Longtime resident writes book

Wapato, southwest of Portland, Ore., where Ing grew up, was smaller than Husum and no longer exists. His family was the poorest in the neighborhood and lived in a three-room shack perched on a hillside. Their small farm provided some family subsistence.

Ing graduated from nearby Gaston High School and Pacific University after which he taught and coached in Yamhill schools for five years. A 1961 summer baseball team won the state championship.

In 1962, the family moved to the White Salmon area where he was superintendent of Mt. Adams Orchards, north of White Salmon, for 29 years. During that time, the orchard operation grew from 600 to more than 1,100 acres and irrigation was installed. The family then lived in White Salmon until a 1996 move to Hood River, where they continue to operate 80 acres of orchard.

While in White Salmon, Ing coached Little League, Babe Ruth and American Legion baseball. The Little League (Cubs) teams in the 1970s won 81 and lost 7 games, winning the league championship three consecutive years.

Ing was also a member of the White Salmon Valley School Board for eight years (1973-1981), serving as three years as chairman. Ing and his wife of 48 years, Muriel, have three children, Ken, Ed and Kathy, who were raised and educated in White Salmon.

During his time in Washington State, Ing became active in Northwest fruit industry organizations, serving as board member and chairman of several. He focused heavily on working with grower funded research. He was board member, chairman and manger of the Washington Research Commission for more than 30 years during which time its income reached $4 million annually. He was also president of the 2200 member Washington Hort Association and was twice named fruit grower of the year in Washington State.

In 1983, Ing started writing a column for Goodfruit Grower, a magazine based in Yakima, that is circulated worldwide. Those columns were part fruit technology, some from extensive worldwide travels, and included considerable humor and human interest from lifetime experiences. Each December, Ing writes a special nostalgic Christmas-oriented article. From those columns and other biographical material, the 416-page book was created and published by Good Fruit Grower.

The book is available at Waucoma Bookstore in Hood River or from the author at (541) 386-7710.