News Release: August 11, 2009 Contact: Elizabeth Witte, Communications Director (724-852-5210)
WAYNESBURG, PA – The Greene County Commissioners will dedicate a building at the Greene County Fairgrounds in honor of John Gapen, a former Greene County extension agent for Penn State Cooperative Extension, during a ceremony at 5:45 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 13. The dedication is open to the public.
Earlier this year, the county completed construction on the 4,000-square-foot pre-stressed fabric building, located on the eastern end of the fairgrounds. The facility will house the county’s emergency response vehicles and trailers, emergency lighting equipment and other supplies to be used in the event of an emergency or disaster. A Red Cross trailer will also be housed in the building, which was paid for with a combination of funds from the Greene County 911/Hazmat fund, the Greene County Fair Board and the county.
Commissioners Pam Snyder, Dave Coder and Archie Trader chose to name the building after Gapen in recognition of his years of service and contributions to agriculture in Greene County.
For more than 30 years, Gapen, 94, worked as a Greene County extension agent for Penn State Cooperative Extension, initiating several educational programs and introducing farmers to strip cropping to reduce soil erosion. Gapen also ran sheep shearing schools, gave educational radio broadcasts, graded wool at “Wool Pools,” judged cattle and continued to judge wool at the Greene County Fair until the age of 92.
Born and raised in Greene County, Gapen graduated from Penn State in 1939 with a bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics and received his master’s degree in economics from the University of Connecticut in 1941. During World War II, he served in several major battles in Germany and won the bronze and silver stars, retiring as a lieutenant colonel. He became a county extension agent in 1947 and retired in 1978.
Gapen and his wife, Irene, have been married for 57 years and live in Waynesburg. They have two daughters, Cynthia and Jane, and three grandchildren, Camille, Elizabeth and Rhetta.
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For general information, please contact the Information Services at 724-852-5399 / Toll Free: 1-888-852-5399. County Office Building, 93 E. High Street, Waynesburg, PA 15370
