Founder of Wawona Frozen Foods in Clovis, Earl Smittcamp, dies at 96
Earl Smittcamp, the founder of Wawona Frozen Foods in Clovis died Monday morning. He was 96. Smittcamp was a well-known philanthropist who donated millions to causes across the Central San Joaquin Valley.
After serving in the Marines during World War II, Smittcamp had farmed in the area since 1945. He and his wife, Muriel, bought her father’s 200-acre Clovis fruit ranch at Minnewawa and Nees avenues.
President Richard M. Nixon appointed him to the White House Conference on Food and Nutrition in 1969 and served as chairman of the Federal Farm Credit Board in 1971. He was on the California State Board of Agriculture from 1970 to 1972 and in 1976 was appointed to the U.S. Advisory Committee on Regulatory Programs.
Mr. Smittcamp donated $2 million to Fresno State to create Smittcamp Family Honors College, a rigorous academic program for top students, and to launch a fund drive to build Smittcamp Family Alumni House in 1997. In 2005, Mr. Smittcamp was inducted into the Frozen Food Hall of Fame.
