New Valley of the World Hall of Fame to induct four
New Valley of the World Hall of Fame to induct four
SALINAS, CA Bruce Church, Russ Merrill, Gene Harden and Bud Antle will be the first inductees into the National Steinbeck Center's new Valley of the World Hall of Fame, complementing the Valley of the World Agricultural Wing and the innovative educational programs of the National Steinbeck Center, here.
The four will be inducted posthumously as key pioneers of the Salinas Valley agricultural industry at a special dinner June 9 at Quail Lodge in Carmel Valley. They will receive permanent recognition in a visual display within the National Steinbeck Center museum. In addition, information about their accomplishments will be included in the digital archives of the museum. The Hall of Fame will grow each year as new members are recognized at the Valley of the World awards event.
In 1937, Bruce Church partnered with Ken Nutting, Russ Merrill and Gene Harden to form Growers Ice & Development Co., which provided the industry with much-needed ice-packing services. Todays reliable refrigerated produce storage and shipments are a result of their early endeavors.
Mr. Church established one of the early seed and soil research programs that produced about 50 percent of the lettuce seed in use at the time. He worked with the Salinas Grower-Shipper Vegetable Association of Central California to establish mandatory quality standards for produce.
Russ Merrill came to the Salinas Valley in the 1920s and started Merrill Packing Co. in the growers ice district of Salinas in 1933. That same year, Mr. Merrill opened his own lettuce-growing company, now known as Merrill Farms. He was well known for his ideas about crop rotation.
Eugene Harden moved to Salinas in the 1920s and formed the E.E. Harden Packing Co. and Harden Farms Inc., and was also one of the founders of the Growers Ice & Development Co. He served as president of the Grower-Shipper Vegetable Association of Central California and helped pioneer modern growing, harvesting and marketing techniques for lettuce, carrots and cauliflower as these crops gained dominance in the Salinas Valley. Mr. Harden and his wife, Ercia, left a legacy that has become the Harden Foundation.
Bud Antles company, incorporated as Bud Antle Inc. in 1961, was the first Salinas-area produce firm to field pack lettuce, celery, cauliflower and broccoli. In the early 1950s, Mr. Antle recognized vacuum cooling as the new best practice rather than packing lettuce in crates with ice, and he established its reliability in commercial lettuce shipping. Mr. Antle was the first to use corrugated cardboard cartons for packing vegetables, and he and Mr. Church acquired patents on the process and made it available industrywide.
The June 9 event also will recognize the recipients of the Emerging Agricultural Leader and the National Steinbeck Center Education awards. Awards are for individuals who live in and/or have significantly affected the tri-county (Monterey, San Benito and Santa Cruz counties) region. Among agricultural lead sponsors are Epic Roots, Mills Family Farms, Tanimura & Antle and Taylor Farms.
David Mills, senior vice president of Mills Family Farms, will receive the Emerging Agricultural Leader Award, which recognizes an individual who has added significantly to the agricultural industry in recent years, provided innovative ideas to the betterment of the industry, broken new ground and been involved in the community.
Among his accomplishments, Mr. Mills has been instrumental in promoting the whole leaf lettuce program.
Sylvia Panetta will receive the National Steinbeck Center Education Award. The award recognizes someone who has worked to provide greater understanding of societys challenges through his or her teachings of others. She is adviser to the California State University chancellor on the America Reads initiative, co-director of the Panetta Institute for Public Policy and co-founder of the Sylvia Panetta Scholarship Fund of Monterey Peninsula College.
The four will be inducted posthumously as key pioneers of the Salinas Valley agricultural industry at a special dinner June 9 at Quail Lodge in Carmel Valley. They will receive permanent recognition in a visual display within the National Steinbeck Center museum. In addition, information about their accomplishments will be included in the digital archives of the museum. The Hall of Fame will grow each year as new members are recognized at the Valley of the World awards event.
In 1937, Bruce Church partnered with Ken Nutting, Russ Merrill and Gene Harden to form Growers Ice & Development Co., which provided the industry with much-needed ice-packing services. Todays reliable refrigerated produce storage and shipments are a result of their early endeavors.
Mr. Church established one of the early seed and soil research programs that produced about 50 percent of the lettuce seed in use at the time. He worked with the Salinas Grower-Shipper Vegetable Association of Central California to establish mandatory quality standards for produce.
Russ Merrill came to the Salinas Valley in the 1920s and started Merrill Packing Co. in the growers ice district of Salinas in 1933. That same year, Mr. Merrill opened his own lettuce-growing company, now known as Merrill Farms. He was well known for his ideas about crop rotation.
Eugene Harden moved to Salinas in the 1920s and formed the E.E. Harden Packing Co. and Harden Farms Inc., and was also one of the founders of the Growers Ice & Development Co. He served as president of the Grower-Shipper Vegetable Association of Central California and helped pioneer modern growing, harvesting and marketing techniques for lettuce, carrots and cauliflower as these crops gained dominance in the Salinas Valley. Mr. Harden and his wife, Ercia, left a legacy that has become the Harden Foundation.
Bud Antles company, incorporated as Bud Antle Inc. in 1961, was the first Salinas-area produce firm to field pack lettuce, celery, cauliflower and broccoli. In the early 1950s, Mr. Antle recognized vacuum cooling as the new best practice rather than packing lettuce in crates with ice, and he established its reliability in commercial lettuce shipping. Mr. Antle was the first to use corrugated cardboard cartons for packing vegetables, and he and Mr. Church acquired patents on the process and made it available industrywide.
The June 9 event also will recognize the recipients of the Emerging Agricultural Leader and the National Steinbeck Center Education awards. Awards are for individuals who live in and/or have significantly affected the tri-county (Monterey, San Benito and Santa Cruz counties) region. Among agricultural lead sponsors are Epic Roots, Mills Family Farms, Tanimura & Antle and Taylor Farms.
David Mills, senior vice president of Mills Family Farms, will receive the Emerging Agricultural Leader Award, which recognizes an individual who has added significantly to the agricultural industry in recent years, provided innovative ideas to the betterment of the industry, broken new ground and been involved in the community.
Among his accomplishments, Mr. Mills has been instrumental in promoting the whole leaf lettuce program.
Sylvia Panetta will receive the National Steinbeck Center Education Award. The award recognizes someone who has worked to provide greater understanding of societys challenges through his or her teachings of others. She is adviser to the California State University chancellor on the America Reads initiative, co-director of the Panetta Institute for Public Policy and co-founder of the Sylvia Panetta Scholarship Fund of Monterey Peninsula College.
