Miles Edward Groover
A tireless educator, successful farmer, country storeowner and agricultural extension agent, the late Miles Edward Groover transcended racial barriers at a time when Florida was still segregated. Born on a Jefferson County plantation on March 16, 1887, Groover grew on his grandparents’ rented 60-acre farm and raised hogs, cows and chickens, along with vegetables and fruit. He took over the operation at the age of 14 when his grandfather died. Groover received a high school certificate from Florida Memorial College in 1904 and studied summers at colleges in the South. He later became a public school teacher and served as the first African-American county agriculture agent in Jefferson County. Groover received the Achievement Award for Meritorious Service to Florida Agriculture from Florida A&M University and the Founder and President’s Award for Outstanding Contributions from the Jefferson County Farmers Union, which he started.