Oklahoma Farm Bureau honored a trio during its 69th annual meeting in Oklahoma City with Distinguished Service Awards.
The pair of awards is designed to honor those who have made outstanding contributions to agriculture and to Oklahoma Farm Bureau, according to OFB Executive Director Monica Wilke.
For the first time since the award has been presented, a husband and wife were joint recipients of the Distinguished Service to Oklahoma Agriculture Award. And, a former OFB state director was honored with the Distinguished Service to Oklahoma Farm Bureau Award.
Wallace and Doris Lee Howard of Woodward became the first couple to be honored with the award for service to the state’s agricultural industry. Former OFB Director Jim Hadwiger of Cherokee was recognized for his years of service to Farm Bureau. The honors were presented Nov. 20 during an awards program in the Cox Convention Center.
Wallace, 86, and Doris Lee, 82, were married in 1946 and each has dedicated more than 70 years of service to Oklahoma agriculture.
With the exception of his service in the U.S. Navy during World War II, Wallace has been on the farm since the day of his birth. He helped his parents on their farm and was an active member of the 4-H Club growing up. He bought his first 280 acres before graduating from high school.
That first farm grew, with wheat, sorghum and sudan being the primary crops, along with registered and commercial Angus cattle as well as milk cows and feeder hogs over the years.
Farm Bureau has been important to the Howards since the 1940s. Both were elected to county leadership positions in the old Junior Farm Bureau in 1949. Wallace was elected to the state committee that same year, and Doris Lee was picked as the Oklahoma Junior Farm Bureau queen in 1949.
That early involvement in the organization was the springboard for both being elected to leadership positions on their county Farm Bureau. Wallace served as president of the Harper County board for 22 years with Doris Lee picked as a member of the county’s Women’s Committee.
The Howards’ resumes are full of service-oriented positions, like service on the rural telephone company, election board inspector, rural water district leadership, Cattlemen’s Association board, national and state rural water leadership positions, 4-H leaders, Oklahoma Garden Clubs, Extension Homemakers, Oklahoma Cattlewomen’s Board and many, many others.
Their service to agriculture has not gone unnoticed over the years. The couple was the 1967 Oklahoma Farm Bureau Farm Family of the Year. In 1968, they were recognized by WKY-TV and Radio as Oklahoma Farmer-Rancher of the Year.
Doris Lee spent 15 years on the state FBW Committee before retiring.
Hadwiger, 77, has been a wheat, hay and cattle producer for more than 50 years and an active member of Farm Bureau for even longer.
He began as a member of the Alfalfa County Junior Farm Bureau Board, and served his county 10 years as president of its board of directors.
Jim presented numerous programs to civic clubs about Farm Bureau, always taking the opportunity to invite people to join the organization. He was a Farm Bureau Safemark dealer for three years and has represented his county as a state convention delegate innumerable times.
After spending years as a local Farm Bureau leader, Jim was elected to the district seven post on the OFB board of directors in 1987 and served three consecutive three-year terms before being term limited.
While serving on the state board, he was a member of the OFB Future Task Force for two years. He represented OFB on the Western Farm Bureau Life Board and also was the organization’s representative on the Oklahoma Wheat Foundation Board for five years. He also served as OFB’s representative on the AFBF Wheat Advisory Committee four years, and served one year as committee chair. In 1997, he was OFB’s representative to the AFBF Hay Commodity Meeting.
In 2003, Jim was named overall CHAMPION Award winner at the OFB state convention. That award is presented to the volunteer member with the most exceptional governmental relations effort.
Jim is a 1958 graduate of Oklahoma State University, where he earned a degree in agricultural education.
He and his wife, Rozella, reside outside of Cherokee.
