Optimists of the Year winners announced

Joe Hornaday
Greensburg Daily News

April 28, 2008 02:27 pm

— John and Alberta Stewart were recognized by the Optimist Club for their community efforts and were awarded the James E. Greiwe Memorial Optimist of the Year Award this week.
The award was created in 1977 after the president at that time lost two sons in an accident. James E. Greiwe helped the club through that situation, and after developing multiple sclerosis, Greiwe received the first award.
“This is the highest honor we can give,” Optimist Club member and past president Merrill Smith said. “The recipients don’t apply for this, it’s given as a surprise.”
This year’s recipient, Stewart, was a retired farmer, seedsman and livestock breeder. He graduated from Purdue University with bachelor’s degree in agriculture in 1941. After three and a half years of military service during World War II, he went into partnership with his brother Gilman and father Arthur. Their business was a family farm, which is now known as Stewart Seeds. Stewart himself received an honorary doctorate of agriculture degree from his alma mater in 1974. Stewart’s portrait has hung in the Purdue Livestock Hall of Fame since 1972.
The farmer has received numerous awards throughout his life. He was a member, director and officer of many organizations including Farm Bureau, American Legion, the V.F.W., Decatur County Rural Couples Club, South Park Cemetery Board, the American Soybean Association, the Indiana Crop Improvement Board and the Purdue Ag Alumni Board.
He also served for 12 years on the Purdue University Board of Trustees and spent 34 years as a director of Decatur County Bank. Stewart is a member of the First Baptist Church, where he has previously served as deacon, trustee and Sunday school teacher. He also played the role of president for the American Baptist Churches of Indiana and served on the board of American Baptist Churches USA.
His wife Alberta Stewart also graduated from Purdue University in the same year as her husband. The two were college sweethearts and were married on March 14, 1942 in Greensburg. Stewart’s wife was a secretary for Stewart Seeds for a number of years while her husband ran the business.
“These two have done so many things for the community, mostly anonymously,” Smith said.
Stewart himself was humbled and honored to have been recognized by the Optimist Club.
“It was a wonderful experience,” he said. “It was a prestigious group of people who had received the award before me. I feel honored to be included in that group. My wife and I were surprised, and tears of joy came to my eyes.”

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