Bernard Joseph Imming, the former president and chief executive officer of the United Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Association, which is now known as the United Fresh Produce Association, died Sept. 23 at the age of 94.

In April 1948, Mr. Imming was employed by the United Merchandising Institute in Kansas City, MO, as an instructor in retail merchandising. He was transferred to Washington, DC, in 1956 to become corporate secretary of UMI's parent organization, UFFVA.Bernard Joseph Imming He was appointed executive vice president of UFFVA in 1973 and two years later was named president and chief executive officer. He was also founding president of the United Nutrition Education Foundation. In all, he served the UFFVA for 37 years before retiring on June 1, 1985.

After retiring from UFFVA, he established The Association Consultancy, and in the ensuing 15 years served scores of state and national associations.

"Bernie was a wonderful leader of our association and the produce industry," Tom Stenzel, president and CEO of the United Fresh Produce Association, said in a statement. "I was fortunate to join the staff in 1993, and Bernie still served as a mentor to me. His regular phone chats and drop-bys to the office were times for me to pick his brain about industry issues, but really learn more about the culture that is an essential part of our industry's character. I was so pleased when Bernie could travel to New Orleans for our convention in 2011. It wasn't an easy trip for him, but I've never seen him happier than seeing old friends and rolling around the trade show floor in his wheelchair. We will miss him."

Mr. Imming was also a military veteran, and during his four-and-a-half year service in World War II, he served in the Aleutians before returning to attend Officers Candidate School in Camp Davis, NC.Bernard Joseph Imming with President Ford. He was commissioned in August 1943, and served a year at the Antiaircraft Artillery Training Center in Fort Bliss, TX, before joining the U.S. Sixth Army in the Philippines. He was a member of the initial occupation forces that established the headquarters base for Sixth Army in Nagoya, Japan, in September 1945. He retired from active duty as a First Lieutenant, U.S. Army Reserve.

Mr. Imming also was noted for volunteering his time to a number of organizations. In the most significant voluntary service related to his career, he was elected chairman of the board of his professional organization, the American Society of Association Executives, in 1984. He continued his subsequent activity with ASAE as chairman of the Past Chairmen's Roundtable for more than a decade thereafter.

He represented the fruit and vegetable industry on the U.S. delegation to the annual U.S._European Community Conference on Food and Agriculture. He served on committees and as an adviser to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Food & Drug Administration and other government groups. He often testified before U.S. Congressional committees and federal agencies on legislative and regulatory proposals, and is widely recognized as a speaker in industry and association circles.

He also was a member of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Association Committee of 100 for 15 years. He earned lifetime designation as a Certified Association Executive, and in 1985 was named Association Executive of the Year by the national professional newspaper, Association Trends. In 1979, he was presented with the Key Award, the highest honor accorded an association executive by the American Society of Association Executives.

Born May 30, 1920, in Marysville, KS, Mr. Imming was the first child of Joseph J. and Elizabeth C. Imming. He graduated from Hayden (Topeka Catholic) High School in Topeka, Kansas, in 1937, and from Rockhurst University in Kansas City, MO, in 1941, with a bachelor's degree in language and literature.

He married Constance Curran on Aug. 31, 1943, while in military service. She died Nov. 23, 2007. They had no children.

Visitation is scheduled for Oct. 1 at 10:00 a.m. at the Everly Wheatley Funeral Home in Alexandria, VA, followed by a memorial service at 11:00 a.m. Burial will be at Columbia Gardens in Arlington, VA.