Alumnus Kendall Hill wins national volunteer award
Media Contact: Kendall Hill, 252-526-8588 or kendallh@centurylink.net
Kendall Hill, a 1962 graduate of the college’s Department of Horticultural Science and co-owner of Tull Hill Farms, recently won a Volunteer Service Award from the National Agricultural Alumni and Development Association (NAADA).
According to NAADA, the award is presented to “an individual who has given freely of his or her time to further the goals of his or her institution, and has demonstrated leadership and organizational skills to inspire and encourage others to further the success of their alma mater’s agriculture and alumni programs.”
Hill received the award at the annual NAADA conference this summer.
“In everything he does, Kendall Hill leads by example,” said Catherine Maxwell, director of development for the North Carolina Agricultural Research Service, at the event. “Kendall is a giver and a doer. He gives freely of his time, expertise, talents and wealth. When he gives, he challenges and inspires others to do the same. There is neither a goal too high nor an achievement too lofty for him. He digs in and takes charge, and his energy, enthusiasm and commitment are contagious to those around him.”
Hill is a co-owner of Kinston-based Tull Hill Farms, a progressive and diversified operation of more than 4,500 acres, producing a wide variety of crops. He is a member of the North Carolina Vegetable Growers Association Hall of Fame and was named a Distinguished Alumnus of NC State’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
Hill serves as president of the North Carolina Agricultural Business Council, on the Executive Committee of the North Carolina Agricultural Foundation and the North Carolina Agricultural and Life Sciences Research Foundation, and is a past member of the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service Foundation. He has served six terms on the board of the North Carolina Sweet Potato Commission, including four terms as president, and served as the state’s representative to the U.S. Sweet Potato Commission. He initiated and supported pioneering research such as the micropropagation program for sweet potatoes, and was instrumental in the creation of the college’s Specialty Crops Program.
Hill remains an active participant in College of Agriculture and Life Sciences on-farm field trials, field days and conferences and also provides input for the direction of the college’s research and extension programs.
Richard Linton, dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, said, “I have discovered that Kendall Hill does not know the meaning of the word ‘no.’ He never turns down a call to action from his alma mater. He has a determined and loyal spirit, and we are very grateful for his outstanding service.”
