Our Namesakes

Born in Baytown, Texas, to Oscar and Dorothy, Gerald David Young was consistently encouraged by his family and he developed a great work ethic from his father’s example. Even as a little boy, he wanted to be involved in agriculture, and after high school, he knew that he would be an agricultural teacher or rancher.

But Young’s agricultural experience was not what it should have been. This became part of his drive and motivation to direct his attention to becoming an Ag teacher. He really wanted his students to have the experiences he felt he missed out on. As an educator, he could make a difference in students’ lives, and that’s just what he did. Receiving a bachelor’s degree in agricultural sciences from Sam Houston State University, he began his career with Austin ISD. He decided to continue his education at Sam Houston State University during his four years at New Caney ISD. After completing his master’s degree, he accepted a position in Humble, where he continued teaching for another four years.

Young heard about a position at Katy High School’s Agriculture Department from Mike Schroeder, agriculture teacher at Taylor High School. After being asked to apply for the job, he interviewed with then superintendent, Dr. Gordon Brown. During that meeting, he realized there were things he could offer the program to help make it better.

In 1980, he was hired to work with the 74 vocational agricultural students attending Katy High School. He was also in charge of the District 2 Livestock Judging Contest, which later became the Katy Invitational Judging contest. With his dedication and leadership, the program continued to flourish.

Throughout his 22 years as a teacher in Katy ISD, Young was responsible for training 60 teams that qualified for state contests. Of those, ten won state and seven went on to the national contest, where five teams placed in the top five of their respective categories, with one national winner. Young also helped roughly 350 students obtain their Lone Star Farmers Degree – the highest level of membership the Texas FFA Association can award.

Young loved being a part of something amazing. He was proud of the Katy ISD FFA program and the support it received. He was a direct part of the experience, a connection between the students and the Ag program. And he wanted to do more.

He was instrumental in the advancement of agricultural sciences as part of the curriculum. He helped write and lobby for House Bill 3485, which passed, allowing agricultural sciences courses to account for science, math, speech and fine arts.

He felt that he could effect change and garner even more support in a different way. After retiring from Katy ISD in 2002, Young became the executive director of the Vocational Agriculture Teachers Association of Texas, which helps the FFA chapters from across the state function year round. Young served in that capacity for 10 years before his retirement.

Young’s life and career have been spent devoted to the agricultural industry. From helping FFA programs around the state, right down to impacting a student’s life through lessons and education.

Young retired from a full-time, paying job to spend more time with his immediate family: wife, Nancy, daughter, Neely Nelson, her husband, Ruel, their daughter, Tenley; and son, Cole Young and his fiancé, Kristy Macay. But he still plays an active role in the Katy ISD Livestock Show & Rodeo and supports the agricultural industry and the District’s Ag program.

William Edward “Billy” Morgan was born in Monaville, Texas, but grew up in the Katy-Fulshear area. In high school, he participated in the FFA and 4H programs and graduated from Lamar High School in 1942. Morgan was a rice farmer and rancher on the Katy prairie. As a local teenager, he had seen Katy ISD’s Agricultural Sciences program struggle to succeed. When L.D. Robinson was hired with his big dreams to revitalize the District’s FFA program, Morgan found the perfect opportunity to get more involved. As part of getting the program running in the right direction, Robinson wanted to put together a Cowboy Sports Rally, or rodeo, to entertain the community and bring in crowds to auction the pigs the students raised, in turn, raising funds for the development of the Ag program. Morgan was excited, and wanted Katy to have a rodeo.

At 19, Morgan found himself and several of his friends performing at a rodeo sports rally and working to ensure it would be successful. He loved that the livestock show and rodeo was a community project that connected people while providing funds to invest in the FFA program and facilities. Farming and ranching were his way of life, and he understood the educational value the programs offered.

In 1944, Morgan served in the U.S. Army as an Honor Guard to General Douglas McArthur and was stationed in both Japan and the Philippines. Upon his return to the states, he quickly resumed farming and ranching, which was his true passion.

For many years, he worked in the arena as the area director while his wife Oberia, or “Dude,” kept the books and served as timekeeper. They loved the rodeo so much that they would often work well into the early morning hours.

He was known to all those associated with the Katy FFA as “Uncle Billy,” showcasing how closely he supported the program and all those involved. He thought of everyone as a part of the family.

When the aging arena needed to be replaced, Morgan and three others each took out a $10,000 loan to build it. They too believed in the program and in Robinson’s plan that it would one day pay for itself. The loans were paid back in just three years. Morgan worked alongside countless Katy community volunteers to bring welding rigs to weld pipe, dig posts, and build bucking and roping chutes, and holding pens to complete the arena.

He was thrilled to be able to share his passion for the sport of rodeo not only with his three daughters, but also with others in the Katy community. He wanted to model the importance of volunteering and participating in the community. And to prove that, with a dream and dedication, you can accomplish anything. Morgan attended every rodeo held up until his death.

Morgan was a founder of the Katy Rodeo Committee and served as chairman for more than 30 years. His passion for agriculture, farming and ranching went far beyond the boundaries of the Katy program. He also served on the Fort Bend County Fair Board of Directors, acting as president in 1977, and on the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo Committee.​

Long before setting foot in Katy, L.D. ​Robinson was a successful principal and educator. And it was that success, leadership and devotion which drove J.A. Marshall, former director of Vocational Agriculture for the Texas Education Agency, to contact Robinson about the flailing agricultural program that was about to be discontinued in a little Texas town just west of Houston.

Marshall pushed Robinson to consider what he could do to rebuild the fledgling program. Robinson’s greatest joy was instilling strong values, a winning spirit and leadership skills into his students, while developing self-esteem. His character and vision aligned exactly with what the original Future Farmers of America organization was all about. So he dreamed of big plans to build one of the best FFA chapters and agricultural education programs in the state. With Marshall’s recruitment and connections, L.D. Robinson was hired to do just that in Katy ISD.

In 1942, L.D. and Ruby Robinson moved their family to Katy, which had just one school that housed all grade levels. He knew he had to act fast to implement his dream: an FFA chapter like no other. One that would include a science farm, livestock show and rodeo, complete with a lighted rodeo arena, and more. All of it would be a self-sustaining program that would not cost the district any money.

Some thought Robinson was “an impossible dreamer,” but that did not deter the visionary educator. Katy already had an FFA chapter. But with only 18 members and $57 in the chapter treasury, he knew he needed to raise money to support and grow the program. In 1943, for just $45, Robinson bought nine pigs to raise and auction. They were housed in the old PTA shack he bought for $12.50, creating a hands- on learning experience for the Ag students.

To gather a crowd for the auction, Robinson had the ingenuity to organize a “Cowboy Sports Rally Rodeo” as entertainment to coincide with the pig sale. Thus, it marked the very first Katy ISD FFA Livestock Show and Rodeo. He used the event not only as an opportunity to raise funds for the program, but also as a way to bring the community together through a common bond. The establishment of the parade encouraged even further community involvement. The event developed into the first full-service K-12 program of its kind in the nation.

Facilities were needed to house the program. Using a model of his own plans built by himself and his wife, he garnered support at the first Katy High School Father-and-Son FFA Banquet and then with the Katy ISD School Board. It became a total community effort. Everyone would show up to help build each phase of the project. In 1947, a farm complex, barns, bleachers and an arena were completed just south of Katy High School.

News quickly spread and students became excited to participate as evidence of the rapid receipt of various state and national recognitions. It became a model program for others to follow, and for years, Robinson held the record for having the most students to receive the State Lone Star Farmers Degree – all under the leadership of one teacher.

The educational value of the program for the students involved far surpassed expectations and to this day, it is highly supported by the Katy ISD School Board.

Robinson’s contributions to the 76-year-old program are far too many to list, and the impact he had on students, families and the community is far too much to put into words.

Before he retired, he received the National Honorary American Farmers Degree, the highest honor that can be bestowed on an agricultural science teacher, and was selected as the outstanding agricultural science teacher in the nation. Robinson retired after teaching almost 29 years at Katy High School.

Because of Robinson’s dream and vision, Katy ISD’s FFA programs now exist in every comprehensive high school and more than 3,200 students benefit from the lessons, mission and education offered. He is a legacy that has truly built a foundation of educational excellence for Katy that is carried on today.

Gary Vos' love for agricultural sciences and FFA began during his high school years. He realized that he could combine his enthusiasm for agriculture and his passion for teaching and become an agricultural science teacher. He began his teaching career with Katy ISD in 1981, where he taught at both Taylor and Mayde Creek high schools before spending his remaining 20 years as an agricultural sciences teacher at Katy High School.

Vos was an instrumental part of the continued success of the FFA chapters in KAty ISD. He instilled the importance of responsibility, determination, leadership, and accountability in all students that he encountered. Most weekends, he could be found shuttling students around on busses to conventions and contests and loading up the cattle trailer to haul animals to the local livestock show. He, as well as several other teachers, laid the foundation of hard work and dedication to students, parents and the community, that continues today. This foundation has contributed to making Katy ISD one of the premier FFA programs in the state of Texas. Under his leadership, the District saw state wins among their Leadership and Career Development Events teams, as well as numerous champions in the show ring.

After 25 years of service to Katy ISD, Vos retired from teaching in 2006. He and his wife, Angela, continue to support the students of Katy ISD Agricultural Sciences Program by sponsoring calves in the Katy ISD Rodeo Calf Scramble within the years following his retirement.

Vos received his Bachelor of Science degree in 1972 from Sam Houston State University, the same year that he married his wife. Before moving to Katy, the two taught in Cleveland ISD and Willis ISD. In 1978, he received a Master's in Vocational Education from Sam Houston State University.