Carl and Twila

Carl Leland Worley was born at home near Del Norte, Colorado on June 19, 1930.

Twila, Carl's sister, writes: "On June 19, 1930 Carl was born at home, too. A nurse was part of the household as well as a 'hired girl' for awhile.

Carl had most ‘stuff’ (illnesses) before he started school, so he lucked out. We always had long bus rides since we lived in the northwest corner of the school district."

On Saturday nights, the whole family went to either Monte Vista or Del Norte to sell eggs and cream and to buy groceries. They didn't go to the show because they couldn't afford the dime for the ticket.

The family didn't go to church because the church was 9 miles away and they couldn't afford the gas and didn't have any extra money to give in the collection plate.

Gerald, Carl's dad, had two quarters of land (320 acres) and grew part alfalfa grain (feed for the horses, cows and pigs) and part potatoes. He bought his first tractor in 1936.

Carl attended Sargent High School. He was a member of the FFA (Future Farmers of America) and was the state Vice President of the organization. He played clarinet in the band, set a record in the quarter mile in track and was on the basketball and football teams. He also played in an all-state football game.

Carl graduated from high school in 1948 and started Colorado A & M that fall. He was very active in college. He was named a Pacemaker and under his picture the activities listed are: ISA President, Braiden Counselor, Indean President, a club, Varsity Track and Wrestling, Alpha Zeta, Lancer President, President's Advisory Board, Wings and Cannon, Leadership Conference Panel Leader.  In his senior year, he was set up with a date with Audrey by Audrey's roommate. Her roommate had been dating a friend of Carl's. Carl graduated in from Colorado A & M 1952 with a B.S. degree in one hand and a 2^nd Lieutenant commission in the other.

[Twila] "Carl and Audrey were married January 31, 1953. I did get to that wedding. It was family and close friends. Carl was sent to a base in Oklahoma from Fort Carson."  After spending a year in Korea, he came home to farm with his father. He took over the business in 1962.

In a newspaper article written about Carl's 50 years in the certified potato seed business, he recalls what harvest was like without much machinery. "I've gone through from hand-picking to mechanization. We had one of the first air harvest machines that separate rocks from potatoes. And bulk storage started in the early 1960's. We'd harvest more in 20 minutes (today) than we did then in a whole day." A good day then was about 800 100-pound burlap sacks of potatoes. Schools closed for the three-week harvest period so the children could help.

Today, daughter, Carla, and two grandsons are farming with Carl. They raise seed potatoes, barley and fresh market potatoes. Carl has been in the certified seed business since 1944. He was named the Potato Seed Grower of the Year in the mid 1970's by the Colorado Certified Seed Association. and named Colorado Master Seedsman by the Colorado Certified Potato Growers Association in 1982.  In 1986 Carl was on the cover of Spudman magazine. In 1993 he was again presented with the 1992/1993 Seed Potato Grower of the Year award by the Colorado Certified Potato Growers Association, and in 2004 Carl was named the National Potato Grower of the Year.

Audrey is an accomplished painter doing mostly scenes in oil and watercolor. She also paints on china and has painted birds on some of the tiles of her kitchen backsplash. When she's not painting, she quilts or plays bridge. And, after the 5 girls were out of the house and on their own, Carl and Audrey took square dance lessons.

Children of Carl and Audrey Worley:

       Annette Kay Worley was born October 24, 1953.

       Kerry Jill Worley was born June 29, 1955.

       Carla Jayne Worley was born May 21, 1957.

       Gail Coleen Worley was born July 3, 1959.

       Yvonne Dee Worley was born September 21, 1960.

Carl at Colorado A&M