in 1973.
One of my favorite Bible passages is Psalm 1:1-3, 6. "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers...for the Lord knows the way of the righteous."