Wayne Fortna grew the same pumpkin from the same seed lineage for nearly 40 years, so he could make his family a pie every Thanksgiving, according to Seed Savers Exchange, the nonprofit seed-preservation group that now lists the variety in its catalog. The tradition had no special meaning for the Gettysburg, Pa., schoolteacher beyond the fact that he kept it faithfully until he died in 1990. An oral history project by the Seed Savers Exchange gathered stories about Old Mr. Fortna's pumpkin, including quotes from his daughter and the volunteer growers who now tend the plant. This nonprofit organization documents how American families have kept certain crops thriving.
Coming home from war and finding his way back to the soil
