The Hamilton Heights High School theater students will hold a “Lantern Walk” through Cicero Cemetery from 7 to 9 p.m. on Saturday, April 22. The walk will include 12 stops at the gravesites of important folks in the history of Jackson Township.
The Reporter will publish a short biography of each of the 12 individuals in our online editions from Wednesday to Saturday for three weeks, concluding April 15.
Lawrence Beck is featured in today’s edition.
“ I am Lawrence Beck. In 1901, I purchased an 80-acre farm in Hamilton County, which served as the headquarters of Beck’s Hybrids. In 1937, my son Francis and I each planted a three-acre allotment of hybrid parent seed corn offered by the Purdue Botany Department. We planted the crop with a two row, horse-drawn planter and harvested it by hand. This became the first crop of Beck’s Superior Hybrids. In the following decades, my children and their children’s children became involved in the business, making Beck’s the largest family-owned operation and third largest of its kind in the United States. Although a lot has changed since 1937, a few things have remained the same. At Beck’s, my family and family of employees remain dedicated to giving back to the community, and to developing and growing the best performing seed products in the marketing area. My final resting place is the Emanuel Lutheran Cemetery on Mt. Pleasant Road.”
Source: www.beckshybrids.com
Interpreted by Tanner Orton