12/03/02
A.F. “Augie” Velisek served Maryland agriculture in many ways before his death, but none will leave a more lasting impression than his involvement with 4-H and the youth of the state. A “Tribute to Augie Velisek” was held Oct. 23 at the Maryland 4-H Foundation in College Park.
Jim Moxley presented Velisek’s widow, Caryl, with a plaque honoring Augie Velisek’s work with young people. The plaque will hang at the Maryland 4-H Center in College Park along side tributes to other outstanding 4-H volunteers.
Velisek was very much involved with the 4-H program. He encouraged the formation of several junior livestock clubs in the state, he served on the board of directors and as vice-president of the Wills 4-H Show for more than a decade, and he was always willing to share his considerable “cow knowledge.” His presence was a fixture at junior and 4-H shows and activities whether giving a talk, a demonstration, or working the show ring.
When the Angus club calf sales were discontinued during the 1980s, his Auful Augie’s Club Calf Sale filled a need for more than a decade, providing quality steers and heifers for 4-H and FFA club calf projects.
He served on a number of livestock boards and as president of the Maryland Angus Association, the Maryland Cattlemen’s Association, as president and chairman of the board of the Eastern National Livestock Show, and was one of a group that helped keep the Eastern National afloat during some tough times.
Before coming to Maryland where he managed the Mar Lee Angus Herd and then the Mullinix Feedlot for 20 years, he managed several nationally known Angus herds in the East and exhibited cattle locally, regionally and nationally. He judged cattle shows throughout the East and maintained a small herd of registered Angus cattle during his lifetime with his wife and their five children.
His legacy lives on with his children, all former 4-Hers, who have served and are still serving the youth of the state.