Friends, family remember Earl Butz

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West Lafayette - Former U.S. agriculture secretary Earl L. Butz was remembered as a great teacher and devoted grandfather during a funeral service on Saturday.

A crowd of about 150 family, friends and Purdue University officials filled the Federated Church for Butz. He was 98 when he died Feb. 2.

The outspoken Butz was named secretary of agriculture by President Nixon in 1971 but was forced from office in 1976 for making a racist joke. He also served as a Purdue University agriculture dean and as assistant secretary of agriculture from 1954 to 1957.

Butz maintained during his career that farmers should rely on a free market driven by exports and not federal subsidies.

As agriculture secretary, he worked out long-term agreements on grain sales to Eastern European nations and Japan. Those sales led to a jump in grain prices at home and drew the applause from farmers who benefited.

Six grandchildren helped eulogize Butz on Saturday. One of them, Michael, recalled his grandfather teaching him how to drive when he was 13.

"More than anything, Grandpa was a teacher," he said.

Don Brock, who served as an assistant when Butz was agriculture secretary, said Butz was a "rock star" to American farmers.

Butz neighbor and Purdue professor emeritus Lowell Hardin remembered a straightforward man who "told it like it was." He said he knew Butz for about 70 years.

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