James A. “Buddy” and Patricia Lee Deas

Buddy and Pat Deas have embodied the best traditions of FFA and agricultural education in Florida and are commonly referred to as “Team Deas.” James A. "Buddy" Deas was born on October 26, 1945 in Alachua County, while Patricia Lee Deas was born on January 10, 1951 in Montgomery, Alabama. Buddy graduated from Gainesville High School in 1963, and Pat followed suit in 1967, a year that was doubly significant, since it was also the year they were married. After Buddy earned his bachelor's degree in agriculture from the University of Florida in 1968, he and Pat moved to Quincy, where he was hired as the agriculture teacher and FFA advisor.

Right from the start Pat was Buddy's constant teammate and supporter, as she took on the roles of classroom assistant, role model, judging team coach, and other duties. After two years they moved to Greensboro High School, also in Gadsden County, where they really began to hit their stride with a streak of mentoring six state FFA officers. In 1974 Buddy and Pat were called back to North Central Florida to teach at Bronson High School. Their dedication, leadership, and genuine concern for their students resulted in seven state-winning vegetable judging teams, three state-winning public speakers, and state-winning teams in land judging, parliamentary procedure, and agricultural mechanics. Buddy and Pat also coached the National FFA Crop and Livestock Production Award winner in 1974.

While Buddy was teaching in Bronson he earned his master's degree from the University of Florida in 1984. With that degree in hand he decided to try something different and accepted a position as Program Specialist in Agricultural Education with the Florida Department of Education. Of course, he was productive there, but the job didn't really give “Team Deas” a chance to do what they did best – teach students! So in 1989 the team was back together at Spring Hill Middle School in High Springs, where they continued to train champions.

While they were inspiring students and transforming lives, their achievements were rightfully recognized along the way with a number of awards. Buddy was awarded the Honorary State FFA Degree in 1978 and the Honorary American FFA Degree in 1979. His teaching prowess was honored with the Pfizer National Teaching Award in 1974 and Levy County Teacher of the Year in 1980. Pat earned her own accolades with the Volunteer of the Year Award in Alachua County in 1993, followed that same year by Outstanding School Volunteer of the Year for the state of Florida. She earned double honors again in 2004 with the E. T. York Distinguished Service Award for Alachua County and the Outstanding School Volunteer for the nineteen-county region. Together, Buddy and Pat were given the key to the city of High Springs for their service and won the Florida Farm Bureau Award for outstanding contributions to agriculture and youth of Alachua County in 2002. Buddy and Pat retired in 2004 but still stay active in the industry and with FFA events.