COMMENTARY
Gene Ingalsbe:
telling the co-op story
Many years ago, when clearing some
copy for USDA’s co-op magazine, a
reviewer took offense at the statement
that “co-ops unite producers to promote
the general welfare.” “Sounds like communism!”
she huffed in a note. Gene
Ingalsbe, ever calm and level-headed,
responded with a copy of the source
material quoted: the preamble to the U.S.
Constitution! The reviewer withdrew her
objection.
Mr. Ingalsbe, who devoted his life to
helping farmers and other rural people
improve their lot through the development
and improvement of cooperative
businesses, died March 2 after a long
fight with cancer. Because of the work of
Mr. Ingalsbe, countless people in the
United States and around the world today
know about the cooperative business
structure: how they operate on the same
principles of democracy that this nation
was founded on, and how people can harness
the power of free enterprise to meet their needs by
building businesses they own and control.
Whether writing about how an effective co-op board
should function or compiling an up-to-date profile of the
nation’s agricultural cooperative sector, Mr. Ingalsbe was
often the central cog and connecting point between USDA’s
co-op program and the co-op sector. For many years, he
held the dual position of director of information and education
for USDA’s Agricultural Cooperative Service (now part
of USDA Rural Development). Before that, beginning in
1971, he was editor of USDA’s News for Farmer Cooperatives,
forerunner of Rural Cooperatives. Even after retiring in 1992,
he volunteered to work on overseas cooperative development
and other co-op projects.
Mr. Ingalsbe was writer and editor of numerous cooperative
education publications still widely used nationally and
around the world. He was committed to articulating the principles
and distinctive features that guide successful cooperatives
and saw communications and education as cornerstones
of effective cooperatives. Without solid communication and
education programs, he often noted, most cooperatives do
not survive from one generation to the next.
Mr. Ingalsbe was a graduate of
the University of Missouri School
of Journalism, and started his
career working for newspapers in
Iowa. It was there that he first
encountered the concept of a cooperative
when selling a newspaper ad
to a local farmers’ elevator co-op.
He worked at Farmland Industries
from 1957 to 1969 as managing
editor of the co-op’s member newspaper,
and then spent several years
in Cleveland as the editor of an
agricultural trade magazine before
heading on to USDA.
“Gene had a true grasp of cooperative
operations, in part because
of his previous work experience
with Farmland, and the ability to
write clearly and concisely about
them,” says Patrick Duffey, who
was magazine editor under Ingalsbe. “Through his magazine
articles and other publications, Gene brought insight into the
world of agricultural cooperatives. Throughout the cooperative
community and within the halls of USDA, he was considered
a master of the art of communications,” Duffey adds,
recalling Mr. Ingalsbe as “calm and patient — even in adversities
— and a great teacher.”
Mr. Ingalsbe was presented the H.E. Klinefelter award in
1980, the highest honor bestowed by the Cooperative
Communicators Association (CCA), for his achievements and
dedication to improving the communications programs of the
nation’s cooperatives. He referred to the award as his “doctorate
degree.” He was president of CCA from 1968-69.
Mr. Ingalsbe is survived by his wife, Joan Mae Ingalsbe of
Moyock, N.C., daughters Linda O’Connor and Lisa Klein,
sons Terry, Randy and Ted Ingalsbe, as well as his brothers
Wayne and David Ingalsbe and five grandchildren. He is also,
of course, survived by the rich legacy of his writings on cooperatives,
which continue to inform and inspire.
Dan Campbell, editor
