Freestone County, Texas
Obituaries


Sept. 24, 1998
FUNERAL SERVICES SATURDAY FOR HOOVER CARDEN, FORMER COOPERATIVE EXTENSION HEAD

PRAIRIE VIEW -- Funeral services for Hoover Carden, who headed the Cooperative
Extension Program at Prairie View A&M University for the first 23 years of its
existence, are scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday at the Bethlehem United Methodist
Church in Hempstead. 

A memorial service is set for 6 p.m. Friday at the Carden-Waller Building on
the Prairie View A&M campus. The Singleton Funeral Home in Hempstead is in
charge of arrangements. 

Carden, 68, died on Sept 21. 

The Cooperative Extension Program is the main educational outreach arm of
Prairie View A&M, disseminating research-based knowledge primarily for
limited-resource audiences of youths, small- farm producers, families and
communities. Cooperative Extension serves the state while maintaining a
day-to-day presence in 34 counties, many of them located in East Texas. 

During his long tenure as the state agency's administrator, Carden pioneered
numerous innovative programs that helped many people. He initiated efforts to
stem the tide of declining land ownership by African Americans. He spearheaded
improvements at the H.S. Estelle 4-H & Youth Camp in Huntsville, which teaches
leadership and citizenship skills to up to 125 young people per week during the
summer. 

Concerned about such issues as crime, teen pregnancy, drug abuse, and sexually
transmitted diseases, Carden developed cooperative health initiatives which
provided information and programs geared to address these problems in urban and
rural areas. These initiatives today are supported by the Cooperative Extension
Program's health project based in the Prairie View A&M College of Nursing in
the heart of Houston's Medical Center. 

During his tenure as administrator, Cooperative Extension's budget expanded
from $327,000 in 1972 to $3 million in 1995, the year Carden retired. He helped
secure a new Cooperative Extension building at Prairie View in 1992, which has
been named the Carden- Waller Building in his honor. Earlier in his Extension
career, Carden served as county agent for 12 years in Marion, Jefferson and
Montgomery counties. 

Carden served for 12 years on the national Extension Committee on Policy,
working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Congress, and the National
Association for State Universities and Land Grant Colleges. He was also the
first African-American to serve on the National 4-H Council, and he worked
diligently with the state legislature. 

Carden was the recipient of numerous awards, including the Superior Service
Awards from both the Texas Agricultural Extension Service and USDA. 

Born in Fairfield, Texas, Carden was the youngest of 11 children. He received
his bachelor's and master's degrees from Prairie View A&M University. Carden
also served as an officer in the U.S. Army. 

After retiring, Carden was honored as 1890 Administrator Emeritus. 

Carden was a member of Bethlehem United Methodist Church in Hempstead for many
years. He is survived by his wife of 43 years, Rena Carden; five daughters,
Cassandra DeBose, Aretta Runnels, Helen Hayes, Diana Ward and Lila Carden, all
of Houston; six grandsons and two granddaughters.