Former Florida Farm Bureau Leader Passes Away
June 20, 2011 William Patrick “Pat” Cockrell, ag advocate and longtime Florida Farm Bureau (FFB) leader, passed away June 17 after battling cancer.
This past February, Cockrell was inducted into the Florida Agriculture Hall of Fame in recognition of his industry leadership and dedication to ag research and education.
Following a stint as a highly regarded high school agriculture educator, Cockrell joined the Florida Farm Bureau Federation as a field representative in 1978. He later served as the organization’s director of agricultural policy. For 30 years, he served as assistant to the president, aiding the president of the Farm Bureau in all aspects of management and board relations. He advised the board and staff and served as resident agent and assistant secretary-treasurer for the Florida Farm Bureau Cos.
During his tenure, some of Cockrell’s noteworthy accomplishments included: helping create a citrus canker indemnification plan; coordination of NAFTA opposition; leading the charge to dispense important information to the public about the threat of Medflies; and his work to fight against budget cuts to UF/IFAS.
Cockrell worked up to his retirement from FFB late last month.
Funeral Services will be held Wednesday, June 22 at 10:00 a.m. at Williams-Thomas Funeral Home Westarea, 823 NW 143rd Street in Gainesville. Interment will be at Bethel Baptist Church Cemetery, 3125 W. Socrum Loop Road, Lakeland, FL at 4:00 p.m.
Source: FDACS and FFB