Berry good: Dean Swanson is outstanding La Conner alumnus

He was raised and again resides on a diversified century-old farm north of town, but more than any single crop it's been goodwill that Dean Swanson has spent a lifetime cultivating.

"I've been lucky to have grown up in a community that really cares," Swanson, 67, told the Weekly News. "I had all the support I ever needed. That's why I've always chosen to give back and (my wife) Becky, who's the rock of our family, is in on that with me."

Because he mastered the concept of "paying it forward" long before the phrase came into vogue, Swanson, a 1975 La Conner graduate, is this year's recipient of the school's outstanding alumnus award.

He will be formally honored at the annual La Conner Alumni Association Banquet and Program June 1 at the middle school gymnasium.

Swanson is being feted in equal measure for his generous spirit, quick wit and tireless work ethic.

"We're lucky to have Dean Swanson as an alumnus of La Conner High School," said La Conner School Board President Susie Deyo. "Dean is a one-of-a-kind special alumnus who is aspirational in thinking of new ideas to improve the experience of our students in La Conner. He's a true difference maker."

Deyo cited the many times Swanson has provided activities and meals for La Conner students traveling to distant academic and athletic events.

District finance officer David Cram and school board member John Agen, also La Conner alums, likewise saluted Swanson.

"He does a lot of things behind the scenes to help our students that nobody knows about," said Cram, the district's interim superintendent designee. "He's been a strong and unwavering supporter of our students."

That goes for ex-students as well. Swanson writes letters of recommendation for La Conner graduates whenever a request comes in.

Agen noted his former La Conner football teammate's positive outlook and upbeat personality, traits which Swanson forged during a mostly idyllic childhood on the family farm.

Still, it was a couple isolated rough patches in Swanson's youth that shaped his enduring sense of empathy.

Swanson recalls with gratitude and emotion the support he received from the neighboring Nelson and Erickson families and his late second-grade teacher, Dixie Maloy Otis, among others.

"This is the community I grew up in, and there's no way that I'm not going to help when I can," Swanson said.

Swanson lived in Mount Vernon for most of the 45 years he worked for with Food Services, Inc. He'd return to the farm to do chores after a work shift---sometimes running in his days as a marathoner.

But now, he and Becky, a La Conner Elementary teacher, are back home on the farm, having renovated the house of Dean's late uncle, Kermit Swanson.

Prior generations of Swansons were called the "cabbage kings," but Dean Swanson has transitioned the farm to produce a wide array of berries.

His embrace of new agricultural trends while maintaining a reverence for the past has made Swanson a go-to source for correspondents covering the Skagit Valley and La Conner flats farm beat.

"When it comes to describing farming, there's no one like Dean Swanson," said Weekly News ag reporter Anne Basye.

She said that during her interviews with him, Swanson's accounts of the local ag industry were comprehensive and colorful.

The Skagit County Pioneer Association honored the Swanson family in 2011. Dean Swanson spoke on behalf of family patriarch, the late Austin Swanson, then nearly 100.

"The farm is a perfect place to spend a childhood," Swanson told that Pioneer Picnic crowd.

Swanson has shared that rural lifestyle with his children, grandchildren and countless other youth.

During Covid-19, Swanson built a greenhouse at the farm. Once the pandemic subsided, he envisioned it serving as a flagship classroom. He asked local greenhouse operators David Hedlin and Emma Christianson if they would share their knowledge of greenhouse management.

"They were great," Swanson said of Hedlin and Christianson. "They gave up hours of their time during their busy season to teach these kids. Let me tell you, La Conner doesn't let anybody down. This is what I love so much about this community. It's the connections we all have to one another."

In his keynote speech at the 2011 Pioneer Picnic, Swanson likened the family farm to a magnet. He personifies the same when it comes to his alma mater.

"When you're around kids, it's important to be positive, to be supportive," Swanson often insists. "It's your chance to do something, no matter how small, that can improve their day. That's so important because you don't know what's going on in their lives."

For Swanson, it's a life lesson that he models daily and one that doesn't go unnoticed. Especially by fellow members of the La Conner Alumni Association.