On a "mint" man and a farmer

The passing last week of J.E. Crosby and Maurice Gove – a "mint" man, and a farmer – creates a void in Clinton County that will be difficult, if not impossible, to fill. Both were well-liked and respected by many, many area residents – gentlemen who enjoyed life and lived each day to its fullest extent.

When you think of mint, the name Crosby quickly comes to mind – and, quite often that means J.E. A third-generation mint farmer, J.E. loved the land in Bingham Township that he lived on all his life. The pride he felt in the county’s mint heritage was evident, expressed both on behalf of his own "Crosby" family and for all the farmers who harvest the wonderfully aromatic specialty crop.

One of the most interesting stories I have ever written revolves around J.E. and the "old" Crosby mint still that stands off BR-127 between Townsend and Parks roads. It began with a telephone call that I received back in 1997 about the upcoming visit of a professor, Dr. Ephraim Smith, who was interested in the historic architecture of mint stills in general – and the Crosby still in particular.

As might be expected, J.E. – and a number of other local mint farmers – were more than eager to meet this fellow from California. Subsequent trips to the old mint still resulted in my writing the article that is reprinted in this issue of The Independent. I learned a whole lot about old mint stills – both from Dr. Smith and from the guys like J.E. who recalled experiences from years of working in the fields during harvest time.

Some of J.E.’s memories had a prominent place in presentations that Dr. Smith gave in following years. I’m guessing that J.E. was pretty pleased by that fact, not because of the notoriety that he achieved, but because it helped create awareness of what mint farming – in those early years – was all about.

Plenty of hard work, to be sure, but with a good measure of fun included.

Right, J.E.?

My experience with Maurice is a bit more personal, due to numerous conversations we had as a result of our shared involvement in Clinton Area Planning for Intergovernmental Teamwork, better known as CAPIT. A primary aim of this citizen-driven organization that was formed in 1992 is to improve communication between governmental bodies and the private sector, and expand on collaborative ventures that can benefit our entire community. These are lofty goals, to be sure – just the sort of project for a gentleman like Maurice.

At that time in the early and mid-1990s, he was serving on the Bingham Township board – one of the many organizations that benefited over the years from his well-formed opinions that were always delivered in a soft-spoken manner. I remember attending multiple meetings that were coordinated by CAPIT where tempers sometimes rose close to the surface. Then, as now, unfortunately, the township and city did not always agree on issues of mutual interest.

Maurice was always a voice of reason; his presence alone seemed at times to have a calming effect on those around him. I appreciated his steady, true nature and his willingness to listen to all sides of an issue.

In thinking about this column, I had hoped to include a photo of Maurice from the period when he was actively involved in CAPIT. Since I worked for a newspaper at that time, it was pretty much accepted that I was the "designated" photographer for whatever organization I happened to be associated with – like CAPIT. Surely, I had taken a picture of Maurice at one of our many functions – wrong.

I searched through numerous files and found lots and lots of photos of individuals who were instrumental in the formation of CAPIT in those early years – none included Maurice, however.

In retrospect, his absence in those photographs is entirely appropriate. Being front and center for a photograph? Maybe for a family function, or on the farm, but surely not something that would gain recognition for himself.

Maurice was not interested in taking center stage. He was comfortable working behind the scenes. He may not have been a Rotarian, but certainly he exemplified our motto of "Service Above Self."

More than once over the years, I heard him state in no uncertain terms that he was "a farmer." I know that he took enormous pride in his chosen profession and I certainly would not be so bold as to take that title away – but, he was a farmer in the very best sense of the word; a steward of both the land and its inhabitants. He wanted to do what was right for his family and farm – and for his township, county, state, nation and world.

In recent years, I sadly must admit that I did not have an occasion to talk with Maurice as we once had in the ‘90s. I regret that.

Occasionally, I would see him at various functions – always enjoying his wonderful smile and pleasant demeanor. It is my loss that I did not make the time to call and visit with him – get his opinion on things, or just talk about farming.

That would have been grand.

He was a very special man – he was a farmer.