Liz Garst
A program at the Ottumwa Public Library made a stop at the OHS library.
According to information on the library's website, "Liz Garst, granddaughter of the famous Iowa farmers and citizen diplomats Roswell and Elizabeth Garst, likes to tell a good story. She manages banking and farming interests for the Garst family, and has a BA in English Literature, a MS in Agricultural Economics and a MBA. She is a board member and volunteer for Whiterock Conservancy, a non-profit land trust near Coon Rapids, which is dedicated to finding balance between agriculture, the environment and people. Whiterock Conservancy stewards the Roswell and Elizabeth Garst Farmstead, which is listed as nationally significant on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Garst Family has deep roots in the history of Iowa. Using her family experience in Coon Rapids, Liz recounts the history of agricultural development in Iowa, from early settlement through the fabulous mid-century explosion of farm productivity, based on the hybrid seeds, machinery, fertilizers and livestock technologies promoted by her grandfather. Liz tells how it came to pass that Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev and his family visited the Garst family in 1959, and recalls fun stories from her personal memories as an 8 year old participant. Imbedded in the entertaining story are history and economics lessons and a powerful message about the ability of an individual to make a difference."
The Ottumwa Public Library received funding from Humanities Iowa, a private, non-profit state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, to host this presentation.
