Ira E. Massie, a member of the Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment and University of Kentucky Alumni Association Hall of Distinguished Alumni, will be honored with a temporary exhibit at the Georgetown and Scott County Museum.  

The exhibit, which launches with a special event on Saturday, Aug. 17, at 1 p.m. ET, will feature Massie’s early years in Stamping Ground, Kentucky, his military service in the United States Marine Corps during World War II and his education and extension career at UK.  

Massie earned a bachelor’s degree in agriculture from UK in 1951 and a master’s degree in agronomy in 1958. He was UK’s extension tobacco specialist for 30 years, a role that earned him the nickname of “Mr. Tobacco.” He retired in 1983 and died in 1987. 

Massie’s oldest son, Ira E. Massie II, was exploring downtown Georgetown earlier this year when an old U.S. Postal Service building caught his eye. Downstairs is home to the Georgetown and Scott County Museum, where he met museum director Ruthie Stevens and told her about his father—who had enlisted in the Marines on the second floor of that same building.  

Stevens agreed with Ira Massie II that his father should be the subject of a temporary exhibit, and they worked together on it until he passed away unexpectedly in July 2024. His siblings, retired UK Information Technology Services employee Kevin C. Massie and College of Communication and Information alumna and employee Diane Massie, have continued the work to prepare for the exhibit.  

Diane Massie joked that her family members aren’t hoarders but do have a lot of memorabilia—from photos to his Marine Corps cameras and uniform to his distinguished alumni plaque.  

“The museum has quite a bit from his birth till his death, and I think it’ll be interesting,” Diane said. 

Diane said her father deserves this honor because he’s “a self-made man—literally born on a tobacco farm” to parents without high school diplomas. He used the GI Bill to earn his degrees and completed his master’s with three young children at home. He was innovative as an extension specialist, using mass media to reach more farmers across Kentucky and beyond.  

“He really created his own career,” Diane said.  

One of Massie’s television shows, Tobacco Talk, aired on Saturday mornings. People still come up to Diane and tell her that her dad interrupted their cartoons.  

“The Georgetown and Scott County Museum has as its mission to preserve local history,” Stevens said.  “We are excited to share the story of Ira E. Massie and his many successes. Growing up in rural Stamping Ground and becoming Mr. Tobacco offered him the opportunity to guide and advise farmers to become more successful in many aspects of farm life.” 

Ira E. Massie’s biography 

Ira E. Massie was born Nov. 13, 1919, in Stamping Ground in Scott County, Kentucky. He was the oldest of four boys and was raised on a small, diversified farm. 

At 19, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps and served for seven years in the Pacific Theater during World War II.  He was an aerial photographer in a long-range reconnaissance squadron.  His job was to photograph islands in enemy hands, often under gunfire, so that Allied forces would be familiar with enemy embankments, airfields, quantity and types of fighting units, and equipment when they invaded. He was a Master Sergeant. 

Massie served in the Marines for a year and a half after the war ended then went to work for North American Aviation in Englewood, California, where he photographed various aspects of airborne planes to detect possible defects. After a year, he returned to Kentucky. 

He enrolled at the University of Kentucky and, in three years, earned a bachelor of science degree in general agriculture. For two years, he was employed by the Kentucky Seed Improvement Association as an assistant manager. In January 1953, following a six-month stint in Mason County as a county agent, he was named extension tobacco specialist at UK. In 1958, he received a master’s degree in agronomy from UK.  

In his first year as tobacco specialist, Massie spent nearly 90 percent of his time in the field working one-on-one with farmers or in meetings.  To reach more people, Massie eventually decided to use mass media for his tobacco extension work.  

In October 1953, he began a tobacco report on WHAS on Wednesday mornings, and in 1955, he started a report on WAVE in Louisville.  In July of 1954, he was given a page in The Kentucky Farmer magazine, a monthly publication sent to tobacco growers in Kentucky, Mississippi, Indiana, Ohio and North Carolina. In 1960, WSAZ in Huntington, West Virginia, called Massie and wanted to get his tobacco report on its broadcast. 

On July 19, 1960, the first televised showing of “Tobacco Talk” was presented to Lexington audiences. He served as Tobacco Editor for two monthly farm magazines. He was considered the leading authority on tobacco and was quoted in many national and international publications. He continued to grow his audience by adding other radio stations and appearing on television on numerous occasions.   

He wrote and edited Extension Service and Experiment Station publications that cover all phases of tobacco production from seed bed preparation to marketing the crop. Massie inherited the tag of “Mr. Tobacco” from his predecessor in the UK Agronomy department: Russell Hunt. During his career, Massie won many awards and served on several prestigious committees.   

Massie retired from the University of Kentucky in 1983 but continued his agricultural work, using the mass media to reach farmers.   

Massie was a deacon and Sunday School superintendent at Calvary Baptist Church and served on the church’s building committee. He served as a Cub Scout Master, a Boy Scout Leader and president of several Parent/Teacher Associations. 

He and his late wife, Clarice, have two sons and a daughter, five grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Massie died in January 1987 after an extended illness.

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