James Jones

Inducted: 2009

A key figure in the North American co-op student housing movement for four decades, as well as a co-op ambassador who transcends his sector, James R. Jones is an inspirational leader whose passion and determination have touched the lives of countless individuals and communities with whom he has worked.

Through his career Jones served as Executive Director of four different student housing cooperative systems as well as of the North American Students of Cooperation (NASCO), purchased nearly 20 new cooperatives, promoted affordable housing co-ops for students, rescued nearly a dozen student co-ops from collapse, and helped devise several innovative systems to speed the pace of new co-op development nationally, including NASCO Properties and NASCO Development Services.

In addition, Jones has led hundreds of educational workshops throughout the nation and in four countries, assisted with raising capital to start a food co-op, started a credit union, served on national co-op boards, helped with the start-up of a personal assistance co-op, and documented the complete history of the student cooperative movement in North America. He also was instrumental in rebuilding the Emerging Leaders Conference as a vehicle to help ensure the development of the next generation of cooperative leadership.

 

Inducted:1999

Owen Hallberg led a distinguished career as a cooperative leader and educator. He began at the St. Paul Bank for Cooperatives, starting the first newsletter to be published by a bank for cooperatives. He then served as general manager of Dairy Maid Products Cooperative and spent eight years as Director of Member & Public Relations at Land O’ Lakes. He always focused much of his energy on communicating the importance of cooperatives.

Hallberg later became Chief Executive of the American Institute of Cooperation at a time when its future seemed questionable. He brought new vitality to the organization through his unselfish devotion and untiring efforts. According to one student, his “enthusiasm for cooperatives and the cooperative way of doing business was infectious.”

Over the years Hallberg spoke at more than 2,000 annual meetings, institutes, and workshops. He served on Boards such as The Cooperative Foundation, the National Dairy Council, both ACDI and VOCA, and the Minnesota Association of Cooperatives to name a few. He was an active member of the Cooperative Communicator’s Association and a founding member of the Wisconsin Federation of Cooperatives.

Throughout his life Hallberg served as a mentor to many young people forging careers in cooperatives. His was a great spokesman for cooperatives, and his efforts in the area of cooperative education go unmatched.

Inducted:1998

Dick Vilstrup, a Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison for 27 years and Professor Emeritus since 1989, is an outstanding educator whose work has touched thousands of people worldwide. He has a unique ability to teach and motivate people, and has used his talents to develop, form and improve the cooperative way of doing business.

Vilstrup has also been an active board member of the Central Livestock Association, Land O’Lakes, Farm Credit Services, and served for 18 years on the MSI Board. Using his talents and experience, he developed the National Cooperative Leadership Program used in director training programs throughout the country.

He has also encouraged cooperation among co-ops. He guided Farm Credit Service associations into developing combined services for members, assisted credit union leaders in adapting new member services, served on the team that developed the first co-op holding company, and facilitated several major efforts to coordinate and merge producer co-ops in the Midwest and Western states.

In addition, Vilstrup completed multi-state research projects addressing improved communications and leadership for co-ops, was one of the original founders of the University of Wisconsin Center for Cooperatives and Cooperative Development Services, and has served as the key resource to many livestock marketing co-ops.

 

Inducted:1996

Katharine Whiteside Taylor devoted her life to cooperation, education, children, and peace. As early as 1916 she pioneered the start of a cooperative preschool as a member of the American Association of University Women. She continued as a leader in 1927, organizing California’s first cooperative pre-school and becoming its first director. She was a true pioneer of the U.S. cooperative preschool movement.

Over the years she developed family life and parent education programs in Baltimore, Denver, Seattle, and California, and taught early childhood classes focusing on parent involvement. In 1954 she wrote a book for the guidance of parents in co-op preschools that is still in use.

An eloquent speaker, Taylor was always touting the benefits of co-ops. In the late 1950s she began an international newsletter for co-op preschools. In 1960 she set up a conference at which an international organization promoting cooperative preschools, the Parent Cooperative Preschools International, was formed. She served as advisor for this organization for the rest of her life.

Taylor’s reach extended far beyond the United States, sharing her expertise in Canada, New Zealand, Asia, and Europe. Children and families from all over the world have benefitted from her great foresight, spirit, and knowledge.

Luther H. Buchele

Inducted:1987

Luther H. Buchele came from a Kansas farm family that had belonged to cooperatives for years. As a student at the University of Kansas he lived in a cooperative house. This cooperative background played an important role in his career. He helped found the North American Students of Cooperative League (predecessor to the North American Students of Cooperation) in 1946 and served for two years as its executive secretary. In 1951 he moved to Ann Arbor where he served for 34 years as the executive secretary for the Inter-Cooperative Council, the governing body of student cooperatives at the University of Michigan. He expanded the 5-house, 170-member cooperative system on campus to a 23-house, 512-member organization.

Buchele is hailed by many as the ‘father of the student cooperative movement’ because the cooperatives he built served as models for those at other universities. He served as a coach and trainer for generations of college cooperators, many of who have become leaders in today’s cooperatives.