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 John
Leatherbury, a 27-year mainstay as a valued employee of 1st
Farm Credit Services, died suddenly of a brain aneurysm
while on a business trip in Normal on Friday, May 14, 2004.
He was 49 and lived in Sugar Grove.
Leatherbury, who
most recently served as Vice President of Marketing, was a
second-generation Farm Credit System employee. He joined the
Federal Land Bank in St. Louis as a marketing specialist in
1977. In 1986, he was asked to serve on the senior
management team for Farm Credit Services Northern Illinois
in Kaneville as their chief marketing and communications
officer. As Vice President of Marketing for 1st Farm Credit
Services, John was responsible for media relations;
implementation of the organization’s marketing programs; and
the Country Spirit publication, which he founded.
“John saw the
career his uncle Albert Moore had with the Federal Land
Bank, and interviewed when he graduated from college on his
prompting,” said Teri Leatherbury, John’s wife. “I know that
his uncle was proud another generation worked for the Farm
Credit system.”
“John will be
remembered as a dedicated employee and devoted husband. He
was a thoughtful person with a delightful sense of humor,”
said 1st Farm Credit President and CEO Wayne Gustafson. “His
incredible knowledge of our organization and industry, as
well as his expertise, will be greatly missed.”
In the beginning
Leatherbury was
born in Coldwater, Mich., the son of Ralph and Mildred. He
grew up in Sherwood, Mich., where he attended Union City
High School, Union City, Mich. He graduated Magna Cum Laude
from Central Michigan University in 1977 with a bachelor’s
degree in Broadcast and Cinematic Arts. While attending
college he was a news reporter and photographer for the
Union City (Mich.) Register Tribune.
In 1980 he
married his wife Teri, whom he met working at the St. Louis
Federal Land Bank. Teri said employees at the Land Bank had
much to do with their meeting, and she credits them for
their marriage to this day. “They are still good friends,”
she said.
Remembering a co-worker and friend
Pete Petges, regional vice president for 1st Farm Credit,
remembers John as someone who was just what they needed when
he joined their team in Northern Illinois in 1986. “John
made sure we understood the importance of client
relationships and the difference between product features
and client benefits. He was a consummate professional. He
won awards for
Country Spirit, but the focus was always on his clients
and team members, never on himself.”
Jon Cunningham,
freelance photographer for Country Spirit, shared
that “working with John was always fun and usually
educational for both of us. We both learned that there is
much more to Illinois agriculture than corn, beans and
livestock. Those were the staple products in our stories,
but many of our travels took us to more unusual agricultural
destinations.”
Quoted in a
recent edition of the Stonghurst, Ill. Hancock-Henderson
Quill, in a story about the Dowell family, a
western-Illinois beef producing family, Leatherbury said:
“We like to profile clients in Country Spirit who are
doing something special in their operation or community.
Through our publication, we try to feature and celebrate the
diversity of agriculture and the unique characteristics and
strengths traditionally found in the farm and rural
community.”
Executive Vice
President and Chief Credit Officer Gary Ash said John was a
champion for the client. “Whether we were having a strategic
discussion, looking at a change in our product offerings, or
how we processed loan requests; John always made sure we
considered what was in the best interest of the client and
shareholder.”
Keith Braucht,
senior vice president reflected on his and John’s tenure
with the Farm Credit System. “I had the privilege of knowing
and working with John. His talent and expertise will be
missed, but the greatest loss is I have lost my old friend.”
“In many ways
John reflected the heritage and bright future of Illinois
agriculture. We all have shared in his special gifts and for
that we are richer and more complete,” stated Terry Hinds,
vice president of client value.
Award winning work
Leatherbury was a
member of the Cooperative Communicators Association. He
served on the board of directors for many years and was
president of the organization from 1988-1989. He received
the organization’s Michael Graznak Award for Outstanding
Young Communicator in 1986. He also received several awards
for excellence in communications from the association.
Leatherbury
served as a 5-year member of the National Agri-Marketers
Association and won numerous awards from them and the Farm
Credit System.
Keith Scoggins, 1st Farm Credit attorney and co-worker for
14 years at their Sycamore office, noted that “Country
Spirit is the standard by which Farm Credit publications
will always be judged. He made a difference.”
“John considered
Country Spirit a major professional accomplishment,”
said Teri. “He felt it important to communicate to Farm
Credit borrowers, and enjoyed compiling stories about both
traditional and diverse kinds of agriculture in Illinois.”
A little more personal
On more than six
occasions, Leatherbury made use of his extensive travels to
bring readers of Country Spirit an international
angle. Teri said John took time on his vacations to learn
about agriculture in another country.
Two stories arose
from travels in Greece. In 1994, John wrote about an olive
grove operation in Zakynthos, as well as a vineyard in
Santorini. On trips to Ireland, the Leatherburys brought
home a story about the Ireland Department of Agriculture, as
well as a small farming operation in County Meis. However,
Teri said that the most rewarding for John were the two
stories he wrote while they stayed at a family farm in
Scotland.
“We stayed with
Celia and Robert Pickup, like the truck,” she said. “They
name their farms in Scotland, this one was named Craigadam.
The Pickups were real entrepreneurs. They raised sheep, as
well as pheasants and allowed others to hunt on their
ground. They also had an extensive timber operation. John
really enjoyed their story.”
An avid gardener,
Leatherbury planted and nurtured a large vegetable garden
each year at his brother-in-law’s home in Somonauk, and a
flower garden at their Sugar Grove home.
“It was a
standing joke that we owned a low maintenance, wooded lot,”
Teri said. “Each year at a local plant sale, we’d purchase
so many plants that the people checking us out ask if we are
starting a new yard. John often claimed he dug 10,000 holes
in his yard.”
“He would talk of
his gardening woes and mishaps, only to bring in produce
every year to share with us in the office,” said Petges.
His interest in
his hometown’s history, as well as his family lines, also
occupied much of his spare time. He belonged to the Sugar
Grove Family Past Finders Genealogical Society, the Branch
County Michigan Genealogical Society and the Fox Valley
Genealogical Society.
“He recently told
me of some distant relationship he had traced back to
Buffalo Bill Cody. We discussed whether this was good or
bad, John just thought it was interesting,” said Petges.
“John found an ancestor of his that was a prisoner of war in
Canada during the Revolutionary War,” said Teri. “I think he
really enjoyed the stories of people as much as the fact
finding.”
His family,
friends and colleagues will remember John as a quiet, warm
and thoughtful person with an incredible sense of humor that
would shine through at just the perfect moment.
“John was proud
of his career in Farm Credit and his work in the agriculture
industry. He would support it in any way,” said Teri. “He
believed the industry needed to change and be more
forward-thinking in order to survive, and he acted on his
cause.” Teri remarked that several legislators sent notes
to her on John’s passing, noting their appreciation for his
personal thoughts on ag issues.
A job well done
John himself
stated in the Fall, 2003 edition of Country Spirit,
“One of the most enjoyable parts of my job is having the
opportunity to get out on clients’ operations and having the
privilege to learn about them, their family and business –
and then to be able to tell their story to other readers.
Each story is unique; each is interesting. And I never fail
to learn something new each time.”
“I hope I have
been able to do justice in telling their stories,”
Leatherbury noted. “I hope readers enjoy them as much as I
enjoy doing them.”
Country Spirit
is a tribute to a job well done.
Memorial contributions for John may be made to the Sugar
Grove Historical Society, for Sugar Grove Family Past
Finders projects, P.O. Box 102, Sugar Grove, 60554.
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