The University of Minnesota Crookston held its biennial Torch and Shield awards and donor recognition banquet August 20 with three influential people recognized for their efforts. Proud 1980 alumnus Tim Dufault, who recently retired as a fourth-generation grain farmer and is currently on the advisory committee for the Northwest Research and Outreach Center and member of the UMC Campus Advisory and Advancement Board, and Paul and Kathy Imle, who are University benefactors and advocates, and owners of the family-operated Pine Lake Wild Rice Farm in Gonvick, were honored at the event.
Featured speakers of the evening included student scholarship recipient Clara Hanson, a spring 2025 graduate, and University of Minnesota Foundation President and CEO John Morris. A special recognition honoring campus supporter Pete Wasberg was presented by Otter Tail Power Company President Tim Rogelstad and a scholarship in Wasberg’s name called The Pete Wasberg Empowering Futures Scholarship was announced.
A musical performance by alumna Dr. Kari Torkelson and Associate Professor George French, Ed.D. entertained guests, and an update from Lead Development Officer Brandy Chaffee on transformational giving culminated the event. Chaffee pointed out that within the fiscal year 2025, the campus raised more than $1.8 million which is the second largest year of giving in UMC history.
Torch & Shield 2025 Honoree Tim Dufault
Tim Dufault is a University of Minnesota Crookston alumnus who graduated in 1980 with a degree in agricultural business, later earning a degree in agricultural economics from North Dakota State University. He was a fourth-generation grain farmer in the Crookston area before recently retiring. Dufault has since given six young farmers access to his land in Gentilly Township to help cultivate a new generation that will stay rooted in the community.
Dufault is currently serving as a member of the U of M Crookston Campus Advisory and Advancement Board, is the acting chair of the board for Crookston Public Schools, and serves as a board member of the Northern Crops Institute which is a collaborative effort among Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana, and South Dakota to support the promotion and market development of crops grown in the four-state region. He is also on the board of directors for the Crookston Area Community Fund, and has served on many other agricultural, community, and education boards and committees over the years.
Dufault is the past chair of the Minnesota Association of Wheat Growers, Minnesota Wheat Research and Promotion Council. Additionally, he has served on the advisory committee of the Northwest Research and Outreach Center which is located on the U of M Crookston campus.
Dufault has been a strong proponent behind enhancing and strengthening the relationship between the University of Minnesota Crookston and the region.
“Look around, as prosperous as we are, this region wouldn’t be without those three entities (UMN Crookston, UMN Extension, and Northwest Research and Outreach Center),” said Dufault during the Torch & Shield event. “We’re doing the research, we’re teaching the young people, and we’re going out and teaching the farmers.”
Torch & Shield 2025 Honorees Paul & Kathy Imle
Paul and Kathy Imle are the owners of Pine Lake Wild Rice Farm, a family-owned business operating for over 50 years in Gonvick, Minnesota specializing in harvesting and processing wild rice. Pine Lake Wild Rice Farm harvests more than 5,000 acres along the Clearwater River with wild rice, red potatoes, soybeans, and peas. Their son and daughter, Peter and Amy (Crosby), now manage, own, and operate the family farm.
The Imles are also the owners of Thorbeck Foundation, a private foundation that focuses on providing college scholarships to high school graduates from northern Clearwater County.
Paul received his education from the University of Minnesota in St. Paul where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree from the College of Biological Sciences. He continues to be active with the U of M in wild rice and potato research. Kathy became a teacher and had the pleasure of educating students for 33 years at Gonvick School District.
After starting Pine Lake Wild Rice Farm, Paul was elected to the state’s inaugural Minnesota Cultivated Wild Rice Council in 1974 and served in various capacities including research committees over the years. Paul and Kathy’s son, Peter, is now the current chair of the Minnesota Cultivated Wild Rice Council and is actively involved in several agriculture organizations.
Other involvements for the Imles include the Red River Valley Emerging Leadership Program for Clearwater County in which they are now proud alumni, and Paul continues to serve as a member of the U of M Crookston Campus Advisory and Advancement Board following his appointment in 2019.
The Imle family has been a philanthropic partner of U of M Crookston for years and their continued support has benefited various scholarships, the Center for Rural Education in Science and Technology (CREST), Ag in the Classroom, and other important campus initiatives.
“Kathy and I were basically city kids, but our ties to agriculture run deep,” Paul told the audience at the Torch & Shield event. “We both came from immigrants who settled in the Midwest and found opportunity in farming the rich land.”
“Our son, Peter, and daughter, Amy, have supported CREST, Ag in the Classroom, and other meaningful creative UMC programs; and Kathy and I have enjoyed offering the Imle Family scholarships for UMC students in all fields,” he added. “Many of the recipients have been the first member of their family to attend college. The letters of gratitude have been heartwarming.”
“We think that investing in UMC students is the best way to ensure that we continue to have strong leadership for the future of northwest Minnesota, our communities, our schools, and our farms, and businesses,” Paul stated.
