Inducted: 2002

Ralph Morris was committed to protecting and enhancing the cooperative enterprise throughout his entire 34 years as an attorney. He provided legal counsel to many organizations, always displaying his passion for cooperation. He was a pioneer who went beyond the call of duty to ensure that cooperative solutions were utilized wherever possible.

Ralph was always innovative when finding solutions to the problems facing his cooperative clients. For example, he helped create the first cooperative holding company in the United States, Cooperative Resources International, whose structure today serves as a national model. He was also responsible for the creation of numerous “new generation cooperatives”, and played a pivotal role in the restructuring of countless cooperatives to enable them to better serve their members.

Because of his personal commitment to cooperation, Ralph often volunteered his legal expertise, and at other times took his fees only if the newly created co-op succeeded. He spent countless hours educating Boards of Directors and management on cooperative principles. He even wrote legislation that molded and changed cooperative laws to protect and enhance cooperative principles. Undoubtedly, his untiring efforts and unique vision helped shape the cooperative system for years to come.

 

Inducted:2000

For more than four decades Richard Magnuson has been a tireless crusader for cooperatives and their member-owners. He is an exceptional mentor and leader, and has played a major role in shaping legislations, tax policies, and regulations for our nation’s cooperatives. He served as general counsel for Farmers Union Central Exchange (now Cenex), Land O’ Lakes, Inc., and Group Health Plan. He then joined Doherty, Rumble & Butler, where he started a producer-oreinted, value-added cooperative practice. Over the years he led many efforts to improve cooperative law, including revising co-op statutes in both Wisconsin and Minnesota.

In the arena of politics and legislation, Richard is widely known and respected as a great cooperative advocate. His accomplishments are far-reaching. Notably, as chair of NCFC’s Legal Tax and Accounting Committee, he helped lead the defense to save the Capper-Volstead Act. In addition, he mentored many attorneys and leaders in cooperatives today. He often volunteered his time to support co-op education, and convinced others to do the same.

Even now in his ‘semi-retirement’, he continues to work tirelessly to further his people-oriented ideals, volunteering his expertise to promote cooperative development in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and Africa.

Wilfred E. Rumble (1891-1971)

Inducted:1988

During his distinguished career with the St. Paul law firm of Doherty, Rumble & Butler, Wilfred E. Rumble was a tireless champion of the farmers’ right to organize and operate cooperative businesses. Toward that end, he worked for years to obtain appropriate enabling legislation. He was instrumental in the organization of such cooperatives as Land O’ Lakes and the Central Livestock Association in 1921, Midland Cooperatives in 1926, and the Farmers Union Central Exchange in 1931 and Farmers Union Grain Terminal Association in 1935 (both now CENEX Harvest States Cooperative).

In 1962, more than any other person, Rumble was responsible for obtaining amendments to the Internal Revenue Code that protected the tax status of cooperatives, thereby defeating the hostile efforts of the National Tax Equality Association. He also provided valuable input into maintaining and strengthening the cooperative laws of Minnesota and Wisconsin. Rumble possessed the personality, knowledge and prestige to command the respect of the nation’s largest cooperatives, thus establishing a united front in counteracting the foes of cooperatives.