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In Memoriam

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Foundation Message

Foundation Message

Leo Lynch (1)

Leo Lynch passed away on Aug. 31, 2020 at the age of 86. Originally from Phoenix, he lived in Waterford and ranched in Tassajara, where his family grew almonds, walnuts and raised beef cattle. As a member of Class 1, he traveled internationally to Mexico, England, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France and Italy. He served his community, loved the outdoors and was a leader in many educational endeavors. He worked as a postal carrier in his neighborhood for 20 years. He was a talented woodworker and at Christmas would leave a handmade decoration at every home he delivered mail.

Adin Hester (3)

Adin Hester passed away in Cloverdale on Oct. 5, 2020 at the age of 81. Throughout his life, Adin resided in Modesto and Visalia. He was born and raised in Oregon. As a member of Class 3, he traveled internationally to Taiwan, the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, Hong Kong, China, Singapore, Malaysia and Japan. Adin was an active supporter of the California Ag Leadership Foundation’s alumni activities, including Ag Leadership Alumni (ALA), the International Leadership Alumni Conference (ILAC) and D.C. Exchange.

Don Nelson (4)

Don Nelson passed away in Red Bluff on July 5, 2020 at the age of 82. His early life was filled with ranching and he built upon that experience when he served as the extension beef specialist at Washington State University. He earned his Ph.D. in animal nutrition from The Ohio State University and was a highly regarded professor at Fresno State. His obituary highlighted his extraordinary life as an innovator, visionary, leader, collaborator, contrarian, sage, mover, shaker and educator.

John DeRuiter (11)

John DeRuiter passed away on Aug. 29, 2020 at the age of 68. Born in Hanford, he was active in the banking and finance industry for more than 40 years. As a member of Class 11, John traveled internationally to Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Israel. He will be remembered for his integrity and knowledge of agriculture, as well as the relationships he built as a father, grandfather, brother, uncle, mentor and friend.

Michael McDowell (34)

Michael McDowell passed away on Dec. 06, 2020. Michael, his wife and their two children lived on their multi-generational family farm in Walnut Grove. As a member of Class 34, he traveled internationally to Bulgaria, Hungary and Romania. An avid sportsman, Michael operated a pheasant hunt club in addition to running his family’s fruit tree farm with his parents and wife, Amber. He was an active member of the Sacramento County Farm Bureau. Over the past decade, Michael and his family had expanded the direct-to-consumer options from their farm, building a farm stand and a youpick business.

FRIEND OF CALF: Grace Flannery

Grace Flannery passed away on Oct. 3, 2020 at the age of 69. She was born in Michigan, raised in New York and eventually settled in California. Grace was a longtime friend and contributor to the Ag Leadership Program. She began her work with CALF in 2008, with Class 38. She eventually became one of the program’s integrating presenters, meeting with classes several times throughout the 17-month fellowship; starting with the inaugural seminar and finishing up at the seminar right before commencement. In her curriculum, she focused on understanding ourselves through awareness of our heroes, identifying where our power comes from and how that affects our opportunities to influence and prioritization methods to meet productivity goals.

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