John Landa and Robert Stodola were both inducted into the WPVGA Hall of Fame.

 

John Landa was born in Boise, Idaho on July 8, 1930. He was raised on his parents’ potato farm in southwestern Idaho. He graduated from Homedale High School (ID) in 1947 and Washington State University in 1953 with a Business Degree.

 

John served in the United States Air Force from 1953-1957. He was a pilot flying air sea rescue. After discharge from the Air Force, he farmed in southwest Idaho until 1965.

 

In 1965 he moved with his wife, Aileen and family to the Columbia Basin in Washington state and developed new land on which he grew potatoes for the fresh market and processing.

 

In 1974, he moved to Ontario, Oregon and was employed by Ore-Ida Foods as a fieldman, covering Washington, Nevada and south-central Idaho. In 1978, he was transferred to Plover, Wisconsin and became the first Field Manager of Ore-Ida’s new potato processing plant. He served as the Field Manager in Plover for 16 years and under his direction, the size, scope and quality of potatoes grown by Wisconsin growers increased tremendously. He saw contracted volume go from 353,000 hundredweight in 1978 to 10 million hundredweight in 1994. Under John’s direction, the Plover field department cooperated with many area growers, started and nurtured many new growers, and held countless seminars and discussions aimed at increasing both the quantity and quality of Wisconsin potatoes. John’s work at Ore-Ida brought a great sense of financial stability to the Central Wisconsin area.

 

John has always been known as a very open and honest person. He was very supportive of the Wisconsin Potato & Vegetable Growers Association and served on various committees over the years. He received the WPVGA Associate Division Man of the Year Award in 1994.

 

John retired from Ore-Ida Foods in 1995. He was then employed by R.D. Offutt Co. of Fargo, North Dakota where among other duties, he managed and maintained potato storage facilities in Ontario, Oregon, Burley, Idaho and Plover. He retired from RDO in 2008. 

 

John has been married to his wife, Aileen for 57 years. They have six children, 16 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. They live in Richfield, Wisconsin.

 

 

 

Robert C. Stodola, was born March 8, 1948 in Brazeau Township, Klondike, Wisconsin, the second son of Elwyn and Emma (Hoffman) Stodola. Following his graduation from Coleman High School and a brief time at St. Norbert College, he served in the United States Army in Vietnam receiving two purple hearts.  He finished his Military service at Ft. Leonardwood in the Military Police.

 

In the fall of 1972, Bob joined the Wallendal family farm where he met his future wife, Carol D. Wallendal, and they were married on May 31, 1975 in Klondike, Wisconsin. This marriage was blessed with two daughters, Diane & Cathryn.

 

Bob was the President of Wallendal Supply Inc. in Grand Marsh, raising over 3,000 acres of potatoes and vegetables. He was a past board member and past president of the Wisconsin Potato & Vegetable Growers Association as well as serving on various committees.  He was Chairman of the WPVGA Governmental Affairs Committee for several years, and was President of the WPVGA Board during the time the Association formed a collaboration with the World Wildlife Fund, which in turn helped launch the Healthy Grown program. Wallendal Supply was one of the original farms to raise Healthy Grown potatoes and was honored by the National Potato Council and the Environmental Protection Agency with the Environmental Stewardship Award in 1996. 

 

Bob served as a Wisconsin delegate on the National Potato Council and was an active member of the Potato Marketing Association of North America. For a time he was also a member of the Grand Marsh Lions Club.  He enjoyed volunteering his time and services every year at the Grand Marsh Corn ‘n Tater Festival.

 

 

Bob passed away unexpectedly on June 26, 2009 at the family farm. He is survived by his wife and daughters as well as many other relatives and friends.

 

Write a comment...