U.S.- Lithuanian
Leland H. Ruth receives U.S. cooperative community’s
highest honor

American-Lithuanian Leland H. “Lee” Ruth received the U.S. cooperative community’s highest honor on May 8, 2013 when he was inducted into the Cooperative Hall of Fame. The ceremony was held at the National Press Club in Washington D.C.

The Cooperative Hall of Fame award was established by the National Cooperative Business Association to honor individuals who have performed outstanding service in advancement of cooperatives as a business model.

His professional career focused on service to agricultural cooperatives, including 33 years with the Agricultural Council of California. His leadership helped establish the Center for Cooperatives at the University of California and the California Center for Cooperative Development. As co-chair of the National Rural Cooperative Development Task Force, he was instrumental in creating the Rural Cooperative Development Grant Program a USDA source of funding that now supports the work of 29 Cooperative Development Centers across the country.

Ruth is of Lithuanian heritage, with the family surname originally being Rutkauskas. In 1999 he served as a co-founder of the Auksuciai Foundation. This non-profit organizations' mission is to help small scale Lithuanian farmers succeed. It funds the Auksuciai Farm & Forestry Center near Kursenai, Lithuania. The Center conducts a year long program of research on new crops, improvement of existing crops and improved farming practices. This year marks the 14th year of service with a Farmers’ Field Day set at the farm on May 24, 2013.