Lynnwood farm going from cornfields to sports fields

Published 11:11 pm Friday, November 9, 2007

LYNNWOOD — Orwin “Doc” Hageman doesn’t get around as well as he used to — but at 91, the farmer still has the energy to raise corn, trees and enough vegetables to keep his plate full.

Hageman — who earned his nickname as a boy, when he helped care for his ailing father — said he has turned down millions of dollars from developers to keep his 8-acre farm east of Lynnwood, where he’s lived nearly 50 years.

During that time, Hageman watched his community change. One by one, landowners around him sold to developers. More and more houses went up around his farm, which he still plows with a 1952 tractor.

Hageman knew his land was special.

“I thought, ‘Why not preserve this place as open space?’” Hageman said. “I finally pulled it through.”

Rather than sell to private developers, Hageman sold his farm to the city of Lynnwood on the condition that his land be turned into a neighborhood park.

The city intends to fulfill its promise, and some even want to name the park after Hageman, Lynnwood parks planner Laurie Cowan said.

“He’s done a lot for the community, and he deserves to have this named after him,” Cowan said.

On Wednesday, a neighborhood meeting to discuss plans for the park is scheduled for 7 p.m. at First Baptist Church of Martha Lake at 17319 Larch Way.

In 2002, the city paid Hageman about $1.2 million for his land and allowed him to remain on the property as its caretaker, Cowan said. Hageman is trying to buy another home adjacent to his farm, so he can move there when construction on the park begins. Work could begin sometime next year.

“He was really generous. He gave us a great deal on the property,” Cowan said.

Hageman, who was born and raised on a farm in Granite Falls, served as a medic in the U.S. Army in the Aleutian Islands during World War II from 1942 through 1946. He moved to Lynnwood in 1958, buying 5 acres for $20,000 before later buying another 3 acres from a neighbor.

About that time, he married Ruth, who was also a farmer. Doc Hageman built a long, white barn behind their farmhouse for raising chickens, and his wife sold the eggs from their front door. The aging, white building still stands, in stark contrast to new homes on the other side of the property line.

Ruth died six years ago. In her memory, Hageman donates proceeds from the crops he sells to Children’s Hospital and Medical Center in Seattle, where one of Ruth’s grandchildren used to receive treatment for spina bifida.

Hageman wants to keep the memory of his farm alive, too. He envisions sports fields in place of his corn fields, but he also hopes his old tractor will be put on display, and that maybe future generations of children will get their hands dirty in a community garden at the park.

“I’ll let kids go into my garden and pull corn stalks, and it’s the first time they’ve done that,” Hageman said. “So many youngsters, they don’t even know what corn is.”

Whatever happens, Hageman is glad his land will be preserved after his days as a farmer come to an end.

“I just thought I’d do something for the community,” Hageman said. “That’s what I wanted to do.”

Reporter Scott Pesznecker: 425-339-3436 or spesznecker@heraldnet.com.