John Lilly
Contributor
While we at UF/IFAS strive to strengthen our commitment to Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access (IDEA), Black History Month reminds us to reflect—or learn—how we got here. We do this through stories and celebrate great pioneers in Agriculture like Mr. Miles Edward Groover.
Born on a Jefferson County plantation in 1887, Groover grew up on his grandparents’ 60-acre tenant farm where they raised hogs, cows and chickens, planted vegetables and grew fruit.
His grandfather died when Groover was 14, leaving him to care for his grandmother. He later purchased the 60 acres, plus an additional 90 acres on that plantation.
Groover was self-educated. At the turn of the 20th century, Blacks had little access to high-quality education; he became a school teacher himself at 15—later receiving a high-school certificate from Florida Memorial College. He studied at various black colleges in the south during the summer. He was an educator for more than 30 years.
In 1914, as the U.S. headed into World War I and a recession, the Smith-Lever Act formalized Extension. It established the USDA's partnership with land-grant universities to apply research and provide education in agriculture. Congress created Extension to address exclusively rural agricultural issues magnified by war and disenfranchisement. More than 50 percent of the U.S. population lived in rural areas at that point in history, and 30 percent engaged in farming.
Initially registering for the World War I Civilian Draft as the Wartime Farm Production Agent, Groover became the first black extension agent in Jefferson County from 1917 to 1957. He founded the Jefferson County Farmers Union in 1929 and organized 4-H Clubs for young men throughout Jefferson County. He was also a successful farmer, educator and store owner.
In 1945 he and 30 black friends worked together without compensation to save an ailing white neighbor's farm. They plowed and cultivated 30 acres of corn.
Groover was known for his expertise in many areas. People sought his advice on agriculture, law and various aspects of segregated life in the African American community.
As a means to maintain Jim Crow, white landowners would not sell land to Blacks. Utilizing diplomacy, Groover amassed more than 400 acres. He sold and sometimes even gave parcels to disenfranchised black farmers.
FAMU and UF/IFAS are co-authors of a century-old story of Extension, and to this day, FAMU helps Extension reach what one UF/IFAS unit's new IDEA plan called "hidden figures."
John Lilly recognizes the shared nature of this story. He compares Groover's intellect and impacts in rural Florida to that of George Washington Carver in Alabama. As director of UF/IFAS Extension Jefferson County, Lilly has kept Groover's memory alive by sharing newspaper clippings and keeping in touch with one of Groover's granddaughters, Ann Herring.
Herring still lives on the land her grandfather plowed with a mule named Maud on Groover Road in the Dills Community outside Monticello. She is cooperating with FAMU Extension faculty member Sandra Thompson to seek grant funding to restore as a historic site the abandoned school for African American children for which Groover donated the land.
Sonja Vaughan, another granddaughter of Groover's, recalls going to the State Fair in Tampa with him every year to set up a display of pecans, cotton and other crops in a segregated exhibit hall. They drove to Plant City each night to stay with a relative as hotels did not serve black patrons.
Groover and his wife, the late Daisy Black Groover, had one daughter, Doris. Groover died at their home on Dec. 25, 1966, at the age of 79.
Few agents esteem to the Hall of Fame, the agricultural community's highest honor. In 1998, Vaughan and Herring returned to the State Fairgrounds to celebrate their grandfather's legacy as he was posthumously inducted into the Agricultural Hall of Fame. His great-grandson, Nicholas Miles Vaughan accepted the award for his great-grandfather. Other relatives who attended the ceremony honoring Groover were: his daughter, Doris Groover Herring; great-granddaughter Alexis Vaughan; nephew Willie Milling and his wife, Nadean; nieces Annie Sneed and Emma Mitchell and their families.
Groover's honors include:
• Achievement Award for Meritorious Service, Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University.
• Founder and President's Awards for Outstanding Contribution from the Jefferson County Farmer's Union.
• The Florida Board of Education appointed Advisor to Suwannee River Junior College.
• Certificate of Appreciation 26 years of Meritorious Service, University of Florida
He was also:
• Vice President of the National Association of County Agents
• Committee Chairman of the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Administration.
• War Selective Service System Registrants Advisor.
• A member of the Price Administration Rationing Board No. 401 and the Air Raid Protection Committee.
Groover's accolades were significant enough to warrant a mention in the Chicago Defender.
Sharing our collective history will make us a better organization. It does not negate the rich history we traditionally celebrate. It expands our view exponentially of how we arrived here and guides our path forward.
Special thanks to Ann Herring and John Nelson for searching the archives to obtain this vital piece of history.
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