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Dixie Truelove From barn to board room Story by Brandee A. Thomas Photos by Times staff When parents build a strong foundation for their children, it’s easier for the next generation to find the sure footing needed to climb a little higher in life. Dixie Truelove is proof of that. With encouragement from her late parents, Truelove has helped bridge the gap between farmers and the individuals they help feed. “Back in the day, I think you had your country people and you had your city people,” recalls Truelove, vice president of her family’s business, Truelove Dairy, Inc. “I remember asking my sister one time why dad would wear long sleeves all the time – even in the summer. Part of the reason for that was because when he was growing up, you could tell if you were a farmer because of the tan lines on your arms. He noticed that the men who worked in town didn’t have those tans.” Not that her father, Elmer Truelove, was ashamed of his vocation, but shielding his arms from the sun and thus not developing a “farmer tan,” helped those outside of his rural community to not rush to judgments about his capabilities before getting to know him and hearing what he had to say. Truelove continues her father’s legacy of being an ambassador of farming life. She got her start in the late ’90s when she was asked to join the Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce. “It was probably in 1997 or so. Latrell Simpson was president of the chamber and called my parents’ house because someone had moved out of town and they left a 2-year term open, so they wanted me to join the board,” Truelove says. “My mom and dad had known Latrell for years and loved her. They were very much, ‘You need to do this.’ They were very proud that I’d been asked to join.” Excited by the challenge, Truelove agreed to join. She would go on to be involved with the chamber’s HealthSmart and Vision 2030 initiatives. And of course its agri-business committee. “That committee was started years ago in part to help remind the business community that agriculture is also a business and we have a place at the table,” Truelove says. 12
November | December 2013
Above and opposite: Dixie Truelove on her dairy farm in Hall County.
“Agriculture brought (Hall County) to the table and it certainly helped boost the local economy. It’s great to see that things have diversified from agriculture, but it was ag that brought everything else.” Among other ties to the community, Truelove is currently a Quinlan Visual Arts
Center Board of Trustees member and a founding member and 2013 board of directors secretary for WomenSource. She’s also a past president of the Junior League of Gainesville-Hall County, an organization that she initially was hesitant to join. HOME Living
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