Jessens named 2010 Citizens of the Year

The results are in, the votes have been tallied and the Yuma Sun's 2010 Citizen of the Year award goes to … Jon and Caroline “Liney” Jessen.

The longtime Yuma couple and founders of The Gowan Company, a Yuma-based, family-owned crop protection company, share the honor this year, a highly guarded secret — even from the Jessens — until today's announcement.

“Jon and Liney have always felt Yuma is a great place to live and work and they put their support behind anything that improves the quality of life here,” said Helen Coffeen, who nominated the Jessens.

Other  2010 nominees: Howard Blitz, Pat Cooley, Robert and Nancy Filbey, Kate Killman, Kristy L. McLaughlin, Jim and Tina Oldfather, Edward Russell and Elaine Yates

Jon Jessen arrived here in 1958, soon after returning from Korea and after finding a job in Yuma, 500 miles south of his home.

“Here I met, and within a year, married a schoolteacher. She was the youngest daughter of a farmer who, with his father, cleared their farm around 1915,” Jon explained in a Gowan publication.

“Liney taught school, made our home and raised our four children while helping me as I struggled to establish a new business scouting cotton, alfalfa, grass seed and vegetable crops.”

Jon described those early years as a “blur,” but he remembers Yuma as a place “where heat, isolation, fresh water and sweet dirt met an unconnected, uncapitalized and inexperienced youth, proved a hot forge and solid anvil for our new business.”

He called it Growers Scientific Services, which over 44 years grew into The Gowan Company.

“What a surprising adventure Gowan has been,” Jon wrote in 2007. “I have had a 50-year love affair with crop protection.

“The commitment of the Jessen Family has been unwavering. We are a team that is fired and focused by our commitment to agriculture.”

And it is through their business that they employ and pay benefits for close to 400 employees in the Yuma area, noted Coffeen, principal of Centennial Middle School.

“In 1996, The Gowan Company bought the old post office and, under the Historic Commission's guidelines, completely restored it for their world headquarters,” Coffeen said.

“They also bring in people from all over the world for meetings and they entertain them and showcase Yuma.”

In her nomination letter, Coffeen listed plenty of reasons why the Jessens should be honored with this award.

“Over the years the Jessens have given unselfishly of their time and resources to benefit the education of young people in our community. Jon has been a Crane Governing Board member and Liney was a teacher in Gadsden,” Coffeen wrote.

She pointed out that they have given scholarships to local high school graduates since the mid-1980s. They have contributed to establishing the Arizona Western College Agricultural Program as well as athletic programs, Yuma High Choralairs and other clubs in the community. They have also given to many areas of the Yuma Catholic High School.

Over the past four years, the Jessens have given more than $500,000 to establish the Gowan Achievement Project (GAP) at one elementary and the two middle schools in the Crane District, according to Coffeen.

“The program gives capable students an academic opportunity to focus their time and energy on science and math achievement through reading and writing to prepare them for college,” Coffeen said, adding, “They also honor master teachers with incentives to teach in the program.”

Coffeen also noted that the Jessens have contributed to the health of the community; Liney has served on boards ranging from the Arizona Health Advisory Board to the University of Arizona Alumni Board.

“She has been instrumental in hosting medical doctors who speak to high school students, people in the medical field and in the community,” Coffeen said.

“They have helped fund a program through the University of Arizona to provide science labs and materials for middle school science teachers.”

In addition, they have made contributions to the Yuma Regional Medical Center Health Care Centers located in the local schools.

They have also assisted the YMCA and a small business owner of a gym in their program toward a healthier Yuma community. “They set a personal example of fitness and encourage others to exercise on a daily basis,” Coffeen said.

Through the University of Arizona, the Jessens were instrumental in bringing Pharm Camp to Yuma for middle school students interested in the medical field.

The Jessens are great supporters of local artists, Coffeen noted, adding that the Caroline Lott Jessen Trust is a large donor to the Yuma Fine Arts Association.

“Jon and Liney have wonderful collections of artwork at their own home and their business. The Gowan Company housed not only furniture and art from Mexico, but also murals and other commissions by local artists,” Coffeen said.

“Their home and backyard at The Gowan Company have been the site of exhibitions and other arts-related events over the years.”

Coffeen also pointed out that the Jessens have been involved in the community in many areas. “They not only generously give of their resources, but they give of their time. They attend many functions at the art center, athletic events, events at Yuma Catholic High School, etc.

“They observe classrooms in the GAP program on a regular basis and meet with the administration to stay informed. Many times they are the ones attending an award night to personally give scholarships to students.

“They encourage and attend the speakers' presentations who come to Yuma as well as attending the culminating presentation by students attending the Pharm Camp.”

Judging was done by a panel of eight Yuma Sun directors and editors and 11 past Citizens of the Year: Mary Cordery (1990), Mike Foree (1996), Thad Jennings (1997), Cathy Reeves (2000), Bob Sloncen (2001), Gary Pasquinelli (2003), Bob McLendon (2004), Marci Rios (2005), Barbara Rochester (2007), Pat and Frank Cooper (2008) and Dick Rautenberg (2009).

Mara Knaub can be reached at mknaub@yumasun.com or 539-6856.

1947 — MAURICE HACKETT

1948 — MARIEL HOPKINS

1949 — R.H. McELHANEY

1950 — FRANK BROWN

1951 — J.P. ELLINGTON

1952 — AL FACE

1953 — GEORGE BRITT

1954 — FRANK WICKS

1955 — HAROLD C. GISS

1956 — HOMER KRYGER

1957 — SAM DICK

1958 — D. GERALD NUNNALEY

1959 — CONNIE WICK

1960 — RAY WALKER

1961 — CLARISSA WINSOR

1962 — DR. A.J. OCHSNER

1963 — DR. JOHN WILHELMY

1964 — TOM ALLT

1965 — ROSEMARIE GWYNN

1966 — JOHN CONSAUL

1967 — B.V. STURDIVANT

1968 — HOWARD GWYNN

1969 — DR. HAROLD GORDON

1970 — PETE WOODARD

1971 — BOB DENMAN

1972 — JAMES DEYO

1973 — JIM JEFFERSON

1974 — TRAVIS YANCEY

1975 — DR. FLORENCE BRAND

1976 — MULFORD WINSOR

1977 — JACK CHAVEZ

1978 — HELEN THOMAS BENNETT

1979 — THE REV. WILLIAM WATKINS

1980 — MARY STUTTS

1981 — JOE ATMAR

1982 — JOE LLEWELLYN

1983 — ROBERT J. MOODY

1984 — GWEN ROBINSON

1985 — WALT KAMMANN

1986 — ANN AUTREY

1987 — GEORGE H. WHEELER

1988 — LOIS AND BILL BRITAIN

1989 — MARGARET SAXTON-SMITH

1990 — MARY CORDERY

1991 — DORIS RIDER-GREESON

1992 — JO OCHSNER

1993 — PAT CALLAHAN

1994 — HOWARD GWYNN III

1995 — RON WATSON

1996 — MIKE FOREE

1997 — THAD JENNINGS

1998 — DEBBIE AND JIM WARD

1999 — DR. ROBERT CANNELL

2000 — CATHY REEVES

2001 — ROBERT SLONCEN

2002 — GLEN CURTIS

2003 — GARY PASQUINELLI

2004 — BOB McLENDON

2005 — MARCI RIOS

2006 — DR. JAMES K. PAQUIN

2007 — BARBARA ROCHESTER

2008 — FRANK AND PAT COOPER

2009 — DICK RAUTENBERG