From Racine4thFest
W. Allen Gifford 1880 – 1963
W. Allen Gifford was widely known as “The Big Milkman”. It was his civic conscience, however, which put Gifford in the public spotlight most often.
Over the years, he contributed time, effort and money to countless community projects, ranging from the Boy Scouts and YMCA to the Community Chest and the city’s annual July 4th Goodwill Celebration. Gifford’s figure astride one of his horses at the head of the Goodwill Parade was a familiar sight.
In 1912 Gifford, along with his brother Joseph, equipped with one horse drawn wagon, using the family heard of cows as a milk source, started selling to customers in the southeast side of Racine. The operation was called Gifford Sanitary Milk. Gifford later changed the name to the Progressive Dairy and incorporated the company in 1923. Their plant was located at 1214 Lathrop Avenue.
During the Depression, Progressive Dairy delivered skim milk to the needy without charge and to others extended credit, so much in fact that the dairy was broke, but nobody knew it.
Gifford and Progressive Dairy were closely associated with the Goodwill 4th of July celebration since its inception. He was elected president of Goodwill, Inc. in 1953 and had been parade chairman and grand marshal many times. One year during World War II, Gifford provided horses to draw the floats when a gasoline shortage threatened the parade. Progressive Dairy’s floats were among the most beautiful year after year. They always carried Miss Goodwill along with her court.
Gifford passed away in October of 1963. The directors of Goodwill, Inc. decided to rename the Parade Chairman’s Trophy, the W. Allen Gifford Trophy which is annually awarded to one of the top three floats in the industrial division.
Gifford was further memorialized in the late 1960s when the newly built Gifford Junior High School was named in his honor.
| Year | Winner |
|---|---|
| 1961* | DeMolay |
| 1962* | Western Publishing Company |
| 1963* | J.I. Case Company |
| 1964 | Progressive Dairy Company |
| 1965 | Progressive Dairy Company |
| 1966 | Progressive Dairy Company |
| 1967 | Progressive Dairy Company |
| 1968 | Modine Manufacturing Company |
| 1969 | Racine Shrine Club |
| 1970 | S.C. Johnson |
| 1971 | Western Publishing Company |
| 1972 | S.C. Johnson |
| 1973 | S.C. Johnson |
| 1974 | S.C. Johnson |
| 1975 | S.C. Johnson |
| 1976 | J.I. Case Company |
| 1977 | J.I. Case Company |
| 1978 | J.I. Case Company |
| 1979 | Rexnord |
| 1980 | Walker Manufacturing Company |
| 1981 | Twin Disc Incorporated |
| 1982 | Snap-On Incorporated |
| 1983 | Modine Manufacturing Company |
| 1984 | Walker Manufacturing Company |
| 1985 | Modie Manufacturing Company |
| 1986 | Western Publishing Company |
| 1987 | Walker Manufacturing Company |
| 1988 | Modine Manufacturing Company |
| 1989 | Surgitek |
| 1990 | Western Publishing Company |
| 1991 | Western Publishing Company |
| 1992 | Western Publishing Company |
| 1993 | Western Publishing Company |
| 1994 | Prudential - Heritage Realty |
| 1995 | J.I. Case Company |
| 1996 | Jacobsen - Textron |
| 1997 | Jacobsen - Textron |
| 1998 | Twin Disc Incorporated |
| 1999 | Not Awarded |
| 2000 | In-Sink-Erator |
| 2001 | S.C. Johnson |
| 2002 | Twin Disc Incorporated |
| 2003 | Modine Manufacturing Company |
| 2004 | Modine Manufacturing Company |
| 2005 | Not Awarded |
| 2006 | Twin Disc Incorporated |
| 2007 | Wheaton Franciscan All Saints |
| 2008 | Not Awarded |
| 2009 | Not Awarded |
| 2010 | Not Awarded |
- - From 1961 to 1963, the Award was called the Parade Chairman's Trophy. Starting in 1964, the award was renamed for W. Allen Gifford.
