I reside in Salem, Ohio with my wife Joan. We have two children and five grandchildren. Joan and I are both graduates of Ohio State. I am a retired sales agronomist having worked for W. R. Grace, Lesco and Conagra. I sold fertilizer, grass seed and pesticides.
Joan is a retired school counselor. She has her own travel agency and has put together five Pumpkin Cruises. We have travelled to over seventy countries.
I am a 31 gallon Red Cross blood donor. Daffodils are another gardening interest.
I started growing giant pumpkins in 1965. My personal bests are: 1793.5# pumpkin, 1018# squash, 198# watermelon, 108# Connecticut Field pumpkin, 50# cantaloupe and 25″ sunflower head.
Our family had the Canfield Fair champion five times. I have placed in the top three at the Barnesville, Oakland Nursery and the Ohio Valley Giant Pumpkin Growers weigh-offs.
In 1995, I along with Tim Parks, Ron Moffett, Jack Lanterman and Dick Baird founded the Ohio Valley Giant Pumpkin Growers. I have served as secretary, treasurer and newsletter editor for twenty-three years. I have edited 68 newsletters (650 pages).
Our club is one of the world’s top clubs having won the Great Pumpkin Commonwealth’s Top 10 Average award eight times. We host our annual weigh-off plus two seminars and the summer picnic and tour.
I have spoken at the GPC seminar in Niagara Falls and at Epcot Center (Disney’s- The Land). I have organized the Seminars @ Sea on the pumpkin cruises.
For more about the Ohio Valley Giant Pumpkin Growers, go to our website: www.ovgpg.com