National Farmers Union 100th Anniversary

DENVER—Forty-seven Rocky Mountain Farmers Union (RMFU) members leave Friday to attend National Farmers Union’s 100th Anniversary Convention, to be held Mar. 1-4, in Irving, Tex. The convention will mix the organization’s business with historic reflection.

National Farmers Union was founded in Point, Tex., near Irving, in 1902 and will return to the small town for part of the centennial celebration. Activities in Point will include a visit to the cemetery where many of NFU’s founders are buried and to the Smyrna Church where the first public Farmers Union meeting was held. A depiction of the first meeting will be staged by NFU’s 2002 Senior Youth Advisory Council.

NFU policy priorities for the next year will be debated and adopted on Monday, Mar. 4. Among the priorities to be discussed will be a Special Order of Business proposed by RMFU delegates, calling on the U.S. Justice Department and the Federal Communications Commission to prevent or highly regulate the proposed merger between satellite service carriers EchoStar and DirecTV. Delegates to the NFU convention also will elect a new president as Leland Swenson, NFU president since 1988, resigns. In addition, 15 counties within RMFU are slated to receive National Farmers Union Leadership Award for an increase in membership and a qualifying program of work.

RMFU members attend NFU’s 100th Anniversary Convention in Irving, Tex., are:

Colorado:
Richard & Bernice Wolf, Ault
Judy Pappenheim, Aurora
Sherry Leach, Boulder
Ron & Sally Harms, Brighton
Les a& Norma, Brown, Brighton
Edward and Joann Hansen, Brush
Audrey Rosenbrock, Brush
Charles & Betty Klaseen, Crawford
Bob Mailander, Denver
Edwin & Hazel Jess, Ft Morgan
Holly Ferguson, Ft. Collins
Kaprice Franke, Greeley
Barb Marty, Henderson
Elwin & Dreama Poe, Holyoke
Dale & Majorie Colglazier, Holyoke
Rudy Valdez, LaJara
Wade Wilson, Lewis
Jean Alderfer, Lewis
Virgil & Jan Kochis, Matheson
Krista Algien, Meeker
John Noffsker, Monte Vista
John & MarianStencel, Parker
Michael Goranson, Peetz
Dorys Fehringer, Peetz
Marilyn Wentz, Strasburg
Jim and Dorothy Brophy, Yuma

New Mexico:
Paul & Annie Stout, Broadview
Charles & Clella Petty, Clovis

Wyoming:
Fred Macy, Pine Bluffs
Mike Gardner, Pine Bluffs
Marvin & Sheila Schmidt, Riverton
Carl Jensen, Wheatland
Janell Jensen, Wheatland