Western Illinois University’s School of Agriculture has honored a retired Pleasant Hill High School Teacher as a Distinguished Alumni.
Retired Ag Teacher Mary Barnes, a 1985 graduate of Western Illinois University, will be honored as one of the school’s distinguished alumni during their Agriculture Awards Banquet next month.
According to a press release, Barnes was the first female graduate from WIU to secure a secondary ag teacher position in the state, and was one of just 4 women who taught ag in the state in 1985.
Barnes has served on multiple local, county, regional, state, and national boards, and has been awarded multiple times for her work in agriculture and FFA.
Barnes retired from Pleasant Hill High School in 2019 after 35 years in the classroom.