Dick Napolitano

Inducted in 2011

Mar 1

Buckeye - Maricopa County

Inducted in 2011

It could be said that Dick Napolitano came into the world of agriculture through the backdoor. As a youngster growing up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, making a living as a farmer probably never entered his mind. His passion was sports. That love brought him to Arizona in 1953 when Coach Clyde Smith recruited him to play football at Arizona State College (now ASU). Dick and another Arizona Farming & Ranching Hall of Famer, Carl Weiler, played for opposing teams, Dick at Tempe, and Carl in Tucson at the U of A. The coaching staff changed several times while Dick was at ASU. Dick ended his team eligibility by coaching the freshmen Sun Imps.

Many good things came Dick's way during his years at ASU. One of the most significant was meeting his wife, Annette Marionneaux. They married in April of 1958, and Dick went into military service that October. His military service, which took him to Fort Knox, Kentucky, was a turning point. There, he and Annette discovered their love for farming, a passion that would shape their future.

"I got a commission, and we were stationed at Fort Knox, Kentucky," Dick remembers. "We lived about 16 miles from the Fort in a little town called Elizabethtown. They had a town square, and every Saturday, all the farmers with their straw hats and bib overalls would gather around that square. "It was pretty neat. We were there from October through December, and it was cold. That was my first experience with coal heating," he said. "We didn't have central heating." They lived in an upstairs apartment, and Dick recalls that they were always either too hot or too cold. When Dick left the service and returned to Buckeye, teaching and coaching jobs were few and far between, so he and Annette joined her father in his farming and ranching operation. The Marionneaux Ranches raised cattle and grew cotton, barley, and alfalfa fields on properties scattered throughout the far West Valley. Dick laughs that at the time, he didn't know a disc from a plow, so his father-in-law put someone with him to teach him the ropes. He was a quick learner and soon became James Marionneaux's right-hand man, overseeing every aspect of the business.

The Marionneaux feedlot was located at the corner of Southern and Oglesby roads, now AZ 85. "Of course, now it's all pretty much gone. We had enough room in there for a thousand head," he said. "We kept adding to it." His father-in-law also farmed some land around Painted Rock Dam that belonged to his cousin." We cultivated about four thousand acres down there. We were pretty busy. At one time, we had about five thousand acres of farming." Most of the land was cotton, but they also had approximately 800 mother cows raising calves there. They would bring them up to the feedlot when the time was right. "I didn't know how to brand cattle, but I learned."

The farm near Palo Verde was one of Dick's favorites. "We had about 350 cows down there, and my job was to ride through them and check on them and try to rope the little calves if I could, but I was never very good at that. They needed doctoring sometimes." Marionneaux farmed land near the old Rubbermaid factory off Cotton Lane south of Yuma Road, putting a human face on the War. "My wife Annette can remember seeing the POWs working picking cotton because there was a POW camp not far from there where they were housed."

Marionneaux retired in 1964. "My in-laws chose the Buckeye Farm over the Cotton Lane Farm when they split their partnership with his cousin Andy Pettit in the 1940s". Not one to avoid new technology, Dick bought an early laser scraper system. Next, he purchased and rebuilt one of the original Case 8-wheel articulating tractors to pull it. "I took it over for a guy that would lose it. Today, the laser system is commonly used for water conservation. It worked well for me, and then I sold it to Paul Stevens, and he sold it to somebody in Chandler, so I don't know where it is."

He was also willing to try experimental crops such as sesame seed and guar, showing his willingness to adapt to changing market demands and his innovative spirit. While these crops were not as successful as the staples, Dick's willingness to experiment and adapt to new trends in the industry is a testament to his forward-thinking approach. He stayed on top of industry changes and innovations through programs such as one he attended in Raleigh-Durham several years ago. "I went to Raleigh-Durham through the producer exchange program," he said. That was an experience." The visiting farmers were taken to see a variety of farms in the South to observe the farming methods they employed. Among the farms that stick out in Dick's memory are one that grew peanuts and another with tobacco as its main crop. "We saw how they harvest that and put it in the vats and humidifiers, and then they baled it just like cotton. I didn't know that. It was interesting." They also visited a textile mill to see how the cotton they grew became fabric. "They were experimenting with black and white, mixing it. I don't know how they did it. And then they showed us where they had a big bale of cotton and laid it down on its side, and they had a laser go through there and take off little fine layers, and then they'd send it in there and make it for spinning."

Dick continued to run Dick Napolitano Ranches, Inc. until he retired in 2000 and turned management of the operation over to his son Rick, a Goodyear firefighter. Dick would help out when Rick is on duty at the fire station.

Throughout the years, sports continued to play a significant role in his life. Dick was a Little League baseball coach for over ten years and spent several years coaching Pop Warner football. He also worked with the high school football program for seventeen years, serving as varsity coach for five years.

Throughout the years, Dick has continued to give to his community. He still serves as president of the Acme Gin Co. board. He has been involved with the agricultural cooperative for more than 30 years. He has held several positions on the NRCD board, including being on the regional Hohokam RC&D board. His membership in the Buckeye Lion's Club has exceeded the 40-year mark. H

Dick and his Ford pickup were featured in a 1978 print ad in the Farmer-Ranchman publication promoted by Ezra Galpin, A Buckeye Ford dealer and friend.

Dick Napolitano has served for 20 years on the governing board of the Buckeye Elementary School, serving as a member, secretary, and president, and he was named Buckeye Chamber of Commerce's Man of the Year in 1979.

The Napolitanos' three children are Denise, Rick, and Victor. They have ten grandchildren, one great-grandchild, and one on the way. Their son Rick summed up his father's life in this way: "I think that the sense of community that has defined America over the years is due to people like my Dad, who lived and contributed to bettering their spheres of influence."