Lonnie A. Marshall was born in the nineteenth century and living almost until the twenty-first century, Lonnie Marshall saw a lot of changes during his life. More importantly, he helped initiate changes that allowed African-American youth to develop new skills, build confidence, and take on leadership roles in their communities as part of the New Farmers of America. And when the NFA and the FFA joined together, he was there to smooth the way and help make the merger a success.

Lonnie A. Marshall was born on November 19, 1898 in Millican, Texas. He earned his bachelor's degree in agriculture from Prairie View State College in 1924, and with his career already in progress, received his master's degree in agricultural education from Iowa State College in 1930. Lonnie's first job was teaching vocational agriculture in Frankfort, Kentucky from 1925 to 1927. He then served as head of the Ag Ed Department at Florida A&M University from 1927 to 1931. While at FAMU, Lonnie became a co-founder and organizer of the New Farmers of Florida and served as their first state advisor.

This group was affiliated with the New Farmers of America, and in 1928 Lonnie participated in the formation of the H. O. Sargent Section of that organization, which was comprised of Southern states. Originally a loose confederation of state groups, the New Farmers of America was formally chartered in 1935 at the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, and Lonnie Marshall was there. The New Farmers of America's mission was to bring together African-American students in agricultural education and to encourage leadership and good citizenship. In 1931 Lonnie accepted a position as Dean of the Ag Ed Department at Maryland State College, and he organized the NFA of Maryland while he was there. In 1937 he returned to Florida A&M as Resident and Itinerant Teacher-Trainer Specialist in Vocational Agriculture. He also continued his strong connection with the NFA as State Advisor of the Florida Association. Lonnie played a strong role in the merger of NFA and FFA in 1968.

In his role as a teacher trainer, he continually helped revise and update curricula and mentored hundreds of teachers. Donald McCormick, a member of this Hall of Fame, worked with Professor Marshall for over 20 years and reminds us of the obstacles he had to face. "One thing I shall always remember," Mr. McCormick said, "was his telling me how men had to plan well for visiting black vocation agriculture programs across Florida. It was understood that the program's teacher being visited had to provide room and board for the visiting supervisor. Upon leaving the next morning they were to pack a lunch for the supervisor, as there were no places where they could eat lunch. There were also few motels and none where they could stay." Lonnie earned well-deserved recognition from his peers for his career of distinguished service, including Honorary Modern Farmer and Superior Farmer degrees in 1946 and 1949, Man of the Year award from the Professional Workers Association in 1962, National FFA Distinguished Service Award in 1966, and induction into the Florida Association for Career and Technical Education Hall of Fame in 1989. Lonnie retired in 1968 but continued to be active with the FFA and many other community organizations until his death in 1993.