G. Mark Mayfield: National FFA President 1973–74
Kansas · No. 47 of 100 · National FFA President 1973–74
At a Glance
- Office: National FFA President, 1973–74 (No. 47 of 100)
- Home state: Kansas
- Officer team: 1973–74 team included Vice President Jimmy Alvarez and Secretary Fred McClure, the first African American elected to a national office
- Later work: Professional speaker, trainer and comedian; also describes past work as an agriculture teacher and a lobbyist
G. Mark Mayfield, from Kansas, was National FFA President in 1973–74. In 2024 he returned to the national convention to mark the 50th anniversary of his officer team, which FFA calls historic because it included Fred McClure, the first African American elected to a national office.
The 1973–74 Officer Team
FFA’s report on the reunion names Mayfield, Vice President Jimmy Alvarez and Secretary Fred McClure at the 97th National FFA Convention & Expo. McClure said his biggest challenge that year was dealing with organizational and structural changes, including whether women would be welcomed in the organization. Girls had been admitted to FFA four years earlier, in 1969. The three men said they had stayed in touch over the years and had held a smaller reunion earlier in the summer.
Speaker and Trainer
Mayfield says he is a professional speaker, trainer and comedian, and that he also worked as an agriculture teacher and as a lobbyist. He credits his national officer year with building his speaking skills: my communication skills are directly attributable to the FFA
. He describes the officer role as mostly talking to audiences.
FFA Around This Term
G. Mark Mayfield followed Dwight O. Seegmiller and was succeeded by Alpha E. Trivette in the line of national presidents.
FFA’s own history timeline records these developments in the surrounding years:
- 1973: Official dress standards were set, and Fred McClure became the first African American national officer.
- 1974: President Gerald Ford addressed the convention, which was carried on live television.
What the Record Does Not Show
This site did not find Mayfield’s chapter, his advisor, his education or the dates of his teaching and lobbying work. The only source is FFA’s own reunion feature, which gives Mayfield’s description of his career in his own words.
Next: Alpha E. Trivette, 1974–75 →