The Stratford Perth Museum has named Richard and Jean Smelski of Shakespeare and the late Harvey William Ische of West Perth as the 2026 inductees to its Agricultural Wall of Fame, celebrating a combined legacy of hands-on farming, community giving, and rural storytelling.
Richard Smelski spent decades advancing the swine industry across Perth County through leadership with the Ontario Pork Congress, blending hands-on farm visits with education that helped shape modern practices. Jean Smelski coordinated the same congress for nearly four decades while volunteering with the Stratford Hospital Foundation. Together, they ran a farm known for its pumpkin patch, and quietly donated what it brought in to local causes, including sponsoring a room in the cancer ward at Stratford General Hospital.
Harvey William Ische wrote a widely read agricultural column under the pen name “Rusticus” from the 1920s through the 1960s. His writing captured the everyday rhythm of farm life. Beyond his columns, Ische served as president of the Perth-Huron Jersey Breeders Club and earned a banner in the mid-1950s for his “Homestead” Jersey herd. He was also secretary-treasurer of Seebach’s Hill School and president of the Mitchell District High School board during the construction of a new school in 1954.
The wall of fame program is supported by the Stratford and District Agricultural Society, one of the oldest farm groups in the region, dating back to 1841. The committee said the three honorees reflect how local agriculture has always relied on people who give in ways both visible and quiet, shaping the community for generations.
The inductees were formally recognized at the Rural Urban Dinner on April 16, 2026, at the Stratford Rotary Complex, where West Perth farmer John Drummond spoke about the challenges of planting more trees on a third-generation farm.
