Cowles Retires 

 After 26 Years 

 As lAA Treasurer 



ROBERT A. COWLES is the first 

 officer of the Illinois Agricul- 

 tural Association to retire under 

 the Association's retirement 

 plan. He was retired at the 

 close of the fiscal year, Sept. 30. after 

 26 years of service as treasurer of the 

 Association. 



Coincidentally, he retired as treasurer 

 of the Illinois Agricultural Service 

 Company, Illinois Agricultural Holding 

 Company, Illinois Agricultural Audit- 

 ing Association. Prairie Farms Cream- 



Robert A. Cowles 



cry, and Illinois Grain Corporation. 

 On April 30, 1948, he retired as 

 treasurer of Illinois Wool Marketing 

 Association, when it moved its offices to 

 Paris in Edgar county. 



On Dec. 31, 19-J6. Mr. Cowles re- 

 tired as treasurer of Country Mutual 

 Fire Company, Country Mutual Casualty 

 Company, Country Life Insurance 

 Company and Illinois Farm Supply 

 Company, other associated companies. 



A native of Normal and Bloomington 

 and charter member of the McLean 

 County Farm Bureau, Mr. Cowles came 

 to the lAA in 1922. At that tjme he 

 had completed 20 years of employment 

 with a principal owning substantial 

 acreage of farm and business properties 

 and other real estate which he managed 

 as agent. 



Mr. Cowles was chosen by the As- 

 sociation to fill the vacancy in the 

 treasurer's office arising through the 

 appointment of George A. Fox of 

 Sycamore to the office of executive 

 secretary. Howard Leonard of Eureka 

 was then president of the Association 



and Sam Thompson of Quincy, who 

 was later to become lAA and AFBF 

 president, was a board member and 

 chairman of the finance committee. 



In his early years with the Associa- 

 tion, in addition to performing the 

 duties of treasurer, Mr. Cowles shared 

 with officers general responsibility of 

 carrying on the As.sociation's program, 

 including particular attention to some 

 of its accumulated and troublesome 

 problems. 



He was actively engaged with the 

 legislative committee and represented 

 the Association with others during the 

 deliberations of the Constitutional Con- 

 vention and its submission to the elec- 

 torate. 



Fights for Parity 



Later, with Mr. Thompson, then 

 president, Mr. Cowles represented the 

 Association in Washington in its support 

 of the original McNary-Haugen Dill. 

 At that time, with the Association's 

 approval, he acted as secretar\-treasurer 

 for the American Council of Agricul- 

 ture, an organization formed by George 

 N. Peek of Moline, one of the coauthors 

 of the bill. The main objective of the 

 Council was to carry on support of the 

 bill which had the backing of farm 

 leaders and some prominent business 

 men. Earl C. Smith of Pike county, 

 succeeding Mr. Thompson as lAA pres- 

 ident, carried on the fight with George 

 Peek, Chester Davis, Bill Settle of 

 Indiana. Charles Hearst of Iowa, and 

 many others, in support of the major 

 principle embodied in the bill of — 

 "parity prices for major agricultural 

 commodities." 



From time to time the Association 

 organized statewide cooperative associa- 

 tions and mutual insurance companies. 

 (Comiitued on p.tge .S4) 



Mayfield Moves 

 To Organization 

 From Road Dept. 



c 



Charles Meyfield 



HARLES S. MAYFIELD, 32, lAA 

 director oi road improvement since 

 December 19i(>. has transferred to 

 the organization de- 

 partment as assi.stant 

 organization d i r c c- 

 tor. He will devote 

 his time to all sec- 

 tions of the state and 

 will work under the 

 general direction of 

 Organization Direc- 

 tor O. D. Brissen- 

 den, who has been 

 on leave of absence 

 for several months 

 because of ill health. 

 Until the lA-\ road survey commit- 

 tee has finished its work, Mayfield will 

 still work part time on roads and part 

 time on organization work. 



Maylield was born and reared in Har- 

 din couniy. graduated from Harrisburg 

 high school, received his bachelor's de- 

 gree from Southern Illinois University, 

 and his masters degree from Oberlin Col- 

 lege. 



He was superintendent of schools at 

 Ullin in Pulaski county following his 

 work at Oberlin. He was commissioned 

 an ensign in the navy in 1943 and spent 

 most of the time in the Pacific aboard 

 transports. 



Mayfield joined the lAA staff in March 

 1946 as assistant to the research director. 



Read The Thrilling Story of Farm Bureau 







rs^ 





Every Farm Bureau leader and mem 

 her in Illinois needs a copy of the new 

 book, "The Farm Bureau Through 

 Three Decades." 



In addition to being a thrilling story 

 of the birth, growth, battles and achieve- 

 ments of the Farm Bureau, it will help 

 you to answer cjuestions of non-Farm 

 Bureau members who want to know 

 something about your organization. 



You will also be proud to read 

 of Illinois' part in the building of 

 Farm Bureau. The names of Sam 

 Ihompson and Earl C. Smith frequent- 

 ly appear in this history. 



You can order it for S3. 50 postpaid 

 from the Department of Information, 

 American Farm Bureau Federation, 109 

 North Wabash Ave.. Chicago 2, III. 



NOVEMBER, 1948 



