A Soldier's Story: Lieutenant Jay Catherwood Hormel
Lieutenant Jay Catherwood Hormel, son of George A. Hormel, founder of Hormel Foods, was born on September 11, 1892. Lieutenant Jay Hormel enlisted in the US Army in September of 1917 and was assigned to 301 st Ice Plant CO. One of the biggest problems for the US Military during WWI was shipping both troops and food to Europe. The US hadn't established an extensive Navy and relied heavily on the United Kingdom's HRM Navy for transport to the Western Front. Lieutenant Jay Catherwood Hormel discovered that you could save significant space by boning meat before freezing it. Thus ensuring the Doughboys had food. After his service, Lieutenant Jay Hormel went back to work at Hormel Foods, becoming president in 1929 and chairman of the board in 1946. During his time at Hormel, many of the well-known Hormel Products were developed, including Dinty Moore Beef Stew, Hormel Chili, Hormel Deviled Ham, and the beloved Spam. Lieutenant Jay Hormel died on August 30, 1954, a...