The Central Mississippi Amateur Radio Association presented their first 'High Cotton Award' on Monday to K5SDR, Gerald F. Youngblood, a native of Mississippi and current President and Founder of Flex Radio Systems of Austin, Texas. The Board of Directors for the Central Mississippi Amateur Radio Asociation (CMSARA.org) created a periodic award to acknowledge work that demonstrates one (or a group) is doing well or is successful in amateur radio. They have named it the CMSARA High Cotton Award. Citing a Wikipedia article, Vice President for Programming Frank Howell K4FMH says the meaning underlying the Southern term, High Cotton. “It originates,” he said, “from the rural farming community in the Antebellum South when the crops were good and the prices were, too. It came generally to mean one is doing well or successful.” CMSARA High Cotton Award Recipient, Gerald Youngblood President Mike Flanagan WM5A said, “I am delighted to have the opportunity to present the first High Cotton Award to our guest and native son, Gerald F. Youngblood K5SDR, for his standard of excellence in innovation and leadership regarding the emergence of software-defined radio.” Past President Mike McKay N5DU added, “Gerald has achieved such imminent success as both an engineer and entrepreneur. He is the prototype of the amateur radio enthusiast that we had in mind several months ago when we acted to create the High Cotton Award. It will only be given on those occasions where the Board feels it is warranted and it not to be an annual thing.” The recipient, Gerald Youngblood, said, “This is a most unique and really cool award! I am honored to receive it and will proudly display it. Thank you so much.” Details on CMSARA can be found on its website at cmsara.org.
Great presentation and well deserved recognition to a leader in amateur radio Side note: Those days of "high cotton" wasn't so good for some. Odd name for an award.
K4ECD: as I noted in the release, the term High Cotton has today become a commonplace phrase to mean one is doing well and being successful. Many terms have various etymological origins, whether negative or positive. You are no doubt referring to plantation economies using slavery. Any contemporary reference to cotton, even in Egypt, could be construed to reference slavery. High Cotton today refers to the meaning we (CMSARA) attach to it as stated in the release, and soon on our website, that of being successful and doing well. Our first recipient certainly took it with that meaning rather than the one you raise. Any other connotation or reference is one that someone else imputes to it. 73 OM.
Very articulate and well said, no doubt today it has a positive meaning. I don't want to suggest the award hasn't the loftiest, and most noble of intentions, I only wanted to point out that "high cotton days" for some infers to a completely different connotation and period of time that is to be forgotten. By your own admission: "Any contemporary reference to cotton, even in Egypt, could be construed to reference slavery." Let's leave this alone, as it is not the place for discussion on the etymology of "phrases". I applaud the recipient! He is a leader in the development and future of radios for the new millennium, and a nicer guy you will not meet.
Following Elsa in the Frozen Movie...my post was to allay ANY aspersions to this phrase...so let's do "let it go"! 73, Frank
