~~~~~~
Oh what an opportunity — But I promised to stay with the script and not mention such incidents as his green pasture visits with a golf club nor the stories of the great white whale at Lake Carmi — Here in Vermont, where so many people have contributed to our success as the nation's top maple-producing state, only one man is known as "Mr. Maple:" Larry Myott. His name was also synonymous with University of Vermont Extension from 1975 through 2004; Larry's contributions are many and diverse.
o Beginning as Chittenden County's Extension agricultural agent in 1975, Larry worked closely with dairy farmers to help them improve farm performance.
o Larry launched Vermont's Master Gardener program in 1991, which has graduated 2,291 gardeners to date.
o As UVM Extension fruit and vegetable agent from 1980-1992, he became well known statewide as a speaker, writer and fair and field-day judge.
o Since 1985, he added maple to his list of specialties, serving as maple specialist until his retirement in 2004.
Larry has been a prolific writer during his career. His name is still recognized as one of the leading authors about the maple industry in North America. "Perhaps Larry Myott's greatest legacy is the education he has given maple producers on how to make a high quality products, and the knowledge he has shared with maple product consumers around the world," added Gary Gaudette, past president of the Vermont Maple Industry Council. A native Vermonter from East Sheldon, Larry served in the Peace Corps in Nigeria from 1964-1966, where he helped develop poultry farms and palm oil plantations. He earned his bachelors' and masters' degrees from UVM in 1968 and 1992, respectively. In the early '70s, before his 32-year UVM Extension career, Larry taught vocational education for the Department of Corrections. Meanwhile, he always served his communities well. In nominating him for this award, Extension colleague, Glenn Rogers mentioned that Larry was a Vergennes Chamber of Commerce and city council member, fire and police commissioner and EMT on the rescue squad. He was instrumental in converting a former "reform school" to a Job Corps training center. He served on countless boards for fairs and maple organizations across the region and won numerous awards. Whether demonstrating forward thinking by revamping fairs to educate fair-goers about agriculture and maple, or juggling UVM Extension roles of maple, fruit-and-vegetable and county agent, "Larry's ability to adapt to clients' needs is his hallmark," said Rogers. Larry is a UVM Extension pioneer, an inspiration, a colleague and a friend.
~~~~~~
What you see in all these examples, is not only a hard-working, can-do innovator, but a man who, with a lot of enthusiasm and a little strategy seemed to just naturally personify UVM Extension in a way that, today, we have codified with the term, "the UVM brand." Long before you could buy them, Larry Myott wore a UVM bill cap. And because no one before thought of it, Larry Myott's cars bore the Vermont license plate U