(1898 – 1977)
Sam Rodgers Doughty was born in Concord, Tennessee, on December 5, 1898. After graduating from Farragut High School in 1915, he enrolled at the University of Tennessee just up the road in Knoxville. He attended classes for one year and then went to serve his country in the U.S. Navy during World War I. Upon his return to civilian life, he went to Iowa State College and earned his B.S. degree in agriculture in 1922.
Having been reared on a farm, Sam was well suited to the work he chose. In 1923, he joined the Alabama Cooperative Extension Service as a county agent in Etowah County. Shortly afterward, he was appointed Poultry Specialist for Northeast Alabama and then in 1924 was named county agent in Calhoun. He served in that position until September 1937 when he became a Specialist in Soil Conservation. Eighteen years later, in 1955, Sam Doughty was named to serve on the state staff as a specialist. He held several specialist titles, including Land Use Management, Farm and Home Development, and Farm Management.
Sam Doughty was a diligent worker. He always took pride in carrying out the programs and projects that Extension provided for the people of Alabama. By serving the people, he gained their love and respect.
In addition to his forty-two years of service to Extension, Sam Doughty was active in community and church affairs. He was a Mason and a member of the Presbyterian Church.
To honor the man and his life’s work, the name Sam R. Doughty is inscribed on the dedicatory plaque of the Extension Memorial Chapel.
Chapel Plaque Inscription Number: 138
