Wade Whitfield, former CEO of the California Iceberg Lettuce Commission, dies at 82
Wade Whitfield, former CEO of the California Iceberg Lettuce Commission, dies at 82
In early August, Wade Whitfield, who had a distinguished career in the agricultural promotion industry, died peacefully after several years of failing health.
Mr. Whitfield was born Sept. 8, 1931, in Newellton, LA, but grew up in Hughson, CA, in the heart of the San Joaquin Valley. He graduated from Hughson High School, and joined the Navy in 1951, serving for four years during the Korean War. He was discharged in 1955 and came back to the San Joaquin Valley where he became a grower or cling peaches, which mostly are processed for canning.
Mr. Whitfield became active on the California Cling Peach Advisory Board and eventually became its chief executive officer. In the late 1970s, the California lettuce industry launched the California Iceberg Lettuce Commission and Whitfield served as its founding chief executive officer. In fact, he was the only CEO and he led the commission through some aggressive promotional campaigns and remained in that position until the industry decided to dissolve the commission in the early 1990s.
At that point, Whitfield and his wife, Joan, moved to Auburn, CA, where she said he intended to retire.
"But the Mushroom Council convinced Wade to come to work for them," she recently told The Produce News. "He opened up an office in Roseville (CA) and stayed there for five years before really retiring."
Mrs. Whitfield said his health began to decline about four years ago until he finally succumbed on Aug. 2.
Mr. Whitfield married Joan Sizelove on Nov. 30, 1952, and they were happily married for 61 years. He is also survived by three sons, a daughter and a number of other relatives.
