James Robert Ottoman, born in 1926, was a retired farmer who worked in Klamath County, Oregon, as well as both Modoc and Tulelake counties in California for 65 years. James moved with his parents and sister to Malin, Oregon, in 1934. He and his wife, Dorothy Patricia Ottoman, had a son, James Edward Ottoman, and two daughters, Kristi and Dana. The Ottomans were honored by President Ford as the 1975 National Farm Family of the Year, a competition sponsored by the Farmers Home Administration. James Ottoman had been involved in the Chamber of Commerce, farm groups, his school budget committee, volunteer firefighting, and the National Water Resources Council Committee. He was an active spokesman, involved in the Klamath Water Crisis, writing multiple articles for the Herald and News newspaper and participating in interviews and political discussions, even after his retirement.