Annual Awards Banquet

Keynote Speaker: former Senator Paul Muegge, winner of the John F. Kennedy Profile In Courage Award

    In Oklahoma, rancher and former state senator Paul Muegge, persuaded by arguments from the Sierra Club and family farmers' groups, became an environmental hero in 1998 when he authored the strongest set of regulations on hog production in the nation.  He won the Outstanding Public Servant award from the Oklahoma Chapter for his work.  Muegge had become alarmed by the unchecked growth of corporate hog farming in Oklahoma, which was causing ghastly pollution problems and forcing small family farmers out of business.  For all his clout in the legislature and all the popular support his bill enjoyed, he knew that picking a fight with the deep-pocketed corporate hog industry during an election year might spell the end of his political career. But he never backed down, and his bill passed.  In 2002, Paul Muegge retired from the Oklahoma legislature and returned to his family farm. He remains involved in rural agriculture and development issues. In 2004, he was awarded the JFK Profile in Courage award.

Click here to hear a mp3 audio file of Sen. Muegge's remarks

Click here to read about the award winners! (plus photos and audio)