MUSCATINE, Iowa — The humble circumstances of his childhood juxtaposed against the example of his  hard-working and fiercely independent mother provided Muscatine’s Claude Gifford, 89, with an enduring determination and drive.

His strong work ethic and abundant curiosity have taken him from the halls of Muscatine High School to the offices of the U.S. Capitol.

Gifford was 18-months-old when his father died,  leaving his mother with five  children and a heavily mortgaged farm in the rural area of Drury Township, Ill.

His older sisters taught him his ABC’s while his mother set an

example.

“I was taught survival and accountability by a mother who learned about equality for women long before it became popular,” said Gifford. “She had all the equality, and more, any woman could hope for. But she coped. She gardened, cooked, canned, worked in the fields, headed the family, and made do.”

Gifford said his mother advised him to live a life that would have made his late father proud — advice that he took to heart in achieving his successes.

In grade school, his fascination for words was already evident. He was a reporter for his local 4-H Club and won first-place in the county record-keeping contest.

There was no high school near Drury Township, but Gifford’s family knew he was ready for more education.

Gifford went to live with one of his sisters and her husband so he could catch a ride with a boy who lived near her and who drove across the Mississippi River bridge to Iowa to attend classes at Muscatine High School.

Gifford said MHS instructors L. B. “Bud” Hoopes, who directed the Future Farmers of America, and Edson E. Attleson, the speech instructor, encouraged him to strive for his full potential. 

“I became active in FFA and went to the state contests,” recalls Gifford. “My second writing experience was as Muscatine High School’s Future Farmers of America reporter.”

Gifford won the Iowa Future Farmers of America  public speaking championship with a speech he had written.

The contest was at Iowa State University in Ames and Gifford was so impressed with the atmosphere, that he set a goal to become a student there.

But first, the 1937 MHS graduate attended Muscatine Junior College as he worked part time at Ma Hayes Hash House on Fourth and Cedar streets.

Gifford’s college career was interrupted by his service with the U.S. Army  from 1943-45, where he served as a B-26 Marauder pilot and flight instructor in World War II.

After he was discharged, he returned to Iowa where he became a charter member of the Iowa Flying Farmers. He also finished his final year at Iowa State University that year.

Gifford first went to work at the “Creamery Journal,” in Waterloo where he was also assistant to Ed Estel, manager of the Dairy Cattle Congress.

He later became livestock editor for the “Farm Journal,” where he was the economics and farm policy editor for more than 20 years.

During those years, Gifford co-authored the original American Agricultural Editors’ Association code of ethics. In 1967, he started the American Agricultural Editor’s Association Communications Clinic, the forerunner of today’s Agricultural Media Summit.

His work led to a call from the White House.

“President Eisenhower was going to make a national address on agriculture and they wanted to know if I would come down and write it,” recalls Gifford.

Ultimately, his education, military training and literary experience provided Gifford with the background to become the director of information for the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 1971. He retired in 1994 with senior executive service status.

Gifford’s mental vitality and ongoing interest in research still thrives, but  something is missing.

Throughout his career, Gifford enjoyed the support and company of the woman whose image smiles back at him from the many pictures he keeps of her in his new home. Gifford moved back to Muscatine from Arlington, Va. in 2008 after his wife, Helene, passed away following 59 years of marriage.

“She was No. 1 in my life,” Gifford said. “She was a strikingly beautiful woman and was much more than I deserved.”

Helene was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 1995 and for the next 12 years, Gifford  said he only left her side for brief periods of time.

Claude and Helene’s son, Steve Gifford, lives in Arlington, Va.

In Muscatine, Gifford concentrates on projects that fascinate him.

He’s used his study of the Bible’s book of Revelation to create a curriculum  for a 21-week course titled “Revelation Today.”

He’s also researching and writing about the ways the Muslim religion’s book of Koran contrasts with the Christian Bible.

Gifford also has a passion for studying the differences between the theory of evolution and creationism.

“Evolution is a slow, natural change, but you have to have something to change,” he said. “It all goes back to one cell. And how did the DNA and life force get there? Every life form has a creator,” he said. 

In 2008, Gifford added the American Agricultural Editors’ Association Lifetime Achievement Award to his display of distinguished honors.

Recently, he stood before those framed certificates and plaques and easily selected that first 4-H Award, as he smiled fondly.

“This is where it all started,” he said.

Editor’s note: This story is one in a month-long series the Muscatine Journal is printing in March. The stories will focus on local people, groups and businesses that have overcome economic obstacles and other personal adversity to help make the community better and create better lives for themselves and those around them.