Feb 27, 2024Longtime NPGA contributor Phelps dies at 59
Todd Phelps, 59, of Grand Forks, North Dakota, died Feb. 21 after a four-year battle with colon cancer.
On Feb. 20, Phelps received the Northland Potato Growers Association’s Industry Meritorious Service Award recognizing his contributions to the organization.
Phelps served as the managing editor of Valley Potato Grower Magazine, NPGA’s official publication, since 2001. He worked up until a week before his death, according to a statement in the NPGA newsletter, Potato Bytes.
Phelps also served as chair of the Potato Associates, a group of industry businesses that support events and causes for NPGA grower members, for several years, and was the long-time chair of the Potato Bowl Committee, which helps organize the week-long festival at the University of North Dakota.
He also helped organize, sell sponsorships and raise money for student scholarships through the annual NPGA Golf Open, and worked to find sponsorships to keep the NPGA annual banquet free to growers, according to the organization’s statement.
“There was no more deserving recipient than Todd Phelps for the Industry Meritorious Service Award last week,” the statement read.
According to the association, NPGA interim director Jacey Kuersteiner delivered the award to Phelps a week before the banquet. Phelps’ long-time partner, Lynn Kvidt, accepted the award for him at the banquet.
