SYCAMORE – For many former employees, DeKalb Genetics – also known as DeKalb Ag – wasn't just their place of work. Many say it was a second family.
And that's why dozens of former employees gathered Tuesday at the DeKalb County Farm Bureau building for the DeKalb Alumni Association's 33rd annual gathering.
The event has received some added attention this year as Monsanto – which purchased the company in 1998 and still uses the DeKalb brand name and "winged ear" logo to market agricultural seeds and other products – is celebrating the 100th anniversary of the brand.
That celebration is giving former employees a lot of pride.
"By honoring the original innovators from DeKalb, they also honor the city and county," association president Emerson Wells said.
Wells expects about 150 people to come to the celebration over its two-day span, which features games, silent auctions of DeKalb brand memorabilia and other entertainment.
The gathering continues today with a bus tour of Monsanto's research facilities in Waterman scheduled for this afternoon.
To honor the centennial anniversary, Monsanto brought in a film crew to interview many of the alumni for a special video montage to be released this winter. The brand's current manager, Jason Hoag, also spoke Tuesday about Monsanto's other plans for the celebration.
Some of those plans already can be seen by motorists driving along West Dresser Road. The DeKalb City Council in August approved placing the "winged ear" logo on the water tower as part of the 100-year celebration. The logo will be there through December 2012.
Another piece of the celebration is a custom-built motorcycle – recently unveiled at the Farm Progress Show in Decatur – from reality TV star Paul Teutul Jr. from
the Discovery Channel show
"American Chopper: Senior Vs. Junior."
The bike is scheduled to make an appearance February at the Top Producers Seminar in Chicago, but alumni got a glimpse of it via a video presentation Tuesday.
Doris Riippi, who worked with DeKalb Genetics for 40 years, said she was impressed with the historical details of the motorcycle. Its seat was taken from an old farm trailer.
"You could tell from looking at the bike that he really researched farming and its history," she said. "Hopefully this will get the younger crowd interested in the company and its history."
Getting younger people involved is crucial to the continued existence of the association, Riippi added. The gathering gets smaller each year because alumni either die or get too old to travel.
Millie Sulaver, an employee for "47 years and 90 days" who has already arranged to have a winged ear etched on her tombstone, remembers how young people would get to fields early to make sure they could sign up for corn detasseling work. That's how many employees launched a career with the company.
"It's been a big part of my life, and I'm just thankful I had the opportunity," Sulaver said. "I just feel sad for the kids now that don't have that opportunity."
The pride extends to the "younger generation" of employees such as Mari Duchaj, who was with the company for 12 years before its acquisition by Monsanto.
"Whenever I see [a winged ear], I go, 'Oh! I worked there,'" she said. "I'm still proud to say I worked at the DeKalb."
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