JOHN HENRY HENDRICK

John Henry Hendrick was born April 5, 1923, and grew up in a loving family with his parents, four brothers, and six sisters on a cotton farm near Fallston, North Carolina. John graduated from high school in 1941, and married Osteen Spurling on October 3, 1942. The Hendricks has three daughters, Lynda, Carol Ami, and Barbara.

John was drafted into the army during World War II, and sixteen weeks after leaving home, he was on the front lines at the Battle of the Bulge. He attained the rank of Platoon Sergeant and, in 1946, came home with three battle stars.

After the war, John purchased some land from his father, built a house and began farming. In 1949, he began his turkey operation with 500 poults, and by 1992 he was producing 350,000 turkeys annually. The Hendricks quickly became one of the most successful family turkey operations in the nation.

Over the years, John has played a major role in the development of the poultry industry locally, regionally and nationally. As a long-time president of the Cleveland County Poultry Council, he has worked with the Agricultural Extension Service to bring educational programs to the county for poultry producers. He has been active in supporting F FA poultry judging teams, Cleveland County Fair poultry exhibits, and a poultry judging contest for youth. In 1993, John was elected to the Cleveland County Poultry Hall of Fame.

John has served as President of the North Carolina Turkey Federation, 1979-80; President of the North Carolina Poultry Federation, 1981; Executive Committee of the National Turkey Federation, 1981 -83; and President of the National Turkey Federation, 1984. For many years, John has chaired the entertainment committee for the Federation banquet, and in 1996, the North Carolina Poultry Federation honored John with its Distinguished Service Award for his long service to the organization.

As president of the National Turkey Federation, he emphasized nutritional education programs for consumers.  He worked with university officials in many states to develop new turkey products and to search for ways to eradicate avian disease in poultry. He helped move the industry from the whole bird concept by offering more variety of product--from drumsticks, thighs, breasts and giblets to turkey salami, bologna and hot dogs, cooked and uncooked

As a leader in his community, John has served as chairman of the Board of Directors of First Citizens Bank in Shelby, a member of the Cleveland County Fair Board of Directors, and a member of the Board of Trustees of Gardner Webb University. He has served his church, Pleasant Grove Baptist, as a deacon and Sunday School Director.

John is known for his strong devotion to his family and his leadership in agricultural, business, community, and church activities. He retired in 1988 from lull time activity in the poultry industry.