Photos by Tom Campbell

When freshman John Hobbs of Tipton, Ind., started classes this fall, he became a third-generation Boilermaker. His parents, Scott and Lisa, (left) met as undergraduates, as did his grandparents, Jo and Dennis Blind of Lafayette.

The Stewart family is widely known for a successful family business, Stewart Seeds, which has been operating in Decatur County (Indiana) since 1918. Less well known is that the Stewarts do more than grow seed corn: They have cultivated the tradition of Purdue Agriculture through four generations.

The family business has passed from the hands of founder Arthur Stewart, through his sons Gilman and John Stewart, to their sons and present owners Jim and Tom Stewart. All but Arthur are Purdue Agriculture graduates.

"I think it is pretty amazing that I had a grandfather who didn't have much of an education but had a desire to learn and sent all of his children to Purdue to get a college education," says Tom Stewart, BS '74, grandson of Arthur Stewart.

Arthur Stewart, who was born in 1888, attended school through the eighth grade but didn't go to high school and was responsible for farming the family's 80 acres of rented ground. He married Mary Robbins in 1913 and they had four children.

Arthur developed an interest in showing samples of corn at the county corn show and at Purdue. As Arthur became familiar with Purdue, he started to attend Purdue Extension meetings and short courses. In 1935, Arthur obtained seed from Purdue, and that was the beginning of his seed corn business.

Arthur's two sons, Gilman, BS '39, honorary doctorate '74, and John, BS '41, honorary doctorate '74, decided to carry on the family seed business upon the death of their father in 1958.

In 1974, the third generation of the Stewart family began graduating from Purdue Agriculture and joined John and Gilman at Stewart Seeds.

"I attended Purdue College of Agriculture because of the broad exposure I could get from the different courses and faculty," says Gilman's son Tom. "It was natural that my siblings and I all attended Purdue due to our family ties to Purdue."

Tom and his cousin Jim, BS '81, who is John's son, both have carried on the family business and the tradition of Purdue Agriculture.

Jim and his wife, Susan (also a Purdue grad), have five children. All have either graduated from, attend, or plan to attend Purdue.

"I think so many generations having attended and still attending Purdue gives everyone a common bond besides being family," says Tom. "Besides being relatives, we are together at Purdue games and functions. Our conversations revolve a lot around Purdue sports, events and our kids that are there now."

The Stewarts say they did not have to attend Purdue. But discussions of alternative school options around the Stewart household certainly were short ones.

"I wasn't limited in what schools I could consider," Jim says. "But I considered no other school than Purdue because all four of my older siblings were Boilermakers. I desired to continue the family tradition of receiving a quality education from Purdue. There is none better than Purdue for an education in agriculture."

It would be difficult for any family to match the amount of Purdue pride exhibited by the Rodibaugh family.

Known far and wide for their prominent involvement in the swine industry, the Rodibaughs boast of 28 Purdue graduates over the past four generations.

John (Jack) Rodibaugh, BS '50, remembers how his father was the first in his family to attend Purdue from 1914 to 1915.

"He was interested in dairy and had a small herd," Jack says, "so Purdue was the logical place to go to learn more about dairy."

Jack served in the Navy and attended Purdue on the GI bill. He and his brothers all attended Purdue, and he worked with pigs at the Purdue swine farm while in college from 1946 to 1950.