College of ACES"It is my hope that this gift will provide resources so that future generations of faculty and students will be able to reach their potential and improve mankind's ability to feed the world."
Four generations of Ainsworth's farmed their land in Macon County: Thomas C. Ainsworth: Tom's father, Ralph Clayton "Doc" Ainsworth: Tom's great grandfather, William Thomas "W.T." Ainsworth; and Tom's grandfather, Ralph Mitchell Ainsworth (circa late 1940s).
This gift is made by Ainsworth as a tribute to his family and their rich contributions to Illinois agriculture over the past 165 years. It also honors the family's long association with the University of Illinois and is a gesture of thanks for the education that many family members received here. "It is my hope that this gift will provide resources so that future generations of faculty and students will be able to reach their potential and improve mankind's ability to feed the world," said Ainsworth.
Richard Ainsworth, Tom's paternal great-great grandfather, immigrated to the United States from Blackburn, England, with his two brothers in the mid 1830's in search of the American dream. Arriving in the county with little means, he borrowed money to purchase 80 acres of land, eventually becoming one of the most successful self-made farmer/landowners in Mason County.
Tom's great grandfather, William Thomas "W.T." Ainsworth, later took over the management of the family's farming operations. W.T. developed a reputation for being "far-sighted" with an eye for opportunity. He established W.T. Ainsworth Seed Company in 1908. The company supplied purebred seed corn on ears to farmers, primarily in central Illinois. With help from his six sons, including Tom's grandfather, Ralph Mitchell Ainsworth, the company grew to become one of the largest open-pollinated seed corn companies in the world, producing 50,000 bushels of seed corn per year.
Tom's father, Ralph Clayton "Doc" Ainsworth, the third child of Ralph and Florence, also exhibited a keen sense for recognizing opportunity. With the introduction of hybrid seed corn in the 1930s the open-pollinated seed business began to decline. Having graduated from the University of Illinois with a B.S. in 1937 in general agriculture and an M.S. in agronomy in 1940 with a focus in genetics, he understood the potential and value of the new hybrid technology.
After gaining important experience working at Iowa State University and Funk Brothers Seed Company, Doc started his own hybrid seed corn business, Ainsworth Seed Company in 1941 with the encouragement of his grandfather, W.T. At first, he sold pickup truck-loads of cobs for 10 cents per bushel to help pay bills. There was some speculation that Doc made more money on his cobs that he did on his corn during the early days of the company. However, Doc's intuition proved to be right. In the time between 1938 and 1948, hybrid corn doubled yields per acre and demand for these products grew rapidly. By the end of the 1940s, virtually every farmer in Illinois and the Midwest planted hybrid seed corn. Ainsworth Seed Company grew to become one of the best seed corn companies in the Midwest.
Thomas Ainsworth was born in 1942 in Springfield. He worked in the family hybrid seed business, Ainsworth Seed Company, until he entered college at the University of Illinois, where he received his undergraduate degree in agricultural science in 1964. He then moved west and earned a Ph.D. in plant genetics from the University of California at Davis in 1969. His graduate work prepared him for a career in plant genetics and more specifically corn breeding.
In 1975, Tom assumed the management of the family seed business. Over the next 20 years, this responsibility involved him in all facets of the business, from corn breeding and production to sales and marketing. Under Tom's leadership, the company continued its tradition of tailoring products for the satisfaction of their local and regional customers. Ainsworth Seed Co. was sold to AgraTech Seeds Inc., a subsidiary of GoldKist Inc., in 1994. Tom continues to manage a large and efficient family farming operation.
Like his father, Tom is recognized as an outstanding leader in Illinois agriculture. He also is very dedicated to his alma mater and active in affairs of the college and his community.
Tom is a devoted family person who enjoys spending time with his wife, Margaret "Peggy," and their children Edward, Kathryn, and Elizabeth. Elizabeth earned her Ph.D. from the Department of Crop Sciences in 2003. She is now an assistant professor of plant biology in the Department of Plant Biology at the U of I with an interdepartmental appointment in the Department of Crop Sciences. Elizabeth's husband, Andrew Leakey, is also a professor of plant biology at the university.
