Transcriber: stan@wiclarkcountyhistory.org
Surnames: Wuethrich, Bender, Stump
----Source: Greenwood Gleaner (Greenwood, Clark Co., Wis.) 07 Feb 1963
"Last year, out of 10 million pounds of butter, less than 500 pounds were returned for any reason at all. With the cut-throat competition we have, the only way you can beat this game is with a high-quality product." This was my introduction to John D.
John D's father came with his parents from Switzerland, where they had a farm high in the Alps. John D. visited the home place last summer, and found it to be quite a climb.
He worked as a butter-maker for $50 per month when a Greenwood "schoolmarm" came into his life. They were married and John D. received a raise of $20 per month. Somehow, they managed to save most of it. Most people know his wife as "Toots," but her her deep dark secret is that her name is "Ragnild." This is a great burden – an unpronounceable first name and an unspellable last name. Yet her children insist that they have never heard their parents quarrel or criticize one another in the presence of anyone.
They have four children now: Devere, who raises hogs; Diane, who is changing her name to Bender; Dawn, who is Mrs. Keith Stump; and Dallas, a junior in high school.
Jon Wuethrich Sr. became interested in purebred Holstein cattle about 1916, and founded the herd which is now kept on "Wuethrich Distinction Farm." Just as to butter, John D. believes that quality and efficiency are absolutely essential, if one is to stay in the cattle business. He would like much to see the government out of the dairy business though.
When John D. goes to a meeting, he shuts his eyes and relaxes. He appears to be sleeping, but don't let it fool you.
Last May, John D. and Allen, his brother, bought the Greenwood Telephone Company, in order to keep it in the community which it serves. They belive that profits from private enterprise must be used responsibly, for the betterment of the community and mankind in general. Accordingly, they have set up, together with their mother, a foundation which makes it possible to support a number of worthy benevolent projects.
