Lauzier, Avila inducted into Ag Hall of Fame

MOSES LAKE — Two more area farmers were invited this week to join “the greats,” those farmers who have made a lasting contribution to farming in the Columbia River Basin.

John Avila and Paul Lauzier were both officially inducted into the Moses Lake Area Agricultural Hall of Fame at a ceremony held by the Moses Lake Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday.

The Chamber of Commerce established the Hall of Fame in 2010 “to recognize and honor distinguished individuals that have made significant contributions” to agriculture and the greater Moses Lake community.

Lauzier, whose name graces buildings, programs, and departments across central and eastern Washington, rose from humble beginnings as the son of sheep-farming French immigrants to the Yakima Valley. A medic during World War II, Lauzier saved his army pay and used it buy land across Grant County.

Several decades later, Lauzier developed, irrigated, and sold much of that land, and after his death in 1995 from prostate cancer, endowed both a scholarship fund for Grant County students and the charitable foundation which bears his name.

Joining Lauzier in the Hall of Fame this year is John Avila, who left his home on the Portuguese island of Terceira — one of the Azores — at the age of 15 for Los Angeles “to help his family have a better life.”

Turning to dairy farming, Avila eventually settled in Moses Lake, where he milks over 2,700 cows and farms about 600 acres to provide animal feed.

“As a child, I remember him saying that cows down take vacations and don’t celebrate holidays,” Avila’s son Eddie said at Tuesday evening’s induction. “There was rarely time for a day off.”

According to the Chamber of Commerce, farmers are recognized “by their peers for not only their dedication, generosity, and selflessness, but also their demonstrated achievements, noteworthy expertise, and creative innovations” that leave a legacy of lasting benefits to both farming and the Moses Lake community.

Charles H. Featherstone can be reached via email at countygvt@columbiabasinherald.com.