ELROY
EDWIN "AL" GOLDEN
(May 28, 1923 - August 26, 2012)
DeKALB
– Elroy E. “Al” Golden, 89, of DeKalb, Illinois, died Sunday, August 26, 2012, at Kishwaukee Community Hospital, DeKalb.
Born May 28, 1923, on a farm at Manito, Illinois, son of Robert Edwin
and Maude (Bailey) Golden, he married Urla Meyer on September 28, 1947
in Manito. Elroy graduated from Pekin Community High School, Class of
1941. He farmed in partnership with his father
and brother Phillip for five years on a grain and livestock farm in
Central Illinois. He served in the US Army Infantry in World War II.
He
received his Bachelor of Science from the College of Agriculture,
University of Illinois with Bronze Tablet honors in
1950. In 1963, he received an MSBA and in 1970 a Doctorate of Education
in Business from Northern Illinois University. He studied Agricultural
Policy at Colorado State, Agribusiness at Harvard and Farm Appraisals at
the University of Wisconsin.
In 1950 he
began his Cooperative Extension Service career in Champaign County with
Farm Bureau, 4-H and Rural Youth Programs. He served as president of
4-H Memorial Camp. In 1954, promoted to Farm Adviser, he was hired by
DeKalb County Farm Bureau and the College of
Agriculture with responsibility for the Agricultural Extension Program.
His focus was on 4-H, soils and land use, dairy improvement, meat-type
pork and beef, national farm policy and understanding agriculture.
In
1963-64, he was Chair of the 4-H National Committee
of the National Association of County Agricultural Agents. He assisted
in the founding of the National Farm Policy Council that promoted the
“Soil Bank” idea. In 1966, Secretary of Agriculture, Orville L. Freeman,
presented Golden with the USDA Superior Service
Award “for unusual competence in developing and executing an
outstanding public affairs program that significantly improved the
understanding of the importance of agriculture in the economy”.
As Farm
Adviser for 16 years he made radio broadcasts over WLBK
and wrote a weekly newspaper column “Golden Nuggets” and a monthly
column “Golden Gab”. Farm Bureau, the Soil Conservation District,
Beef-Cattlemen, Pork Producers and Dairy Herd Improvement Association
expressed appreciation for his leadership. The local
Pork Producers and meat-type hog program enjoyed the largest membership
in the nation.
In 1970, he was promoted to Assistant State Leader in
Extension and named Full Professor in 1971. He was responsible as
program leader for all statewide Agriculture Extension
programs except Rural Development and Home Economics. He was
responsible for nine traditional program areas including Ag Economics,
Agronomy, Animal Science and others. In 1971 he chaired the University’s
Corn Blight Committee and was lauded by the University
of Illinois President Corbally and Secretary of Agriculture Clifford
Hardin.
DeKalb Ag Research hired him in 1973 where he served in
management of production services, seed operations, employee benefits
and real estate. For 20 years he managed the Thomas H.
Roberts family farms. He served on the Waterman State Bank Board for 45
years and chaired the board for 12 years. Illinois Seed Dealers
Association, during the energy crisis, named him to Senator Charles
Percy’s Energy Committee. Throughout the years he made
community service a central issue.
In the Methodist Church he served
many responsibilities including teacher, lay speaker, Council and
Trustee chairs. Named to the Bishop’s Council he worked on ordained
ministry and hunger coalition. He served on the Wesley
Foundation Boards in Urbana and DeKalb. As a DeKalb Kiwanian commencing
in 1954 he focused on “understanding agriculture” and received the
International’s highest awards – the Tablet of Honor plus a Hixson from
the DeKalb club. During more than six decades
he has volunteered in Kiwanis to serve the community in scores of
projects. He served as President and on nearly all of the committees
during this long tenure.
Other community involvement included: a Founder
of Oak Crest, Advisor to Kishwaukee College, High
School Agriculture Committee, Kishwaukee Health Services Council,
Illinois 4-H Foundation, preserving North Grove School, Natural Resource
Center at Russell’s Woods, NIU Foundation, Opportunity House, American
Cancer Society, Farm Bureau’s Ag Professionals,
DeKalb County Community Foundation and Land Use, DeKalb Ag Alums and
DeKalb Area Agricultural Heritage Association.
He served as Secretary,
Treasurer and President of the Illinois State Association of Farm
Advisers. He was grateful for eight scholastic honoraries and numerous achievement awards--the College of Agriculture and
Illinois’ Department of Agriculture Award of Merit, National County
Agents’ Distinguished Service, NIU Humanitarian Award, DeKalb Ag Alumni
lifetime membership recognition.
His hobbies
included nature appreciation, gardening and agricultural history. His
writings: history of Farm Bureau, history of Kiwanis, history related to
the “Ag” and a contributor to the agriculture chapter of Acres of
Change: A History of DeKalb County, Illinois, 1963-2012.
Intrigued by nature, he appreciated the interaction of sun, soil, seed,
air and water.
The legacies to DeKalb County Agriculture were the mass
open-pit barbecuing, pushing superphosphate over slower-acting rock
phosphate, and developing the leading soil-testing
laboratory of Farm Bureau and Extension.
In summarizing, his focus
centered on family, his positions as an agriculturist, his church
affiliation and the Kiwanis Club that encompassed service to others
locally and around the world. His strengths tended toward
the understanding of farmers and their families, the understanding of
all the broad aspects of agriculture, his passion for the conservation
of air, soil, water and wildlife resources and his ability to teach and
communicate the messages of the past and present
with a vision toward the future. His lifetime passion from the
beginning has centered on agriculture and its ability to produce a
reliable and quality supply of food and feed. The challenge he
envisioned is how to feed the world’s population of 9.2 billion
people by 2050 as projected by the United Nations’ Food and
Agricultural Organization. His concern focused on the ability of
leadership, natural resources and new technology to meet the
ever-increasing demand.
Al is survived by his wife, Urla; children Susan (Mel) Feinberg of
Gonzales, La., Scott (Lori) Golden of DeKalb; three grandchildren, Jerry
Feinberg of Gonzales, La., Tracy and Brian Golden of DeKalb; two step
grandchildren, Donna and Samuel Feinberg of La.;
two step great grandchildren, Sarah and Ben; and a step great, great
grandchild Madelyn of La.; three brothers, Phillip Golden of Manito, IL,
Reuben (Geneva) Golden of Sebring, Fla., Lowell (Nola) Golden of
Montrose, Col.,; and several nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents and sister-in-law, Wanda
Golden.
Visitation will be Thursday, August 30, 2012 from 10am to 11am followed
by a Memorial and Celebration of Life service at First United Methodist
Church in DeKalb with the Rev. Jon Hutchison and the Rev. Brian Gilbert
officiating. Interment will be at a later
date at Spring Lake Cemetery, Manito, Ill. Cremation has taken place at
Anderson Funeral Home.
In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to the Elroy Edwin “Al” Golden
Memorial Fund, for First United Methodist Church of DeKalb, the Kiwanis
Club of DeKalb and DeKalb County 4-H Foundation in care of Anderson
Funeral Home, Ltd., P.O. Box 605, 2011 South
4th Street, DeKalb, IL 60115.
For information, or call
815-756-1022.
