Moore first local 4-H governor since 1955
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Joshua Moore, the 15-year-old son of J.B. and Tressa Moore, was introduced as the new Congress Governor by Gov. Phil Bredesen during a General Assembly meeting at War Memorial Auditorium in Nashville April 11. Joshua is the first governor from Warren County since Sam Hale in 1955.
To receive this honor, Joshua had to first receive the nomination from the central region. Once a candidate has been nominated from the three regions, they must then prepare campaign speeches, banners and campaign materials. Voting machines are brought in for delegates to place their votes for a State 4-H Congress Governor, Speaker of the Senate, and Speaker of the House.
As for being elected governor in his first year at congress, Joshua said he was honored to be chosen, though a bit surprised, and thanks everyone for their vote and support.
?You don?t really expect it to happen,? he said. ?I?m just a guy from a dairy farm and you don?t think anything that good will happen to you, but it has. It?s just an honor to be involved with this kind of organization,? Joshua added. ?It?s been a lot of fun.?
The campaign was a new experience for Joshua, but he says he enjoyed every minute of it.
?It was like an actual campaign,? Joshua said. ?Just like the ones that a real governor or speaker of the house would run. We passed out candy, we had stickers on those. We made big 4×8 posters and hung them in the Sheraton Hotel.?
Aiding him in his campaign were fellow Warren County 4-H members Jesse Paz and Samantha Southard.
?We pretty much talked to everybody we didn?t know,? Joshua said. ?Anybody and everybody. We met a lot of new people. It was a lot of fun.?
Being an actual election year, Joshua said he now knows what it?s like for candidates.
?It gives me a little bit of an idea of what they go through,? he said. ?I told my mom this is probably as close to a politician as I?ll ever get. It?s a lot of work, hard work, and you lose a lot of sleep over it, but in the end, it really is a fun job.?
As the new 4-H Congress Governor, Joshua will represent Tennessee 4-H at all official events and serve as a liaison for Tennessee 4-H. He will serve on the Tennessee State 4-H Council and will help plan, and preside over, the 2007 4-H Congress.
Now a freshman at WCHS, Joshua has been involved in 4-H for six years, since he was in fourth grade, and says 4-H Club has had a very positive influence on his life.
?It really helps you to be a better person,? he said. ?We all have a lot of fun in it, but what you don?t realize is that while you?re having fun it is building leadership skills. It teaches you how to talk in front of people. That?s one of people?s number one fears, public speaking. I?ve learned a lot of things in 4-H that will help me build my future.?
Joshua has two older brothers, Jason, 26, and Michael, 21, both of whom were also involved in 4-H. In addition to school and 4-H, Joshua spends a lot of his time working in his family business, Moore?s Lane Dairy. The farm has 300 cattle with over 90 being milked presently.
Joshua?s dad, J.B., is pleased with the progress he has made in 4-H.
?We?re real proud of him and everything he does,? J.B. said. ?He?s really excelled in everything that he?s attempted to do.?
Mom Tressa, who was on hand during Joshua?s campaign, said she was pleased with the effort Joshua put into the campaign.
?I am very proud of him,? Tressa said. ?It was hard work. There were over 500 4-H?ers down there, so it took a lot of, I guess, politicking on his part to get elected.?