Chrystal, John.

Farmer and banker. After leaving the U.S. Navy, John Chrystal received his B.S. (1949)in Economics from the University of Iowa, and an A.S. (1989) in Small Business Management from Iowa Lakes Community College. A member of the Garst family, John was raised by Roswell and Elizabeth Garst, after the death of his mother, Dorothy. John was a managing partner in the Garst and Thomas Hybrid Seed Company and was also involved in his uncle's efforts to build agricultural links to the Soviet Union and eastern Europe.

Chrystal was also involved in banking and public service. He has managed numerous Iowa banks and served as the Iowa Superintendent for Banking (1963-1969). He managed political campaigns for Harold Hughes, Tom Harkin, and John Culver; served as president of the Iowa Civil Liberties Union; and ran for Iowa Governor in 1990. He has continued working on agricultural issues and in 1995, he accompanied U.S. President Bill Clinton, on a visit to Moscow, Russia, Kiev, and Ukraine. Chrystal is also a frequent contributor to Iowa and national newspapers.