Mildred & Norman Hale
Tolleson - Maricopa County
Inducted in 2009
Throughout their marriage, Norman and Mildred Hale were a true partnership on the farm and in their personal lives. While Norman worked in the fields, Mildred cared for the dairy herd, business accounts, and family.
Norman and Mildred were raised in the same part of Oklahoma. Ironically, their paths never crossed until they moved to Arizona. "I came to Arizona in 1932 when I was eight to pick cotton in Eloy," Mildred recalls. "I met him when I was 17, out near Avondale. We got married and lived here ever since."
The only time the Hales left the state for an extended period was when Norman served in the Army during World War II. Stationed at Fort Bliss in Texas, he was assigned to the post's medical department. Mildred and their young daughter, Norma Jean, moved to Texas to be with him. As soon as Norman received his discharge, the family headed back to Arizona, anxious to create a home in the Tolleson area.
"We had a car that he earned taxiing soldiers into town, and he had some cash," Mildred said. "We traded the car and the cash for five acres. Then we started adding on and bought another five acres. About two years later, we sold that and bought a 20-acre farm. We lived there for a while, then sold that and bought a 70-acre farm. We just kept adding on and buying more land."
The first farm at 99th Avenue and Broadway was primitive by modern standards. It had no indoor plumbing, and their water came from a well outside, but they had two cows and a dream to build on. Norman and Mildred supplemented their income by working outside jobs in Tolleson. "My husband worked at the ice plant," Mildred remembers. "I worked in the Everkrisp packing shed in the season. They packed and shipped lettuce and carrots. I just worked the lettuce shipping."
It was hard work, but eventually, the young couple had enough money to buy 80 acres at 115th Avenue and Southern and increase their dairy herd to 50 cows.
"I milked them for a long time, and then we hired someone to milk them. I used to get up at 3:30 a.m. and walk a half-mile to get the herd corralled to start milking." They built a Grade A dairy barn and sold their milk to Borden while continuing to add land to their holdings. In the early 1960s, they bought a 450-acre farm at 107h Avenue and Lower Buckeye Road that they made their permanent home. By then, their dairy herd was up to 120 Holsteins.
Anyone who works the land knows that nature is fickle. Some years, she is the farmer's friend; others, she creates havoc. In the 1970s, flood waters from the Agua Fria and Gila Rivers forced the Hales to rebuild fields and fix cement ditches. Traditional growing methods and harvesting had to be rethought in the 1980s when high levels of aflatoxins, a toxic fungus and known carcinogenic, were found in the local feed crops and began appearing in the milk produced by the cows that ate the feed. Another challenge was the high price of the grain. They met that challenge by planting, harvesting, and storing hay and grain. Norman became adept with a sewing needle as he shoved his grain into the gunnysacks late at night and proceeded to sew up the bags by hand. Despite these challenges, the Hales never wavered in their commitment to their farm and dream.
The Hales were not just farmers. They were also active members of the community. They were long-time members of the Arizona Farm Bureau and the United Dairymen of Arizona. Mildred even started the women's club in Tolleson, which is a testament to her leadership and community spirit. Although she could only participate briefly due to the demands of her family and the farm, her initiative and dedication left a lasting impact on the community.
The couple had six children: two sets of twins, Donavan, Diane, and Jennifer and Jacque. Norman Michael and Norma Jean were single births. Each of their children played a significant role in the farm's operations, learning the value of hard work and dedication from their parents. Tragically, Donavan was killed in a collision with a train, a loss that profoundly affected the entire family.
The Hale farm is still operating, a testament to Norman and Mildred's enduring legacy. Their son, Norman Michael, and his wife, Laura, continue the family tradition, splitting their time between the farm in Tolleson and a one-hundred-acre farm in Idaho, where they grow corn and alfalfa. They have expanded the farm's operations, embracing new technologies and sustainable practices while always staying true to the values instilled by Norman and Mildred.
Affiliations
Arizona Farm Bureau
United Dairymen of Arizona
