WASHINGTON, .D.C.&045; Francis L. &uot;Fran&uot; Lair was one of three men inducted into the Cooperative Hall of Fame April 24 at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. This award was made by the Cooperative Development Foundation.

&uot;I was honored. It was something I never expected,&uot; Lair said. &uot;The program (in Washington, D.C.) was well done.&uot;

&uot;My induction into the Cooperative Hall of Fame is an honor that must be shared with a number of people, to my family for their support and encouragement, and to the many Universal employees who worked hard with me with vigor and dedication. It was these employees who made it all happen and they deserve a share of the great honor which has been bestowed upon me,&uot; he added.

The former Albert Lea resident, who now lives in Apple Valley, was also selected to be the WCCO &uot;Good Neighbor&uot; on April 22.

Lair is the son of the late Frank and Gertrude Lair and grew up on a dairy farm near Twin Lakes. He attended the Clover Valley School in Nunda Township and graduated as the salutatorian from Emmons High School in 1938.

After graduating from the Hamilton School of Commerce in Mason City, Iowa, Lair was employed in 1940 by the Fillmore Co-op Services as an accountant. He served in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II, and returned to Fillmore Co-op Services as the manager in 1945. In 1947 he joined the staff of Big Five Co-op Oil Association in Detroit Lakes.

Lair’s association with Albert Lea started in 1949 when he joined National Cooperatives as the assistant controller and office manager.

He was promoted to manager of the farm supply purchasing functions, became distribution manager in 1958, and was appointed as general manager in 1961.

In 1972, he became the president of Universal Cooperatives, created with the merger of National Cooperatives and United Cooperatives of Alliance, Ohio. He was responsible for the move of Universal Cooperatives Inc. corporate offices to Bloomington, Minn.

Lair retired in 1982 and lives in Apple Valley.

As a resident of Albert Lea, Lair was involved in community life as a member of the Kiwanis Club, Chamber of Commerce, Housing & Redevelopment Commission, Jobs Inc., Lea College, and St. Theodore Catholic Church.

Lair’s plaque in the Cooperative Hall of Fame states:

&uot;For more than 40 years, Fran Lair dedicated himself to cooperation. He was instrumental in the creation of Universal Cooperatives and served as its first President and CEO. He continuously extolled the virtues of cooperatives, emphasized the importance of coops working together, and encouraged international cooperative trade to levels not previously reached.

&uot;He served on the board of MSI Insurance, helping to launch the Mutual Service Fund to provide financial assistance to co-ops for education and development. He also served for 22 years on the National Cooperative Business Association board, and helped organize the Farm Credit Leasing Corporation.

&uot;Lair reached out beyond co-ops themselves to promote cooperation. Early in his career he organized ‘town meetings’ to encourage area residents to become acquainted with their local and regional cooperatives. He was one of the early leaders of the Group Health Mutual Insurance Company (now HealthPartners), a cutting edge Health Maintenance Organization. He was also active in the Minnesota Association of Cooperatives’ youth education and training programs. Perhaps his most lasting contribution, however, was the development of an effective Coop label that is the pre-cursor to today’s nutritional food labeling.&uot;

Fran Lair married Dorothy Sullivan of Stewartville in 1949. They have four children: Kathleen Zakowski of Carlsbad, Calif., Mary Beth Senske of Burnsville, Jeanne Freer of De Forest, Wis., and Patrick Lair of Bloomington. There are nine grandchildren.

What is Universal Cooperatives?

Universal Cooperatives is an inter-regional cooperative that manufactures, purchases, and distributes agricultural input supplies on behalf of its members. The general products are various automobile tires and batteries, farm chemical herbicides and pesticides, animal health and feed ingredients, and twines (both sisal and poly). Universal is owned by 17 regional agricultural cooperatives throughout North America. In addition, there are International members in Australia, Brazil, Denmark, Germany, France and New Zealand.

Universal Cooperatives, Inc. was formed in 1972 as the result of the merger of National Cooperatives of Albert Lea and United Cooperatives of Alliance, Ohio. The organization moved its corporate office from Alliance to Bloomington in 1977. In 1999 Universal built its own corporate office in Eagan. At one time Universal had its milking machine operation in Albert Lea until 1985 at which time it was relocated to Indiana. Currently Universal employs 120 people at its tire warehouse and Bridon Cordage LLC in Albert Lea.

Universal Cooperatives has approximately 700 employees in eight states, Canada, and Brazil. Annual revenue is $270 million.