From ProduceGood 10/10/24 Community Orchard News

“Through my work with the Peace Corps I learned volunteerism and charity. I state this with utter humility,” says Joseph, our October Harvest Hero. His remarkable career has taken him from academia to government service, diplomacy, and farming, each phase marked by a commitment to giving back.

In 1966, after completing his doctoral courses in Belgium, Joseph joined the University of San Diego as a professor of Philosophy and Psychology, where he taught for 20 years. During that time, he also earned degrees in International Relations and Law while authoring books.

In the 1980s, Joseph was called to serve in President Reagan’s administration, helping develop immigration and refugee policies that led to the first comprehensive immigration reform. His diplomatic journey then took him to the Middle East, first as Peace Corps Director in Yemen, then as U.S. Ambassador to Qatar, where he became the first naturalized ambassador from the Middle East to serve in a Middle Eastern country. While in Qatar, Joseph founded the first American school and played a key role in lifting a centuries-old ban on public Christian worship, an achievement that earned him a knighthood from Pope John Paul II at the Vatican.

After years of service abroad, Joseph returned to Escondido and became a tangelo grower. Initially selling his crops to well-known distributors like Sunkist, Joseph decided to donate his entire harvest to ProduceGood during the COVID-19 pandemic and continues to do so. In 2024 alone, he has donated an impressive 3,700 pounds of fruit.

Thank you, Joseph, for your inspiring legacy and for your generous commitment to sharing the harvest with our community!

With Gratitude,
The ProduceGood team