May 20, 1949

Married: Toni Conner

Son: Jaycen McGuire

Grandchildren: Jaylen, Josh and Jacorey

JW was born on May 20, 1949 in Whiteville, Tennessee to Mr. Sam and Mrs. Willie (Herron) McGuire, Sr. The McGuire’s had 8 children (4 boys, 4 girls) with JW being the 3rd youngest. He has 3 brothers and 2 sisters living. His dad was a farmer in the area and raised livestock and cotton and mom was a homemaker that cared for the family and home.

JW attended school in Hardeman County and graduated from Allen-White High School in May, 1967. After a two year tour of army duty, he received his Bachelor of Science degree in 1978 with a major in Rural Development from Tennessee State University. In 1988, he continued his education at the University of Tennessee to receive his Masters Degree in Extension Education and Community Resource Development. JW was inducted into the Tennessee State University Agriculture and Home Economics Hall of Fame in October, 2018.

In 1979, he married Toni Connor and moved to Wilson County to begin working for the University of Tennessee as an Assistant Extension Agent. Soon after being employed for the university, J W received a promotion to Associate Extension Agent and in 1994 was promoted to be an Extension Agent. Having lots of experience in Extension programming, his main areas of focus were Agriculture, 4-H and Community Resource Development. After the retirement of our County Extension Director in 2003, JW was named as our interim director and later became the County Director that same year.

While working in Extension, JW organized the first Master Gardener class in Wilson County in the year 1994. The Master Gardener program trains volunteer leaders to present programs on horticulture and work in their communities to share the latest gardening information. This program is still very active today. His work with outside higher education programs continued. He created and presented two organic gardening programs at TN State University and Cumberland University.

JW had many accomplishments and served on many committees for the Central Region and State during his tenure with Extension. For the region, he was the vice president for the Central Region Association of Agricultural Agents and Specialists, served on the 4-H Endowment Committee , and served as a member of Equal Employment Opportunity Council. JW served as state chairman of the scholarship committee of TN Association of Agriculture Agents and Specialists, served as a member of the State Peer Review Committee, State Urban Programs Review Committee and State Diversity Committee. In 1995, he received the Outstanding Regional Agent and in 1999 he was awarded the Distinguished Service Award at the state and national levels. The Distinguished Service Award is presented to the agent who has excellent quality throughout his/her programs.

JW had many leadership qualities and skills. To improve his leadership skills he attended and taught classes and workshops. In 1989, he completed the TN Family Community Leadership Training and Leadership Academy sponsored by UT-Knoxville. JW was a graduate of Leadership Wilson in 2001, served as a board member for the Wilson County Help Center from 2000 to 2003. While working with Extension, he served as advisor for the Southwest Community Club, and was a member of the TN Nutrition and Consumer Education Program Coalition Committee, and the Rural Area Development Committee of Wilson County. Each August when the Wilson County Fair was in town, you would find him cooking the 4-H chicken at the 4-H Chicken Shack, as well as, serving as an advisor for the Adult Agriculture horticultural exhibits and the 4-H Poultry Show. The TN Department of Homeland Security ask him to be the county coordinator of the Agricultural Assessment Committee. JW organized the committee with nine agencies within the county that Homeland Security mandated. The committee assessed the risks and impacts that terrorist attacks would have on the agricultural community and to help identify critical needs for minimizing those risks in Wilson County.

In addition to his Extension experience, JW had many leadership roles during his 26 year tenure with the TN National Guard. His responsibilities as First Sergeant included being supervisor of a medical unit and soldiers in medical treatment tasks during physical examinations. Also, while in the military, he attended the Non-Commissioned Officer Leadership School and upon graduation he returned to teach leadership classes at the schoolJW retired in 2009 from the Extension Service with 30 years of service. After retirement, he started his own landscaping business. He is still very active in the community with his volunteer work.