LISBON, Ohio — The late Thomas J. Roush, of Wayne Township, and the late Neil and Shirley Lippincott, of West Township, will be enshrined in the Columbiana County Agriculture Hall of Fame for their contributions across Columbiana County.
The ceremonies will be held during the Columbiana County Fair, July 29 at 10:30 a.m.in the Arts & Crafts Building.
Both the Roush and the Lippincott families will also be honored, and the framed portraits and biographical sketches of both will be unveiled. The biographies of the previous inductees are permanently displayed in the Arts & Crafts Building.
The Hall of Fame is a joint effort of the Columbiana County Historical Association, the Columbiana County Agricultural Society and the Columbiana County Farm Bureau. The awards are presented posthumously.
Shirley Lippincott (1931-1983) and Neil Lippincott (1931-2020)
In 1815, President James Madison signed a deed to land that would later become the Lippincott family farm in Minerva. Neil Lippincott took over operating the family’s then 230-acre West Township dairy and hog farm at the age of 15, following the death of his father. It was hard work; the young Lippincott had to plow his first fields with a horse.
It was through his sacrifices and dedication that the farm continued and thrived, and is now welcoming its seventh and eighth generations. In 1950, a year after their graduation from Minerva High School, Neil married the former Shirley Dysle, who became a key part of Lippincott Farms’ management and operation.
“She was a natural on the farm,” Neil’s sister Mary Dixon wrote in her nomination. “My mother and I were still living in the farmhouse on the homestead, and Shirley moved right in with all of us. Everything that Neil did, Shirley did with him.”
Side by side, the Lippincotts built a diversified grain and livestock farm, milking Holsteins and raising hogs and raising corn, wheat, oats, alfalfa hay and soybeans. They worked together in all phases — whether hand milking their cows or later milking in a modern parlor or planting and harvesting the crops. They were partners in building barns, silos, grain bins and clearing land. When they built the hog barn, it was Shirley who laid the 12-inch block for the foundation. They often put the farm before themselves and steadily built their herd, and invested in equipment and acreage.
A lifelong learner, Neil Lippincott attended educational meetings and farm tours, visited test plots, and kept abreast of ways to improve his farm. He was also a strong proponent of natural resource conservation and implemented many practices to deter soil erosion and regenerate degraded land.
The Lippincotts’ dedication went beyond their farm, as they were both active members in the Columbiana County Farm Bureau and lifelong members of the Bayard United Methodist Church.
Neil Lippincott loved farming and used to say, “Farming was never a job for me, it was what I loved to do.” Shirley loved farming too, and they both taught their children the value of hard work, reverence for the land and compassion for all living creatures.
Neil’s obituary summed up his life in its fullest: “Neil not only planted seeds on the farm. He planted seeds of generosity, respectfulness, perseverance and a relentless desire to get the job done. He believed that hard work and diligence have a moral benefit and an inherent ability to strengthen character. He lived to make his good better and his better best.” And the same could be said of Shirley.
The Lippincott Farms legacy is now in the hands of the seventh generation — their grandson, Ryan Lippincott, who owns and farms the land — and is being nurtured for the eighth generation through his children.
With his induction, Neil joins both of his grandfathers, Edmond Lippincott and Charles Frederick Mindling, who were enshrined in the Hall of Fame in 2001 and 2004, respectively; his father, Russell Lippincott, honored in 2006, and his mother, Wilma, in 2016.
Thomas J. Roush (1938-2017)
Thomas J. Roush spent his entire adult life serving others. From 1957 to 1978, he served in both the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Army, retiring after 20 years as a chief warrant officer. This service included two tours in Vietnam, where his actions earned him two Bronze Stars and a Purple Heart. He returned home to Columbiana County to farm in Wayne Township with his wife, Carole, and three sons.
However, he was not done serving and shared his passion for education by teaching at the county’s new technical school, the Columbiana County Joint Vocational School, now known as the Columbiana County Career & Technical Center. He started teaching agricultural equipment mechanics and environmental technology and advised the FFA chapter there.
For the next 22 years, Roush made an impact on the future of agriculture and the lives of countless young people. Through his classroom, FFA leadership and mentoring, he influenced hundreds of students to become successful not only in agriculture, but in other facets of business, and in life. He retired from teaching in 2000.
Roush was also dedicated to serving Columbiana County through many leadership roles, including two terms on the Southern Local school board; one term as a Wayne Township trustee; multiple years on the Columbiana County Junior Fair hog and lamb committee; and 26 years as a firefighter, captain and trustee of the Highlandtown Fire Department, being awarded “Firefighter of the Year” twice.
