Loren Gafke, Columbia (1909-1967)

Loren Gafke will long be remembered and respected by Missouri dairymen for his work as state manager of the Missouri branch of the American Dairy Association.

Loren was born at Jefferson, Wisconsin, May 31, 1909. He grew rapidly as a boy and his son Roger says, “He had an adventuresome early childhood as he took full advantage of the Wisconsin wilderness for hunting and fishing expeditions in the north woods. He was a skilled athlete too, participating in football and track in high school and was a track letterman at the University of Wisconsin in the early 1930s.”

Loren met Adelaide Frances Rogers in Iowa City in the mid 1930s when he was traveling as a textbook salesman and she was a student at the University of Iowa. They were married June 9, 1936. During their marriage they had three children, Roger, who serves now as the Vice Chancellor for Development, University of Alumni Relations at the University of Missouri-Columbia. Arthur, who is district superintendent for the United Methodist Church in Chico, CA, and Lila, who holds a social work position in Colorado Springs, CO. The Gafke family moved from Jefferson, Wisconsin to Fredericktown, Missouri in early 1940 and Loren opened a dairy plant which he operated until 1948. There was great difficulty in acquiring sugar and other materials during the war years and the plant was discontinued.

In 1948, the Gafke family moved to Lake Mills, Wisconsin, a small community five miles from his boyhood home. He assumed the position of Associate Director of the American Dairy Association of Wisconsin. For three years he traveled extensively throughout Wisconsin encouraging dairy farmers to make a voluntary “set-a side” from their milk checks for advertising, research and marketing of dairy products. The success he enjoyed there led to his recruitment by the Missouri American Dairy Association to be the state manager in Missouri. He accepted that position in 1951 and moved his family to Columbia, Missouri.

He was a highly successful association executive, achieving one of the very best records for support from dairy farmers for the advertising, research and marketing of dairy products. He established a strong volunteer network of dairy producers throughout the state to assist in this effort.

In addition to his work with the American Dairy Association, Loren was active in the community as well as giving volunteer leadership to fund-raising and programming for the Missouri United Methodist Church and for the Great Rivers Boy Scout Council.

Loren died in July, 1967.