John Roozen gets award at SPF annual auction-dinner

You may not know John Roozen – but you probably know his truck.

On any given day, a red F250 Power Stroke diesel truck from the late 1990s may pass you on Calhoun or McLean roads – or may be parked in a field on your route.

"John has about 500,000 miles on his Ford pickup," Dave Hedlin told attendees at the Skagitonians to Preserve Farmland auction last Saturday night. "About 100,000 of them are in support of the agricultural infrastructure of Skagit County, whether that's through the Skagitonians, the Northwest Ag Research Center, Washington State ag research or water issues."

Roozen, co-owner and field manager of Washington Bulb Company, was recognized at the auction for his 32 years of service to the SPF board – and a lifetime in Skagit farming.

During her introduction, board member Kim Good-Rubenstein said that because the 73-year-old Roozen knows "every happening in Skagit County since before he was born," the board often "gets history lessons from him".

He wears his passions on his sleeve, she said. Preserving farmland in Skagit County is a big one.

"By looking to the south mostly and to the north, we don't have to imagine what's going to happen if we don't fight hard right now," Roozen said in a video produced for the event.

"I want to pass this unbelievable thing on as best I can and that's why the Skagitonians to Preserve Farmland is so important to me."

Besides Hedlin and Rubinstein, many greater La Conner residents and farmers were among the 300 people at the St. Joseph Center in Mount Vernon.

La Conner Seafood and Prime Rib showcased the bounty of the Magic Skagit, with 90 percent of the menu produced locally by, among others, Hedlin Family Farm, Water Tank Bakery and Hart's Farm and Homestead. Georgia Johnson, Patsy Good, Schuh Farms and The Fork contributed desserts.

Kevin Paul's sculpture of a sleeping WSU cougar was auctioned off for $4200. A weekend "Escape to La Conner" donated by Good-Rubenstein and Thomas Palmer of the Oyster and Thistle earned $800. Roozen and Good-Rubenstein's annual "Amber Waves of Grain Dinner" for eight, served in a Roozen wheat or barley field, netted $4,000. The $237,000 raised Saturday night will go to support SPF's work.

Next time John Roozen drives by in his truck, wave. Who knows? You may already know him, for when Good-Rubenstein asked everyone present who knew John Roozen to raise their hand – half the audience did.