Life Membership in the Association is an honor granted by the Board of Directors to members who have had a longstanding record of service and dedication to the Association and the vegetable, potato or berry industries of the Commonweatlh.
Paul Rowe – Grower and former Director and President (deceased)
Norman Reber – former Editor of Pennsylvania Farmer magazine (deceased)
Charles Noll – former Associate Professor of Olericulture at The Pennsylvania State University (deceased)
Robert Fletcher – Professor Emeritus of Vegetable Crops Extension at The Pennsylvania State Univ. (deceased)
Ernest Bergman ‘87 – Professor Emeritus of Plant Nutrition at The Pennsylvania State University (deceased)
William Baronner ‘89 – Grower and former Director and President (deceased)
Cyril Smith ‘89 – Professor Emeritus of Plant Nutrition at The Pennsylvania State University (deceased)
Amos Funk ‘90 – Grower and former Director and President (deceased)
Louis Orient ‘91 – Grower and former Director and President (deceased)
Donald Daum ‘95 – former Professor of Agricultural Engineering at The Pennsylvania State University (deceased)
Thomas Jurchak ‘95 – former County Extension Director and Senior Extension Agent in Lackawanna Co. (deceased)
Arthur Pallman ‘95 – Grower (deceased)
Warren Thompson ‘96 – Grower and former Director and President (deceased)
Rudolph Grob ’01 – former Director and Secretary-Treasurer (deceased)
Boyd Mertz ’02 – Grower and former Director, President and Secretary-Treasurer, former Vegetable Marketing and Research Program Board member (deceased)
Wilfred Richards ’04 – Grower, former Director and President of the Scranton Cooperative Farmers Market (deceased)
Daniel Schantz ’05 – Grower, former Director and President, former Vegetable Marketing and Research Program Board member and Chairman
Peter Ferretti ’06– Professor Emeritus of Vegetable Crops at The Pennsylvania State University (deceased)
Robert Trax ’08 – Grower, former Director and President, former Vegetable Marketing and Research Program Board member (deceased)
Burton Hetherington ’09 – former Director and Manager of the Berwick Vegetable Cooperative (deceased)
Keith Eckel ‘10 – Grower, Agricultural Industry Leader and former Director
Jeffrey Mizer ‘10 – former Extension Educator in Snyder County
Herbert Pollock ‘11 – former Director and Sales Representative for Agway in western Pennsylvania
John Mason ‘12 – Grower, former Director, President and Secretary-Treasurer
Edward Hopkins ‘12 – Grower, Industry Leader, former Director and President (deceased)
Eric Oesterling ‘13 – former Extension Educator in Westmoreland County
Robert Leiby ‘13 – former Extension Director and Senior Extension Educator in Lehigh County
Scott Guiser ‘14 – former Extension educator in Bucks County
Richard Pallman ‘14 – Grower, former Director and President, and former Pennsylvania State Director of the Farm Service Agency, former Vegetable Marketing and Research Program Board member and Chairman
Glenn Hetherington ‘15 – former Director and President
Michael Orzolek ‘15 – Professor Emeritus of Vegetable Crops at The Pennsylvania State University and Director
David Zacherl ‘15 – Grower, former Director and President (deceased)
William Lamont Jr ’16 – Professor Emeritus of Horticulture and Extension Vegetable Crop Specialist at The Pennsylvania State University
Jonathan Grace ’16 – Grower, Farm Show Volunteer (deceased)
Robert Black ’17 – Grower, Convention Joint Committee Member and Industry Leader
Lee Stivers ’19 – Former Extension Educator in Washington County
Shelby Fleischer ’20 – Penn State Extension Entomologist
Steven Bogash ’21 – Industry Representative and former Penn State Extension Educator
Kathleen Demchak ’21 – Penn State Senior Extension Associate for Small Fruit
John Esslinger ’22 – Former Penn State Extension Educator in the Central Susquehanna Counties
David Miller ‘ 22 – Grower, former Director and President, former Vegetable Marketing and Research Program Board member and Chairman
Russell Redding ’23 – Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture