Amy Poppinga

Without Helen Graslie, life for Alpha Gamma Rho (AGR) members would be vastly different. “I’d be skinnier,” joked Andy Walker, a two-year member of AGR – the social and professional fraternity for ag-related majors. Graslie, of White, has been the AGR house cook for the past 20 years. In that time, this grandmother of five (six*) has prepared more than 6,500 group meals, formed relationships with hundreds of members and through her well-cooked and abundant meals, has caused many members of the fraternity to pack on the pounds. “She’s the reason you don’t see many skinny guys in AGR,” said alumni Sam Dwire, whose favorite Graslie creation is hash bake. “She’s a sweetheart and a very good cook,” said Walker, who likes Graslie’s rhubarb pies. Despite today’s rave reviews of Graslie’s cooking, Graslie did not always know how to cook well. In her younger days, her late husband joked that she could not even boil water without burning it. Little by little, though, Graslie learned to cook from relatives and by asking questions. Soon, Graslie developed a talent for cooking and turned her new love into a career. For three years, she owned her own café, and for another two, she was a cook at the nursing home in White. Then in 1988, she began cooking meals for the AGR brothers who have come to appreciate her hearty meals. “It’s nice to have a nice home-cooked meal when you’re going to school,” said Walker. Scott Reith, a senior manufacturing engineering technology major, agreed. “She’s just a really good cook. I like how she always makes everything taste better.” Graslie said her secrets to good home cookings are simple. She does not measure ingredients, she puts liberal amounts of cheese on vegetables and she prepares a lot of meat, since in Reith’s words, AGR brothers are not vegetarians. For the members, though, being a good cook is not the only thing that makes Graslie special. “Her being a good cook is more or less a bonus,” said Reith. “The personality and mindset she brings serves us better at the house than her cooking alone.” Walker said Graslie keeps track of the members and knows what’s going on in each man’s life from day to day. He said she still remembers the names and other details about alumni from 20 years ago. “She’s one of those people that cares so much about everybody,” said Dwire. “Just imagine the sweetest Grandma ever, and that’s her.” In addition to being everyone’s “favorite grandma,” Walker said Graslie is also the one constant figure in the house. In her 20 years of service, Graslie has seen hundreds of students come and go, but she returns each fall to meet new members and serve them with a smile. “I think she’s an institution in herself,” said Edie Riggs, who has been the AGR house mom for five years. “They just love her. She’s just a very important part of the house.” As for Graslie, the last two decades has not been just a job. “It’s been almost the most enjoyable 20 years of my life,” she said. “I’ll have lots of happy memories if I ever do retire.”

*Correction: Helen Graslie has six grandchildren

#1.882473:1486010740.jpg:Helen.1.CMYK.BVW.jpg:In the background, several members of the Alpha Gamma Rho Fraternity pile homemade nachos on their plates. Helen Graslie, a White resident, has served 20 years worth of food to hungry college students.: