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Four placed into ag hall of fame

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By LISA NICELY
nicely@crescent-news.com
NAPOLEON — Four individuals were inducted into the ag hall of fame at the Henry County Fair on Sunday.
“These individuals will join an elite group in the hall of fame,” said Dusty Sonnenberg, of the Henry County extension office. “Not only are they outstanding agriculturists, but outstanding people as well.”
Those inducted include: Lowell Leatherman of Washington Township and Albert Huber of Monroe Township (both posthumously) and Theodore Fritz of Flatrock Township and Robert Baker of Pleasant Township.
Leatherman was a farmer and conservation pioneer in the Liberty Center area. He was active in several organizations including: Liberty Center Local School board, Liberty Center Elevator board of directors and the Liberty Township Zoning Board of Appeals. He was also active in his church, holding several leadership positions. Leatherman was the first recipient of the state farmer degree in the Liberty Center FFA in 1933.
Pete Leatherman accepted the plaque for his father.
“It proves how strong agriculture is in Henry County,” he said of those in the hall of fame.
Albert Huber was also a lifelong farmer. He farmed what was the homestead of his grandfather in 1856. Huber quite school after the eighth grade to help on the farm. He was active in the Farmers Union, and held many leadership positions at his church.
Shirley Gebers accepted the award for her father (Huber).
“I’d like to thank the community for honoring my dad,” she said. “He would have been 100 this year.”
Theodore Fritz not only farmed, but started a trucking businesses in the 1950s to haul straw, sugar beets and fertilizer. In the 1960s, he built a large grain storage facility and one of the first grain dryers in the area. At that same time, he was honored with the highest tonnage of sugar beets for the Findlay districts from a 138.7 acre farm. That acreage produced 776,431 pounds of sugar. Fritz also was a land developer. He put the first Holiday Inn in Defiance and another in Napoleon. He also built a bowling alley, movie cinema, skating rink and housing development in the area. Fritz has been a member of several organizations including the Lutheran Home board, Henry County Airport authority, Florida Local school board, Defiance College board of trustees, and was a founding member of the Henry County Community Foundation. He was also active with this church at the local and district level.
Baker is a grain and livestock farmer from the Holgate area. He also has worked as a land improvement contractor for 30 years helping clean ditches, dig surface drainage ditches and installing erosion control structures to increase the productivity of around 70,000-75,000 acres in Henry County and the surrounding counties. Baker is a member of Milk Marketing Inc. and the Land Contractor Association, he was also active in the Holgate PTA and band boosters. He has also served in several leadership positions at his church.