Jack Eugene Eberspacher
Eulogy given at Vienna Presbyterian Church
by Gary H. Baise
July 11, 2009
This is a sad day for the Eberspacher family but let’s take a few moments to celebrate the wonderful life and accomplishments of Jack.
One news outlet said it best this week when it declared in a headline about Jack Eberspacher, “Agriculture Loses Another Champion.” That headline can also be read as the Eberspacher family lost another champion. We all have lost a champion, a good American, a wonderful son of Max and Lois, husband of Jinger, father of Sam and Maggie, brother of Susan and Val, and all of us have lost a dear champion, colleague and friend.
Jinger, the Eberspacher family, guests and friends, we are here today to say goodbye to Jack.
Jack was born and reared in the American heartland of Beaver Crossing, Nebraska. He grew up in Beaver Crossing where men are measured by their honesty, hard work, and commitment to their families. Jack’s life exemplified the values of hard work, honesty, modesty, lack of pretension. For those of you who have ridden in or seen Jack’s 1998 well worn Blue Buick, you understand what I mean by this! His word was his bond, always ready to lend a helping hand. He believed one’s reputation is the most prized possession, and he loved his family, his children, and his friends.
For all of us here today there is a tremendous loss of a husband, father, son, brother, friend, or colleague. That is as it should be. But let’s take a few moments to step back in time over the last 55 years to review Jack’s wonderful life, the foundation the life came from, and the influences on his life that led him here to Washington and into our lives.
Jack was the second child of Lois and Max Eberspacher with Susan the first born and Val the younger brother. The Eberspacher family is a large prominent German family from Beaver Crossing, Nebraska. Jack’s great grandfather had 12 children – 6 boys and 6 girls. The family has always been prominent in agricultural activities. In fact, a young man named Clayton Yeutter used to compete at the Nebraska State Fair in showing animals against Max, Jack’s father. As Clayton will tell you, this was a first rate competitive agricultural family that Jack was born into.
Jack, like many young farm boys, was soon on a tractor. We used to swap stories on how young each of us were when our fathers first turned us loose on a tractor. Jack’s father recently told me Jack was about 8 or 9 when given the responsibility of running a tractor with an implement with some parental help like stopping the unit before running through a fence. Max told me Jack told him he could turn the tractor around at the end of the field because he did not need his father’s help anymore. So at a very early age, Jack started showing self confidence and expressing himself and being able to express it well toward others – traits that served him well throughout his life.
Two stories top the list about Jack during his years on the farm. One involved his talent in livestock judging which started in the early days of his 4-H career. This love for agriculture began on the farm in Nebraska and in the 4-H program. Jack had a knack for and was an expert in his ability to raise and judge show cattle in competitions. In fact, Jack and Val had figured out what appealed to judges and Jack went on to win many competitions throughout the state of Nebraska and in the 1970s won 3rd at the Chicago International Livestock show and in 1972 won the largest 4-H livestock show in Nebraska and in the nation with his show steer.
Now, the secret can be told about a secret room at the Eberspacher farm. Clayton, now you may understand why the Eberspacher family won so many prizes. Jack and Val rigged up a secret room for preparing their show steers. After feeding them, they would make the show steers stand on a sloped angle for up to 3 hours causing stress on weigh to the hind quarters of the animal. This caused the Eberspacher show steers to develop bigger muscles and hindquarters which was what the judges graded highly. Already in 4-H and high school, Jack was figuring out the angles, solving the problems, meeting expectations and literally being awarded championship ribbons.
One other story about Jack’s competitiveness. He was an excellent basketball player for Centennial High School. One night Jack was playing against the leading scorer of one of the leading teams in the Nebraska, and Jack was assigned to guard this 6 foot plus 250 pound player. Jack weighed about 200. At the end of the game, Jack’s team won, and he had held the top scorer in the state scoreless. Jack then went on to the local community college to play basketball. Maggie and Sam, you now can see where you get some of your competitiveness. After one year, Jack moved on to the University of Nebraska majoring in animal science. He also knew a girl from back home and after all, Jack was no dummy. He married the University of Nebraska homecoming queen. Here was a girl, Jinger Jorgenson, who knew her animals, too, because she showed Duroc hogs in 4-H as well.
Upon graduation and marriage to Jinger in 1977, Jack went back to work with his father, but the horizons were beckoning Jack and Jinger. Jack became a cattle buyer for a local packing house, and Jinger went on to complete her Masters Degree at the University of Nebraska. During this time, Jack and Jinger decided she should go for her PhD degree which she obtained in 1984 at Oklahoma State University and Jack was also working at the University. Later they moved to Georgia where Jack managed a cattle operation but decided that was not for him.
Jinger in 1987 was offered a position at Texas Tech University in the marketing department, and Jack began working on his Masters Degree for an MBA. While doing so, Jack learned of and applied for a position at the National Grain Sorghum Producers Association. Bill Kubecka, who is here today from Texas, did not sit on the committee hiring Jack but said this guy was different after first meeting him. Bill said Jack was a visionary. Jack saw things differently. Jack saw there was a changing perception of agriculture and if sorghum had a chance of competing with corn, new leadership was required. Jack set about putting sorghum producers on the map in Washington. He put Bill in charge of dealing with Congress. Jack saw producers like Bill and his wife, Maxine, who are both veterinarians, had credibility to speak for agriculture. Also, Jack saw research as a key and expanded that portfolio so sorghum could better compete with corn and hired Tim Lust to head up that research. Tim succeeded Jack and is here today from Texas.
Jack, Tim, and the team were so successful at Sorghum in building the membership and financially they were able to build a new headquarters building in Lubbock, Texas. You can see it to this day as you drive in from the Lubbock airport. I met Jack during this period of his life, observed, and worked with him the remainder of his life.
In 1998, he called one day and said a headhunter called him to discuss a position as Chief Executive Officer of the National Association of Wheat Growers. He was coming to town for interviews. He went through the process, and suddenly it was down to 3 and Jack was one of the 3. It was a weekend, and we met at Mark Fahlburg’s home. Mark had lived and worked summers on the Eberspacher farm, and Mark is the guy who tipped me off about the “secret room”.
This move to Washington was a very tough decision for Jack as to whether he should accept if offered the position. Jinger, he did not want to disrupt your career teaching at Texas Tech, and he did not like the idea of living around Washington, D.C. Jack loved his work at Sorghum Producers Association. He believed he was making a real difference for them in farm policy and in disputes with EPA.
In the end, in August, 1998, Jinger and Jack uprooted Sam and Maggie from Lubbock, Texas and moved to their dream home in Vienna, Virginia. Jack became CEO of NAWG, representing the wheat producers nationwide. Jack was so proud to be head of a second major commodity group composed of wheat growers in the U.S. But not all was well with NAWG.
In October of 1998, he discovered the financial picture of NAWG was not what it had been portrayed as being. He called me to his office where we examined the books and called the NAWG President, Bill Flory, who is here today from Idaho, and his Executive Committee. Needless to say, there was shock at what we had discovered as we described what we had found. Jack was not sure there was enough money to pay the staff, let alone his salary. Jack’s entire history came into play as he did not panic. He worked with the wheat producers, told them exactly what he found, and how the problems needed to be solved. He also told Jinger each night what was happening by saying “you are not going to believe this…”. For example, one day we learned that NAWG had not paid its property taxes, and the building it owned on Capitol Hill was about to be auctioned off in less than a week by the District of Columbia to satisfy a tax lien.
These were the types of challenges Jack loved. He subscribed to the old adage, “there are no great men in life, only challenges ordinary men rise to meet. “ Jack had figured out how to make a steer’s rump wider so he figured he could win over the D.C. tax bureaucracy and he did. NAWG still owns its building on Capitol Hill today because of Jack. Jack turned around the organization, righted the finances, and built a powerful PAC. Because of his visionary leadership at NAWG, the wheat producers are one of the strongest commodity groups in Washington today.
Jack’s turnaround of NAWG did not go unnoticed. Some members who contributed to NAWG and to NAWG’s Foundation, like Neil Strong, were concerned about the status of the Agricultural Retailers Association.
Again, Jack was approached by Neil to determine his interest in this new opportunity. His interest was low in changing jobs because NAWG was making major strides in turning itself around under his leadership. Jack also enjoyed the prestige his new position carried. He called me one day in great glee telling he had just been invited to the White House for some meeting on a farm bill problem. He asked what he should do. I said go to the meeting which he said was in one hour. “Don’t waste time talking to me. Tell them what wheat producers want and deserve.” This was the first of many times that the 4-H champion was the champion of the wheat growers as he had been for the sorghum growers. Max, I do recall him saying one time, “I just wish Dad could be here one time and go to a meeting with me at the White House.” Max, he was so proud of you and what you and Lois had done for him. He would have loved for you to have seen the fruits of your effort.
Jack moved on to take the challenge at ARA. At least there, he had been told of its challenges. Once again, he, along with a team he brought in, changed the fortunes of another agricultural organization which number among its corporate members, billion dollar plus companies and small rural suppliers of agricultural inputs that keep American agriculture the most productive in the world. As one key member, Richard Gupton, of the ARA staff told me, “Jack was a visionary” which again takes me back to that secret room in the barn. Jim Thrift, a Senior Officer on Jack’s team at ARA, said one of Jack’s great strengths was his clarity of goals, his planning, and getting out of the way to allow his people to execute. All signs of a visionary leader.
Not only was Jack a visionary leader, but I have heard time and time again how he was a mentor to many individuals. One young lady who worked for Jack in Lubbock, Texas, told me he changed her life because he had faith in her abilities. In fact, this young lady went from being the receptionist to virtually running the office for the sorghum growers. She is but one example of how Jack cared for his staff like family.
Jack was very giving with his time to friends. He always had a complete tool kit and was willing to bring these and his wood working ability to help his friends and neighbors. Also, he was a great craftsman with minute attention to detail around his own home, and I would urge you to take a look at the magnificent deck that he designed and built for the family.
Jack’s attention to detail was not only exhibited in his work, but in anything he committed to doing. For example, I ran for Chairman of this county’s board two years ago. This was a massive undertaking because Fairfax County, population wise is larger than 8 states. Jack was with me virtually every weekend meeting strangers, handing out literature and walking in parades. He never met anyone that he did not strike up a conversation with. In fact I had to admonish him on occasion that he was not making friends for life, just making introductions and asking for the person’s vote. He loved campaigning and meeting thousands of people. This was quintessential Jack. He enjoyed making friends for life.
Lois, Jack and I used to go out for hamburgers at the Post Pub in downtown Washington not far from his office. He was always commenting that this is certainly not as good as Mom’s. Now I know why. When you told me about a runza, I did not know what you were describing until you explained it. I suspect most of you here have not heard of a runza which is a hamburger cooked with cabbage or sauerkraut and onion mixed with mushroom soup, wrapped in dough and then baked. It sounds terrific, and I cannot wait to have one that you have prepared.
Max and Lois, you would be very proud of how he carried forth the values you instilled in him of treating people fairly, and as you yourself would like to be treated. He was a true gentleman at work as he was in life.
Maggie and Sam, I cannot express in words how proud of you he was. Your intellectual and athletic ability was frequently a topic of discussion when we rode into work together. Although, Maggie, on occasion he did have some concern about your driving ability! I told him not to worry about that. My daughter had had some of the same problems not being able to see vehicles behind her.
Sam, Jack was so proud of your going to Thomas Jefferson High School, which for those of you who are not aware, TJ, which it is called in this area, has been listed as the number one high school in the United States. Until Sam could drive, Jack drove Sam to school in Alexandria every day and was pleased and proud to do so. I never will forget the times he would leave work early to be at your events or he would tell me about some extraordinary trip the family had made to take one or both of you to some athletic event outside of this area. He was all that I have described him to be in terms of a leader but to you, I saw an extraordinary father and someone dedicated to providing the very best for the two of you and your mother.
Jack also loved working with you on projects around the home. For those of you not aware, Jack had a great hobby and expertise in wood working and design. In short, Jack was a great tinkerer and fixer.
Jinger, you have lost your partner, and that’s what the two of you were…great partners in life and in marriage. The support Jack gave to you in obtaining your education is extraordinary, and your support of him has been extraordinary. To leave your tenured position at Texas Tech University was a selfless act not only for Jack but for your children. Jinger, you surely are that woman described in portions of Proverbs, Chapter 31…a wife of noble character who is worth far more than rubies, brings good to her husband, not harm all the days of her life. She sets about her work vigorously. Her arms are strong for her tasks. She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she can laugh at the days to come. Jinger, you surely have honored yourself in stepping back from your career to support Jack and these children. You certainly have demonstrated that…”homemaking is unique in combining the most menial jobs with the most meaningful tasks. It is a challenge to accommodate others without losing one’s own identity. It is a demanding pursuit, but as you have found out, the fringe benefits are terrific.”
So in conclusion, there is an object lesson in all that I have described this afternoon about this good and decent man and the Eberspacher family. There is something about the Midwest and the Great Plains which once again demonstrates the extraordinary…”ability of this part of the country to yield up from the most unremarkable origins the most remarkable of men.”
Good bye, Champion. Good bye, my friend. Godspeed.