THE 



ILLINOIS AGRICULTURAL ASSOCIATION RECORD 



To advance the purpose for uhich the Farm Biirea» was organizeil, namely, 

 to promote, protect and represent the hnshiess, economic, social and educa- 

 tional interests of the farmers of Illinois and the Salion, and to develop 

 agriculture. 



THE STATE FARM 

 BUREAU PUBLICATION 



AGRICULTURE SUFFERS LOSS IN DEATH OF HOWARD LEONARD 



!s- 



FARM leaders and many farmers in 

 Illinois experienced a deep sense of 

 loss in tlie death of State Director of 

 Agriculture Howard Leonard, former 

 president and treasurer of the Illinois 

 Agricultural Association, October 21 in 

 Springfield. 



His death, after an operation and ill- 

 ness of several months, brought memories 

 to early Farm Bureau members of the 

 absorbing if difficult days of Farm Bureau 

 organization three decades ago. Mr. 

 Leonard was one of the early pioneers 

 and founders of the Farm Bureau mo\c- 

 mcnt in Illinois. 



As tlic first president of the Woodford 

 County Farm Bureau in 1915 and as a 

 delegate to the first lAA organization 

 meetings at Urbana and Ottawa in 1916 

 and later at the Peoria reorganization 

 meeting in 1919, he had much to do with 

 laying the foundation of the Illinois Agri- 

 cultural Association as it is known today. 



In fact, Mr. Leonard was a member of 

 the committee at the preliminary organi- 

 zation meeting in Urbana in 1916 which 

 decided on the name "Illinois Agricul- 

 tural Association" for the new organiza- 

 tion. This committee on preliminary or- 

 ganization presented a general outline of 

 the purposes, functions and financial 

 needs of the lAA pending a later meet- 

 ing when a formal constitution and set 

 of by-laws could be worked out and the 

 new Association put on a permanent 

 basis. 



At Ottawa on March 15, 191 6. tlic 

 delegates from 17 counties met to put 

 finishing touches on their new federation. 

 This is considered to be the first annual 

 meeting of the lAA. As a committee- 

 member, Mr. Leonard took a prominent 

 part at this session where the declaration 

 of purposes of the organization was 

 written into the 1916 constitution. It 

 was at this meeting that Mr. Leonard was 

 elected as first treasurer of the lAA. 



Those were the days when the infant 

 lAA flexed its muscles and ^A\t diligent 

 thought to its potentialities. And while 

 many delegates to the 1917 meeting were 

 openly skeptical of the hopes and dreams 



Howard Leonard 



of a lundful of their friends, Mr. Leon- 

 ard was one of the small group of pio- 

 neers which never lost faith. 



At the historic reorganization meeting 

 of thelAA in 1919 at Peoria. Mr. Leon- 

 ard served as convention secretarj- and 

 also as a member of a special committee 

 which worked out a plan for farmers to 

 hold direct membership in the lAA with 

 annual dues of $5 a year. After some 

 debate and discussion, the delegates 

 appro\ed this report of the committee. 

 The years have proven the wisdom of 

 this plan as it has been demonstrated that 

 successful farm organizations and coop- 

 erati\es need to be soundly and ade- 

 i]uately financed to serve members. 



.Many men deserve credit for the parts 

 they playcii in the reorganization of the 

 lAA and Mr. Leonard is deserving of 

 >pecial recognition for his .ible service 

 as convention secretary- at the 1919 meet- 

 ing. 



Following the 1919 meeting, an olfae 

 was opened in Chicago tor the Assoc ia- 

 lion and in 1920 Mr. Leonard was elected 

 president. He served as president for 

 three years, a period considered as one of 

 the most difficult in early lAA history. 



From 1920 through 1923 Mr. Leonard 

 was a director of the American Farm 

 Bureau Federation and hel[x;d organize 

 the National Livestock and Meat board, 

 ^er\ing as its first chairman in 192 V 

 When Gov. Dwight Green took office in 

 1941, he appointed Mr Lc-onard state di- 

 rector of .igriculture. 



Mr. Leonard was born on a I arm near 

 ( C'lnti'iind -m p-r^i. S ) 



NOVEMBER, 1945 • VOLUME 23, NUMBER 10 





ILLINOIS AGRICULTURAL ASSOCIATION 



OFFICERS 



Prasident, Earl C. Smith Detroit 



Vice-President. Talmage Defrees Greenville 



Corporate Sec, Paul E. Mathias Hinsdale 



Field Sec. Geo. E. Metzger Chicago 



Treasurer. R. A. Cowles Bloomington 



Assl. Treas.. A. R. Wright Varna 



Comptroller. C. C. Chapelle Chicago 



General Counsel. Donald Kirkpatrick . Chicago 



BOARD OF DIRECTORS 



(By Congressional Districts) 



1st to 11th Barrey W. Adair. Chicago Hts. 



12th C. J. Elliot*. Streator 



I3th -Homer Curtiss. Stockton 



Uth. Otto SteHev. Stronghurst 



ISlh Ronald A. Holt. Galva 



ISth.. Albert Hayes. Chillicoihe 



I7th Charles Lauritzen. Reddick 



ISth W. A. Dennis. Paris 



ISth Charles B. Shuman. Sullivan 



20th K. T. Smith, Greenfield 



21st _ F. E. Morris. Euilalo 



Z2nd Alvin O. Eckert, Belleville 



23rd Chester McCord. Newton 



24th Lyman Bunting, Ellery 



2Sth August G. Eggerding, Red Bud 



DEPARTMENT DIRECTORS 

 Dairy Marketing Wilfred Shaw 



Fruit and Vegetable Marketing L. L. Colvis 



Grain Marketing George H. Iftner 



Legal Donald Kirkpatrick 



Live Stock Marketing S. F. Russell 



Oliice C. E. lohnston 



Organization O. D. Brissenden 



Produce Marketing F. A. Gougler 



Publicity _ Creston Foster 



Research and Taxation L. H. Simerl 



Rurol School Relations lohn K. Cox 



Sales Service W. P. Sandiord 



Soil Improvement . lohn R. Spencer 



Transportation-Claims G. W. Baxter 



Young People's Activities Ellsworth D. Lyon 



ASSOCIATED ORGANIZATIONS 

 Country Life Ins. Co. Dave Mieher. Mgr. 



Farmers' Mutual Reinsur. Co. J. H. Eelker, Mgr. 



111. Agr. Auditing Assn. C. E. Strand, Mgr. 



111. Agr. Mutual Ins. Co. A. E. Richardson, Mgr. 



111. Agr. Service Co. Earl C. Smith. Pres. 



Donald Kirkpotrick, Sec. 



111. Co-op Locker Service Dana Cryder. Pres. 



III. F. Bur. Serum Assn S. F. Russell. Sec.-Mgr. 



Illinois Farm Supply Co. C. H. Becker. Mgr. 

 111. Fruit Growers Exchange L. L. Colvis. Mgr. 

 111. Grain Corporation Frank Haines. Mgr. 



111. Livestock Mktg. Assn. H. W. Trautmann. Mgr. 

 111. Milk Producers' Assn. Wilfred Shaw, Mgr. 

 Prairie Farms Creameries I. B. Countiss, Mgr. 

 111. Wool Mktg. Assn. S. F. Russell. Sec.-Mgr. 



Director of Information. Creston Foster. Editor. Merrill C. Gregory, on leave of absence with the United States Army. Asst. Editor, lames C. Thomson. 



The Illinois Agricultural Association RECORD is published monthly except August by the Illinois Agricultural Association at I50I W. Washington Road. 

 Mendota. 111. Editorial Offices. 608 So. Dearborn St., Chicago, 111. Entered as second class matter at post office. Mendota, 111.. Sept. II. 1936. Accept- 

 ance for mailing at special rate of postage provided in Section 412, Act of Feb. 28. 1325, authorized Oct. 27. 1935. Address all communications for 

 publication to Editorial Offices. Illinois Agricultural Association RECORD, EOS So. Dearborn St.. Chicago. The individual membership fee of the 

 Illinois Agricultuial Association is five dollars a year. The fee includes payment of fifty cents for subscription to the Illinois Agricultural Association 

 RECORD. Postmaster: Send notices on Form 357S. Undeliverable copies returned under Form 3579 to editorial offices. 608 So. Dearborn St.. Chicago. 111. 



NOVEMBER, 1945 



