The Missing Annual Meeting

"Mr. L. L. Lowe was an early grower of hybrid corn and developed the Lowe Hybrid Seed Corn Company, Aroma Park, Illinois, into a large and successful seed company. He was appointed to the Board of Directors in 1938 and served on many committees until elected president in 1943. Mr. Lowe had to direct the destiny of ICIA through the trying years of World War II and in 1945 had to call off the annual meeting of the Association because of Federal restrictions of meetings and other activities using needed resources. During this time, the annual meeting of the Association was changed from February to June, and Mr. Lowe served as president until June 1946.” - Fifty Years of Service - A History of Seed Certification in Illinois 1922-1972.?

Looking back, you may ask why there were Federal restrictions in place. The war was over in 1945. VE Day was May 8 and VJ Day was August 15. Doing our best to exclude the knowledge that the end of World War 2 was near, we should imagine the winter of 1944-45. From December 16 to January 25, the Battle of the Bulge saw the small town of Bastogne as the only thing standing in the way of losing the port of Antwerp. In the Pacific, Allied forces initiated a return to the Philippines. An invasion of Japan was still in the planning stages. The world was still a very dark place and the eventual victory, less than a year away, was far from certain.

While 2022 marks 100 years of service this should be our 101st?annual meeting. Circumstances beyond our control may alter our day-to-day plans but our core values are what sustain us. I hope we can look back on the winter of 2021-22 as the end of the war against COVID. So, with a fraction of the optimism needed for a world war, please mark your calendar and make plans to join us! We look forward to a healthier 2022 and another century of service to the seed industry.???Calendar of Events (ilcrop.com)