C.A. Douglas Award Winner
A.S. (Sandy) Patterson, program manager at the Centre for Continuing and Distance Education at the Nova Scotia Agricultural College, is the 1998 recipient of the C.A. Douglas Award. The award was presented by Stephen and John Douglas, sons of the late C.A. Douglas, on July 25 during the college's open house/alumni weekend.
The award was established in 1984 in memory of Charles A. Douglas to honour the outstanding extension work he performed throughout a long career with the Nova Scotia Department of Agriculture and Marketing.
The C.A. Douglas Award is presented annually to a person involved in some phase of agricultural extension work. Applicants are considered on a single achievement or lifetime dedication to agricultural extension. The award is to be used for a self-improvement project or special program to further the development of agricultural extension in Nova Scotia.
Mr. Patterson grew up on a farm in Toney River, Pictou Co., and graduated from the agricultural college with a plant science technician diploma. In 1991, he graduated from the college with a B.Sc. (Agr.), majoring in agricultural economics, and also earned a certificate in adult education from St. Francis Xavier University. Mr. Patterson plans to complete his diploma in adult education from St. FX and will use the monetary portion of the award to offset the costs of the program.
After working for several years in Kentville with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, he joined the Nova Scotia Agricultural College in 1975 to design and develop extension programs under the Vocational and Technical Training Program. He recently took over the same duties with the Centre for Continuing and Distance Education. His work involves managing more than 80 courses a year across the province for a variety of clients.
For more than 25 years, Mr. Patterson has worked quietly "behind the scenes" to provide quality information and educational programming for the agricultural community. The results have included such successful agricultural training programs as the Atlantic Agricultural Lenders School and the Farm Mechanics Apprentice Program. Clients have evaluated the courses and services of Continuing Education as the most important of the college's services and have noted their high level of satisfaction.