2 More Legendary Names Added to the Florida Citrus Hall of Fame in 2023
January 5, 2023 The selection committee for the Florida Citrus Hall of Fame has announced the posthumous selection of F. Gilbert Bowen and A.G. Smith as the Class of 2023 inductees.
The Florida Citrus Hall of Fame honors distinguished leaders who have made significant contributions to the Florida citrus industry.
About the Florida Citrus Hall of Fame Class of 2023 Inductees
For more than seven decades Franklin Gilbert Bowen (1928-2022) was a leader, not only in his family’s operations but in the Florida citrus industry. His father worked as a grove caretaker and by the age of 12 he was working in the groves, grafting trees and other jobs. He and his brother eventually formed Bowen Brothers, Inc., initially operating as fruit brokers, later adding a harvesting and groves division, and becoming extremely successful. During his tenure there, Bowen guided the company through numerous obstacles including citrus canker, droughts, freezes, global trade issues, and more.
F. Gilbert Bowen
Bowen helped countless growers and others with their success in the industry, including funding research which brought low-volume microjet irrigation to Florida. Over the years, he participated in many research projects with the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, dealing with budwood development for the ‘Rhode Red’ Valencia orange and working toward finding greening resistant citrus trees.
In addition, he served on the FFA Board for 22 years, donating his time and money to support the Leadership Training Center and many of their fundraising projects, which earned him an Honorary American FFA Degree. He served as a consultant to Bowen Juices International and KMC Citrus Enterprises, Inc., as well as CEO of Bowen Brothers.
A pioneer citrus grower in Wauchula, FL, Alfred Graham Smith (1862-1942) was born in Prattville, AL, during the Civil War. He was instrumental in the early growth of the citrus industry in Florida, primarily in what at that time was DeSoto County. He arrived as a station agent in 1886 with Florida Southern Railroad and acquired thousands of acres, including orange groves and much of what became downtown Wauchula. He was one of oldest growers and shippers of citrus in Florida and, in 1888, he was the first grower to ship citrus via railroad from Wauchula, building his first packinghouse there in 1896. He eventually had two packinghouses with 22 employees and continued to update and modernize the packinghouses the rest of his life.
A.G. Smith
He was one of the founding fathers of Wauchula and elected Wauchula Alderman upon its incorporation in 1902. He established the Bank of Wauchula in 1907 for citrus growers, serving as President and then on the board of directors for more than 20 years.
In 1909, he was part of the group that traveled to California with Dr. Fredrick W. Inman and 48 others to study citrus cooperative marketing and growing methods in California, which resulted in the establishment of the Florida Citrus Exchange. He served as one of the first directors of the Wauchula Branch of the Florida Citrus Exchange and successfully lobbied for better roads to reduce shipping costs for Florida citrus and other agricultural crops.
Bowen and Smith will be inducted posthumously into the Citrus Hall of Fame with the Class of 2024 in March 2024. The luncheon, which has traditionally been held in March, was moved to the fall in 2021 and 2022 due to the pandemic and the decision was made to move back to March to coincide with the slower time of season for the industry.
For more information on the Florida Citrus Hall of Fame Class of 2023 inductees and more, visit FloridaCitrusHallofFame.com.
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