This year’s Southern Crop Production Association annual meeting in Charleston, S.C., will be one of the more memorable ones for members and guests of the group that represents crop protection product manufacturers and distributors in the Southeast.

The meeting was the last one organized by Ed Duskin, the retired U.S. Army colonel, who is stepping down from his position as executive vice president of the Southern Crop Production Association after 42 years of service.

“The Colonel,” as he has been known for most of his time with SCPA, and his wife, Ann, were sent off by a number of former association presidents; staff members of CropLife America and Mid-America CropLife Association, the national and Midwest organizations representing the industry; and other well-wishers.

Trish Donaldson, the executive assistant for the SCPA for the past 21 years, is also retiring from the organization in January and was honored for her years of service.

Here are photos from this year’s annual meeting, which, coincidentally, was held in Charleston, the home city of The Citadel, where Ed Duskin graduated at the age of 18 before embarking on a career in the U.S. Army, which took him to Vietnam and Laos.

For more on the SCPA, visit http://www.southcrop.org/.