FarmHouse - Washington State University

FarmHouse Almanac p . 2 A s a high school senior, Louis Juergens '96 knew that he belonged in Farm- House. His older brother, Harold Juer- gens '94, was a member and recruiter, and Louis had friends who had already decided to go there, too. "e big selling features were not going into a partying scene, but going to a comfortable place with guys who had similar interests in outdoor activities, and came from a similar background," Louis recalled. Some of his favorite memories are of brother- hood annual trips raing and camping down the Snake River, playing intramural flag football, so- cial events, ski trips, and simply the impromptu get-togethers with his brothers. "ere were a lot of different viewpoints, but we had a lot we could talk about and bond over," he shared. "e big- gest benefit was the quality of guys—people who look out for you, and you are happy to return the favor, as well as the connections you make for the rest of your life." In Juneau, Alaska, Louis and his business partner own and operate Alaska Galore Tours, Juneau Jeep Adventures, Harv and Marv's Outback Alas- ka, and Alaska Trophy Fishing Adventures. On the water they offer salmon and halibut fishing Living the Alaskan Dream CHAPTER ETERNAL Ronald "Ron" Ray Baker '55 entered Chapter Eternal on March 28, 2019, in Hermiston, Ore., at the age of 85. He was born on December 26, 1933, in Pasco, Wash. Ron was very active in 4-H livestock projects and enjoyed showing both beef and sheep. In 1951, he earned a delegate trip to the National 4-H camp in Washington, D.C., and graduated from Ione High School as valedictorian. While at Washington State University, Ron received the 1954 Danforth Fellowship for being an outstanding student in the College of Agriculture, he was president of the Associated Students of College of Agriculture, president and founding father of FarmHouse Fraternity, named to top 10 of graduating seniors, received his bachelor's degree in animal science with highest honors, and most importantly, he met his future wife of over 61 years, Jane Irene Jacobson. On June 19, 1955, Ron and Jane were married and moved to a small ranch in Hermiston, Ore. In 1957, he established Beef Acres, which was a 3,000-head beef feedlot. In 1961, along with Phillip Cohn, they developed C and B Livestock, Inc., which was a modern cattle and lamb feed yard. In 1969, he established the Beef Improvement Division of C and B, which was a cattle breeding program to help establish ALUMNI UPDATE superior breeding genetics to help producers meet the demands for quality and cutability. Ron was very active in both state and national organizations, including from 1965-70 being on the National Cattlemen's Association marketing committee, which later helped spearhead the formation of "Cattle Fax," as well as from 1972- 74 on the blue ribbon task force committee to the National Livestock and Meat Board. He also enjoyed leadership roles with associations such as the Oregon Cattleman's and the American SimmentaI. By 1974, C and B had expanded to 18,000 head of cattle and 18,000 head of lambs. Ron was awarded Commercial Producer of the Year by the Beef Improvement Federation in 1976 and in 1985 was recognized as the National Cattleman Businessman of the Year by the National Cattlemen's Association. Ron was a founding member of Hermiston Christian Center and a member of the Hermiston Rotary Club since 1965. ALUMNI NEWS Norman R. Scott '56 retired officially from Cornell University aer 49 years. He joined Cornell faculty in 1962 aer completing his Ph.D. at Cornell. Norman moved through ranks of assistant, associate, and professor. He also spent 14 years in university administration as Director of Cornell Agricultural Research Experimental station and as Vice President of Research and Advanced Studies. He holds numerous awards and recognitions, primarily as an elected member of the National Academy of Engineering. Norman now divides his time between Ithaca in the summer and Tucson in the winter. Email: nrs5@cornell.edu Frederic A. Blauert '57 spends a lot of his time working in their farm shop with metals and repair- ing pieces of farm equipment. He still does a small amount of farm work when needed. One of his hobbies now is working with meat, such as mak- ing pepper sticks, summer sausage, jerky, break- fast links and patties, and cutting and wrapping lamb. Frederic has been married for 57 years, and has seven grandchildren and three great-grand- children. He remains active in the sheep business, WA Farm Bureau, and serves on the city council. Email: fredericblauert@hughes.net Karl E. Felgenhauer '60 and his wife, Ione, continue to reside on the southern edge of Spokane. ey are very thankful for continued good health. "I make the 30-minute trip to Fairfield and the family farm frequently," he (Continued on page 4) trips, whale watching, and a lighthouse tour. If you prefer to stay on land, they can take you on a guided tour of Juneau, the glacier and some of the other sites by bus or jeep or a number of oth- er customized options. In the neighboring town of Hoonah, they operate Icy Strait Brewing and Misty Bay Tours, which specializes in brown bear watching and whale watching. Louis' role is filling in, maintenance, decision-making scenarios, and driving buses, vans and boats wherever needed. Probably the best decision Louis ever made for himself, other than joining FarmHouse, was nev- er putting on a suit again. Growing up on a dairy farm in Western Washington and being an avid fisherman, Louis has always loved the outdoors. ere was a time, though, aer him and his wife, Angie, had children, when Louis thought it was time to get a "real" job. For 18 months, Louis' brother, Walter, helped run the company while he worked as a financial advisor for Merrill Lynch. "A true tragedy is to put in your time, and before you know it, you're 65+ and most of your time is gone," he explained. "at, to me, was a worst-case scenario." Watching young adults come up for a summer job and go from being an unskilled and uncon- fident youngster, to becoming a key part of the team is one of the most rewarding parts of his ca- reer. As well as "Being able to share our beautiful state and have unique experiences with people all over the world," he shared. With five months off per year due to Alaska's climate, Louis and his family enjoying warming up in Hawaii and oth- er travel destinations. His children, Alexis (12), Daniel (11), and David (8) are active in sports and activities, namely karate and piano. His greatest advice? "Don't conform to the path of what society thinks you should do. Take ad- vantage of the time and flexibility that you have, as well as a that brief moment in your life where you don't have any real responsibility," he shared. "When you're 23-24 years old, you've got nothing to lose. Stick your neck out there and just go for it. You can always get your 'real job' later."

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