Max Yasgur
December 15, 1919 – February 9, 1973

maxyasgurMax Yasgur was just your average dairy farmer in upstate New York who unwittingly became a pop culture icon after he offered up his farm for a music festival that would become known as Woodstock.  An unlikely supporter of “hippies” and their music, it has been reported that Yasgur leased the farmland to event organizers after a bad year for hay production.  His apparent fee of  $50,000 would help him purchase hay for his cows in the coming year.  In the end, Yasgur, a staunch Republican who supported the Vietnam War, was a perfect host to his thousands of counter-culture guests, even providing free food and water to many.   Yasgur sold the farm and moved to Florida in 1971 – likely due to the fact that many locals turned against him for hosting the festival.  On February 9, 1973, Max Yasgur died of a heart attack at the age of 53.