Department of Agriculture Nomination of Alex P. Mercure To Be Assistant Secretary for Small Community and Rural Development.

The President today announced his intention to nominate Alex P. Mercure to be Under Secretary of Agriculture for Small Community and Rural Development. This is a new position created by the Rural Development Policy Act of 19130, which the President signed on September 24.

Mercure has been Assistant Secretary of Agriculture for Rural Development and a member of the Board of Directors of the Commodity Credit Corporation since 1977.

He was born June 30, 1931, in Lumberton, N. Mex. He received a B.S. from the University of New Mexico in 1958 and an M.A. from New Mexico Highlands University in 1961.

Mercure was a teacher at Chama High School in Chama, N. Mex., from 1958 to 1962 and a counsellor at Los Lunas Public Schools in Los Lunas, N. Mex., from 1962 to 1964. From 1965 to 1971, he was executive director of the home education livelihood program of the New Mexico Council of Churches.

From 1971 to 1974, Mercure was president of the New Mexico Technical Vocational School in El Rito, N. Mex. He was vice president and assistant provost of the University of New Mexico, in charge of regional and community affairs, from 1974 until his appointment as Assistant Secretary of Agriculture in 1977.