Poultry Science Hall of Fame

1902 – 1962

Herman Connor Kennett was born in 1902 in Guilford County, North Carolina. Mr. Kennett graduated from Pleasant Garden High School in 1920, earned a B.S. in Poultry Science from North Carolina State College (now NC State University) in 1924 and an M.S. in Poultry Science in 1926. He worked for the North Carolina Department of Agriculture from 1926 to 1932. He became manager of the Poultry Department of Central Carolina Farmers Cooperative in 1932 and Assistant General Manager in 1945.

Mr. Kennett found time to serve effectively in many capacities in the poultry industry as well as in other organizations. He served as President of the North Carolina Poultry Council, director and president of the National Broiler Council, and director and president of the Southeastern Poultry and Egg Association. He served on the National Poultry Advisory Committee to the Secretary of Agriculture.

Herman Connor Kennett was a true pioneer in the North Carolina poultry industry and the North Carolina Poultry Federation is pleased to honor him as a member of the North Carolina Poultry Hall of Fame.

1900 –

Charles Odell Lovette was born in 1900 in Wilkes County, North Carolina. He married Ila Ruth Bumgarner in 1924. He bought a Model-T Ford truck and bought and sold produce, chickens and eggs, operating as C. O. Lovette Produce Company.

In 1926, he built one of the first broiler houses in the area with a capacity of 300 chickens. This was the beginning of the commercial broiler business in the Wilkes area with Mr. Lovette as one of the innovators.

Mr. Lovette trained his children in the poultry business and they all became employees of Holly Farms Poultry Industries, Inc. Mr. Lovette realized the great economic potential of poultry to Wilkes County and to the State of North Carolina. He was a prime mover and innovator in starting the poultry industry in northwest North Carolina. From the humble beginning of a 300-bird broiler house, he provided inspiration leading to the development of Holly Farms Poultry Industries, one of America’s largest broiler producers.

Charles Odell Lovette was a true pioneer in the North Carolina poultry industry and the North Carolina Poultry Federation is pleased to honor him as a member of the North Carolina Poultry Hall of Fame.

1889 – 1960

Roy S. Dearstyne was born in 1889 in New York, and came to North Carolina as a bacteriologist for the city of Charlotte in 1919. Mr. Dearstyne earned his B.S. from the University of Maryland in 1917 and an M.S. from North Carolina State College in 1924. He was a faculty member of the Department of Poultry Science at NC State University for 35 years — from 1922 – 1956. From 1932 – 1956, he served as Head of the Department.

Professor Dearstyne was one of the early pioneers in developing the poultry industry in North Carolina. He was far ahead of his contemporaries in realizing the great economic potential for poultry in the state.

Roy S. Dearstyne was a true pioneer in the North Carolina poultry industry, and the North Carolina Poultry Federation is pleased to honor him as a member of the North Carolina Poultry Hall of Fame.

Lester Ray Brown was born in 1908 in Pilot Mountain, North Carolina.

Mr. Brown graduated from Pilot Mountain High School in 1926. The following January, he attended a short poultry course at North Carolina State College in Raleigh, NC and won a silver cup for being the best judge of poultry at the end of the course. A few years after high school, Mr. Brown bought a small farm on the outskirts of Pilot Mountain and built his first chicken house. He always valued quality egg production and made egg quality his life’s work. He was one of the first hatcherymen in the state to begin a blood-testing program.

Lester Ray Brown was an innovator and pioneer in developing North Carolina’s poultry industry. The North Carolina Poultry Federation is pleased to honor him as a member of the North Carolina Poultry Hall of Fame.

1894 –

Clyde Lathorp Fore was born in 1894 in Wilmington, North Carolina. At the age of five, Mr. Fore’s family moved to Charlotte, NC. He graduated from Charlotte High School in 1912 and from the University of North Carolina in 1916. He served in France during World War I as a First Lieutenant. In 1922, he married Ruth Edwards and in 1923 moved to Siler City, NC to work for Siler City Mills.

Mr. Fore identified great potential in the broiler business and in 1925, 300 Barred Rock chicks paid off, to the astonishment of skeptical neighbors. From this small beginning, Chatham County, NC entered the broiler business. This experience changed the lives of hundreds and even thousands of farmers and added millions of dollare to the NC economy.

Mr. Fore was an active member of a number of poultry organizations, including the National Broiler Council and the North Carolina Feed Manufacturers Association. He also served as town commissioner, a Rotarian, and was an Elder Emeritus of the Siler City Presbyterian Church.

Mr. Fore’s contributions to the growth and development of the poultry industry in North Carolina, his pioneer spirit, his ingenuity and his many other accomplishments highly qualify him for induction into the North Carolina Poultry Hall of Fame.

1895 – 1958

Thomas Otto Minton was born in 1895. In 1916, he married Belva Eller.

Mr. Minton built his first poultry house in 1923 to hold 150 pullets. He started with the Pure Tom Barron Strain English White Leghorns from England for breeding. These birds were rated as the best breeders in the world at that time. He was one of the first in North Carolina to begin blood-testing birds.

During the late 1930s and early 1940s, Mr. Minton had the largest commercial breeding farm in the South and the third largest in the United States. On a 500-acre farm, he had capacity for 35,000 layers, 30,000 pullets and incubator facilities for 164,000 hatching eggs. Mr. Minton also ran a milling company, manufacturing feed was used on his own farm in addition to supplying other businesses.

Thomas Otto Minton was a true pioneer in the North Carolina poultry industry, and the North Carolina Poultry Federation is pleased to honor him as a member of the North Carolina Poultry Hall of Fame.

1909 – 1957

Herman Bernard Helms was born in 1909 in Monroe, North Carolina. After graduating from Monroe High School, he attended Wingate Junior College and later Wake Forest College. He returned to Union County and taught French at Benton Heights High School. While teaching, he became interested in poultry breeding and in the mid-30s gave up teaching to work full-time in the poultry industry.

Mr. Helms became an outstanding breeder of New Hampshires and was one of the first in the South to start breeding a white-feathered broiler. He was active in a number of poultry organizations that date back to the late 40s. In 1949, he won top honors in the North Carolina State Chicken of Tomorrow Contest.

Mr. Helms’ interest in and dedication to the poultry industry in the Union County area direct influence on the poultry industry in other areas of North Carolina. His activities in farm-related organizations exemplified his interest in the welfare of not only his own business but also the welfare of the poultry industry throughout the state.

The officers and directors of the North Carolina Poultry Federation are pleased to honor Herman Bernard Helms with induction into the North Carolina Poultry Hall of Fame.

1875 – 1955

Hugh Gillespie Maxwell was born in 1875, in Wayne County, North Carolina. In 1916, Mr. Maxwell founded the Goldsboro Milling Company in Goldsboro, NC. He was one of the early founders of the Bank of Wayne which is now Wachovia Bank in Goldsboro, NC. For many years, Mr. Maxwell served on the bank board.

Mr. Maxwell realized the potential of the poultry industry in eastern North Carolina and was a pioneer in financing chicken and turkey producers. Mr. Maxwell’s interest in agriculture and the poultry industry in particular along with his desire to help people help themselves contributed to creating a thriving and vital poultry industry in eastern North Carolina.

Goldsboro Milling was a family undertaking. After Mr. Maxwell’s retirement, his sons and grandsons continued the operation. Because of Mr. Maxwell’s foresight and pioneering spirit, Goldsboro Milling became one of the largest turkey operations in the country. Mr. Maxwell’s influence continues all over eastern North Carolina.

It is with pleasure that the North Carolina Poultry Federation recognizes the contributions of Hugh Gillespie Maxwell to North Carolina’s poultry industry with induction into the North Carolina Poultry Hall of Fame.

1883 – 1961

Mrs. F. B. Bunch, nee Lizzie May Pardue, was born in 1883 in Cheatam County, Tennessee. She was a graduate of Western Kentucky College in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Mrs. Bunch became interested in the poultry industry in the early 1920s and started a small hatchery in the basement of her home in 1926. She later added a room to the house called the “pine room” that housed the Bunch Hatchery with two Smith incubators.

Mrs. Bunch was noted in her early years for her Wyandottes, Barred Rocks, and Rhode Island Reds, and was an innovator in developing the North Carolina broiler industry. She produced New Hampshire-Barred Rock crossed chickens for broiler production, and was one of the early broiler contractors in Iredell County, NC. She became known throughout the broiler industry as an astute businesswoman and was the first president of the North Carolina Poultry Association.

Mrs. F. B. Bunch was a true pioneer in the North Carolina poultry industry, and the North Carolina Poultry Federation is pleased to honor her as a member of the North Carolina Poultry Hall of Fame.

1910 –

Ralph Bogan Kelly was born in 1910 in Broadway, North Carolina. He graduated from Broadway High School and later from North Carolina State College. In 1939, Ralph Kelly was employed with the North Carolina Department of Agriculture in the Poultry Section and was chief of the section when he retired in 1958. During Mr. Kelly’s tenure with the North Carolina Department of Agriculture, North Carolina he moved from obscurity in the poultry world to a position of commercially-important leadership. This period saw the construction and growth of processing plants for eggs, broilers, and turkeys. Poultry processing inspection began and poultry and egg product grading flourished.

Mr. Kelly was instrumental in the formation of many poultry organizations in North Carolina. He was an incorporating member of the North Carolina Poultry Council, the forerunner of the North Carolina Poultry Federation, and served as Secretary-Treasurer of the North Carolina Poultry Processors Association.

Ralph Bogan Kelly dedicated many years of service to the poultry industry in North Carolina and it is with pleasure that the North Carolina Poultry Federation inducts him into the North Carolina Poultry Hall of Fame.

1911 –

James Atwell Alexander was born in 1911 in Alexander County, NC. He earned an A.B. in 1929 and an M.S. in 1931 from Davidson College. He did post-graduate work at the Colorado School of Mines and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In 1934, he returned to the family farm, established a laying flock, and rapidly moved into poultry leadership as a Record of Performance breeder. His moderately inbred Leghorn breed cross was one of the most productive in the industry as long as a market for cream-colored eggs remained.

Mr. Alexander gave liberally of his time, energy, and resources to the agricultural, business, and human needs of his county and state. His leadership was particularly valuable as North Carolina moved from an importer to an exporter of table eggs. Mr. Alexander was instrumental in organizing the North Carolina Poultry Council and the North Carolina Egg Marketing Association. He served as president of each. His wisdom and energy were tapped through many advisory and executive positions including the advisory committees of the North Carolina Random Sample Test and NC State University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, executive committees of the North Carolina Agribusiness Council, North Carolina Agricultural Foundation, Governor’s Council for Economic Development and a large commercial bank, and chairmanships of North Carolina Farm-City Week, North Carolina Agricultural Foundation directors, and the Governor’s Advisory Committee on Agriculture. Mr. Alexander gave eighteen years of distinguished service to the North Carolina Board of Agriculture.

The North Carolina Poultry Federation is pleased to honor him with induction into the North Carolina Poultry Hall of Fame.

1925 –

Charles Fred Lovette was born in 1925. He was President of Holly Farms Poultry Industries, Inc., of Wilkesboro, North Carolina and Executive Vice President of The Federal Company of Memphis, Tennessee.

Mr. Lovette entered the poultry business in 1942, driving a truck around the countryside buying eggs, chickens, and other products from local farmers and reselling them in Winston-Salem, NC. From this humble beginning, Mr. Lovette swiftly expanded. In 1961, he formed Holly Farms Poultry Industries, Inc. from 16 poultry-oriented companies in the Wilkes County area. Under his leadership, Holly Farms pioneered Holly Pak chicken, processing chicken under carefully controlled conditions, pre-packaging and -pricing at the plant level, and delivering fresh to retail stores.

Mr. Lovette had a genuine concern for people. Through his efforts, land was contributed to Wilkesboro Elementary School and Wilkes Community College where the vocational building was named Charles Fred Lovette Hall. For the prestige that Charles Fred Lovette brought to the North Carolina poultry industry, he has earned induction into the North Carolina Poultry Hall of Fame.

1901 –

Clifton “Chick” Floyd Parrish was born in 1901 in Washington County, Florida. When Mr. Parrish was young, his family moved to Guilford County, North Carolina. Mr. Parrish was a dedicated pioneer, leader and promoter of the poultry industry from 1925 until his death.

Mr. Parrish graduated from Pleasant Garden High School in 1921, earned a B.S. in Agriculture from North Carolina State College in 1925, and completed 16 hours of graduate work in Poultry Science. Mr. Parrish began his poultry career as Extension Poultryman on in 1925, and was placed in charge of Poultry Extension in 1928. He retired in 1963. He continued to serve the poultry industry after his retirement as Secretary-Treasurer of the North Carolina State Mutual Hatchery Association until 1975.

Mr. Parrish played a major role in developing the commercial poultry industry in North Carolina. He helped organize the NC State Mutual Hatchery Association, NC Record of Performance Association, NC Poultry Council, and the NC Poultry Processors. In his nearly 40 years in Poultry Extension work at NC State University, he originated the monthly “Poultry Pointers” publication, organized the first 4-H Pullet Chain, served as superintendent of the poultry section of the State Fair and worked actively with the US World’s Poultry Congress. Mr. Parrish wrote the poultry section in Progressive Farmer Magazine for over 12 years and was the author of 37 poultry bulletins and publications.

Clifton Floyd “Chick” Parrish was a true pioneer and leader in the North Carolina poultry industry and the North Carolina Poultry Federation is pleased to honor him as a member of the North Carolina Poultry Hall of Fame.

1903 –

Newlin Bartimus Nicholson, better known as “Nick the Chick,” was born in 1903 in Alamance County, North Carolina. He attended Green Hill School, Guilford College, NC State University and Cornell University. Mr. Nicholson grew up on a poultry farm where his father imported Tom Barron White Leghorns from England.

Mr. Nicholson joined the NC Agricultural Extension Service in 1929. He joined the Union County Extension staff in 1943. Mr. Nicholson was the person to turn to for any poultry problem — he was the serviceman, the nutritionist, the building expert, the marketing specialist and the “Daddy” of the Union area poultry industry.

Mr. Nicholson organized the 500 Hen Club, Union County Poultry Days and many other special promotional activities. Mr. Nicholson saw the need to bring industry, local residents, lending agencies and related industries together. As a result of his efforts, the Union County area became a poultry hub with a research laboratory, three processing plants and many related support industries. Mr. Nicholson always recognized the importance of young people — he assisted many young people in becoming national 4-H winners in projects and demonstrations. Many of these 4-Hers became leaders in the poultry industry.

After his retirement from Extension in 1968, he served as farm consultant for the American Bank & Trust Company in Monroe. The North Carolina Poultry Federation is pleased to honor Newlin Bartimus “Nick the Chick” Nicholson with induction into the North Carolina Poultry Hall of Fame.

1901 –

Nash Johnson was born in 1901 in Duplin County, North Carolina. He married Mary Sue Cowan.
The Johnson poultry business started in 1930 when Mr. and Mrs. Johnson grew 100 turkeys. They used ten hens to hatch, brood and raise the poults. From this beginning, the Johnsons added a 1935 Sears Roebuck incubator and launched into the turkey business.
In 1950 Mr. Johnson’s sons Marvin and Bizzell joined the family turkey business. Mr. “Nash” (as he was affectionately known) has been referred to as the “Father of the North Carolina Turkey Industry.”

The Johnson poultry business expanded in 1956 to include broiler production. The same year they opened a pushbutton feed mill, built mostly with their own labor. The business grew rapidly, with the addition of a broiler hatchery in 1959, the Rose Hill Poultry Processing Plant in 1960, the House of Raeford turkey plant in 1962, a by-products rendering plant in 1968 and grain terminals in Warsaw and Lumberton, NC.

Nash Johson was a pioneer in developing the North Carolina poultry industry. He is a worthy member of the North Carolina Poultry Hall of Fame.

1923 –

Leonard G. Frahm was born in 1923 in Manning, Iowa. He completed high school in 1941 and immediately launched his career in the turkey industry with a local Iowa turkey processing plant. He served with the U.S. Army from 1943 to 1945 and returned to the turkey industry when discharged.
In 1958, Mr. Frahm came to North Carolina to manage the Raeford, NC turkey plant. At the time, the North Carolina turkey industry was a fledgling industry and Mr. Frahm played a significant role in getting the industry “off the ground.” He was credited by those who knew him with doing more to help establish the North Carolina turkey industry than any other person in his area. He was a friend to producers and growers, maintained good relationships with the processing employees, buyers, retail markets and gained wide respect throughout the industry as a man of his word.

In 1962, he became Vice President and General Manager of Raeford Turkey Farms. He was instrumental in helping to establish further processing as a standard marketing technique for the entire turkey industry and for establishing the “House of Raeford” brand as a symbol of quality throughout the world.

The North Carolina Poultry Federation is pleased to honor Leonard G. Frahm with induction into the North Carolina Poultry Hall of Fame.

1905 –

Burnace Monroe Hancock was born in 1905 in Chatham County, North Carolina. He grew up on a farm and was one of eleven children. In 1926, he joined Siler City Mills, first as a truck driver and later as a feed salesman.

Times were hard in the late 1920s and Mr. Hancock and Siler City Mills mail-ordered baby chicks and supplied them to farmers to increase feed sales. Mr. Hancock located growers and markets for the birds and Siler City Mills furnished the feed to the customers who grew out the chickens for processing. The fryers were shipped by rail to distant places such as Savannah, Georgia and Cincinnati, Ohio for processing.
Mr. Hancock realized the potential of the poultry business and in the late 1930s, he leased a warehouse and began working full-time on hatching, feeding and marketing chickens. He was one of the innovators responsible for starting the broiler business Chatham County, NC.

Immediately following World War II, Mr. Hancock started a processing business and was one of the first contract producers of broilers in the Chatham County, NC area. He later expanded the business to include a feed mill and hatchery to fully integrate the business.

Burnace Monroe Hancock’s contributions to the growth and development of the poultry industry in North Carolina, his pioneer spirit, his ingenuity and his many other accomplishments highly qualify him for the North Carolina Poultry Hall of Fame.

1908 – 2004

Aurelia Ilse Guffey was born in Westphalia, Missouri and was involved in the hatchery business her entire career. She started in hatcheries as an office assistant with the Hilkemeyer Brothers Hatchery in Westphalia, MO. She later transferred to Jefferson City, MO as manager of one of their hatcheries and later managed hatcheries in a number of cities for the growing company.

In the early 1930s, Mrs. Guffey, then Aurelia Ilse, was transferred to Greensboro, North Carolina as manager of the Carolina Hatcheries and became a partner with the Hilkemeyer Brothers Hatchery. Mrs. Guffey married Samuel Edward Guffey, one of the breeding flock supervisors, soon after arriving in North Carolina.

Mrs. Guffey expanded the Carolina Hatcheries business rapidly and manageed the North Carolina broiler operations after the early deaths of Leonard and Albert Hilkemeyer. The hatchery grew from one operation producing 25,000 chicks per week to seven hatcheries with a capacity of over 1 million chicks per week.

Mrs. Guffey retired from the hatchery business in 1974. Aurelia Ilse Guffey was a pioneer in developing the hatchery and broiler industries in North Carolina and the North Carolina Poultry Federation is pleased to induct her as a member of the North Carolina Poultry Hall of Fame.

1908 –

Elmer “Izzy” Stuart Kendrick was born in 1908 in Abingdon, Virginia and retired as Vice President of Holly Farms Poultry Industries in 1978.

Mr. Kendrick was actively involved in the poultry industry beginning in 1934 — first as a buyer of live poultry in southwestern Virginia and later as a buyer and seller of poultry and broilers. In the late 1940s, Mr. Kendrick recognized the changes taking place in the poultry industry and refocused his selling from terminal markets to regional processing plants in North Carolina. He developed, with two partners, a grow-out company called the Nu-Way Feed Service. He was later associated with K & L Feed Company, which was incorporated into the Lovette Feed Company and the Lovette Poultry Company. In 1955, Mr. Kendrick became part owner of Mocksville Feed Mills and in 1956 helped to establish the Chick-A-Dee Hatchery.

In 1961, Mr. Kendrick helped guide the Holly Farms Poultry Industries through the merger of sixteen North Carolina poultry companies. He became the first executive vice president of Holly Farms and was on the original board of directors.
Mr. Kendrick was a strong leader in the broiler industry, helping to organize the National Broiler Council in 1954.
Elmer Stuart “Izzy” Kendrick was a true pioneer and leader in developing the North Carolina poultry industry and the North Carolina Poultry Federation is pleased to induct him as a member of the North Carolina Poultry Hall of Fame.

1900 –

Clifford W. Tilson was born in 1900 in Mars Hill, North Carolina. He attended Mars Hill College and graduated from North Carolina State College in 1924. Mr. Tilson started his career as a county agricultural agent in 1924 and was appointed the first general manager of the newly-organized Farmers Mutual Exchange in Durham, NC in 1930, later known as Central Carolina Farmers Exchange. The cooperative started with 400 farmers and $2,400 and grew under Mr. Tilson’s leadership to 15,000 members and 68 million dollars by 1975.

The potential for agriculture in Durham and surrounding counties was recognized by Mr.Tilson and he started the first poultry and egg processing and marketing cooperative in the area. The poultry plant connected with this operation was one of the first processing plants in North Carolina. Mr. Tilson hired Mr. H.C. Kennett, another Hall of Fame member, as the manager of the poultry marketing department. Central Carolina Farmers’ (CFF) growth and success was largely due to Mr. Tilson’s efforts and his ability to recognize excellent managers and dedicated employees. CCF grew under his leadership to one of the leading egg marketing and processing firms in North Carolina.

In 1965, Mr. Tilson guided CCF in a joint venture with Gold Kist Poultry to handle the broiler production, processing and marketing phases of the business. This venture grew rapidly with the addition of new facilities, including feed mill and hatchery, and modernization of processing facilities. Mr. Tilson was a strong community and industry leader. He was interested in the development of the NC State University Alumni Association and Foundation and was an ardent Wolfpack fan. He was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humanities from NC State in 1957, was Alumnus of the Year in 1960 and was Food Processor of the Year in 1969.

Clifford W. Tilson was a true pioneer and innovative leader in recognizing and developing a key organization related to the poultry industry. The North Carolina Poultry Federation is pleased to induct him as a member of the North Carolina Poultry Hall of Fame.

1915 –

Ebern T. Watson Sr. was born in 1915 in Lowland, Pamlico County, North Carolina. Mr. Watson began his business career with the N.C. Baltimore Freight Line making $25 a month. He later purchased a truck and developed a seafood route that carried him from the coast of eastern North Carolina to as far as Raleigh, NC.

In 1946, Mr. Watson purchased Hudson Poultry Company of Raleigh, NC. The firm employed 13 people and processed between 2,500 and 3,000 chickens per week. In 1952, Mr. Watson changed the name of the company to Watson Seafood and Poultry, Inc. and managed the plant in Raleigh until 1974.
In 1956, Mr. and Mrs. Watson helped develop a processing plant in Rose Hill known as the Rose Hill Poultry Company. They also acquired interest in the processing plant in Siler City, NC, which made them one of the largest poultry processors in North Carolina.

While spending many long hours developing a large and progressive business, Mr. Watson still had time to participate in many other endeavors, serving his community through church and civic activities. He had a genuine concern for people and served on the board of directors of the Raleigh Rescue Mission and the Raleigh Chamber of Commerce. For many years, Mr. Watson was an active member of the Brooks Avenue Church of Christ, where he served as an Elder and Bible School teacher.

During his poultry career, Mr. Watson participated actively in various agricultural and poultry organizations throughout North Carolina and the United States. He served as director of the Poultry and Egg Institute of America, the North Carolina Poultry Federation and the North Carolina Agribusiness Council. He was also active in the North Carolina Poultry Processors Association, the National Broiler Council and the Southeastern Poultry & Egg Association.

Mr. Watson was noted among his peer and friends for his honesty and integrity, his valuable service to his community and his contributions to North Carolina’s largest food industry. Ebern T. Watson Sr. was a pioneer and innovator in the North Carolina poultry industry. The North Carolina Poultry Federation is pleased to induct him as a member of the North Carolina Poultry Hall of Fame.

1909 – 1961

Richard T. Breeden Sr. was born in 1909 in Talbott, Tennessee. In 1928 he married Beatrice McCarthy of Glen Alpine, North Carolina. Mr. Breeden began his business career as a barber and become involved with poultry in the early 1930s by purchasing eggs during weekend visits to his parents’ home in eastern Tennessee. He sold the eggs to local Morganton, NC stores.

In the late 1930s, Mr. Breeden began selling live poultry along with the eggs. Soon neighbors and local merchants requested dressed chickens — Mr. and Mrs. Breeden met this demand by butchering and dressing a few chickens in their backyard.

The demand for dressed chickens continued and by 1940 Mr. and Mrs. Breeden had decided to devote their time to their growing poultry enterprise. Mr. Breeden sold his barber shop, purchased a gas station building, and launched into a “New York dressed” poultry operation. Mrs. Breeden kept the books and ran the office while Mr. Breeden managed the dressing operation and sales.

From this beginning, the Breedens began to expand. In 1952, B & L Feed and Supply was added to contract with farmers to supply broilers and in 1954 Mountain Ice Hatchery became a part of the company. In 1958, the Breedens built a modern poultry processing plant with a 350,000-bird-per-week capacity.
Mr. Breeden died in 1961. After his death, the company continued to grow, adding a feed mill in 1964 and a byproduct plant in 1968. The processing plant was completely remodeled and re-equipped in 1979-80.

Mr. Breeden was a pioneer in developing the poultry industry in the Burke County, NC area. He and Mrs. Breeden greatly contributed the area’s economy. The North Carolina Poultry Federation membership is pleased to honor Richard T. Breeden Sr. with induction into the North Carolina Poultry Hall of Fame.

1903 – 1981

Ottis S. Carroll was born in 1903 in Turkey, North Carolina. He attended Trinity Park College, now part of Duke University, and Wingate College. Following college, he married Gladys Laney. They returned to Sampson County, NC, where he started farming. In 1939 he and a partner leased a grist mill in Sampson County. At the expiration of the lease in 1941, he and his partner built a new mill in Turkey and continued to produce corn meal and flour. The byproducts from the mill were fed to hogs and cattle. Mr. Carroll later purchased his partner’s share in the mill and in 1946 started producing custom-mixed feed for livestock and poultry. Mr. Carroll entered the poultry business in 1953 by constructing eleven houses to grow broilers for local processors. The broiler operation was gradually expanded through contract growers.

By 1967 the business had grown and needed a chief operating officer. The company continued its rapid growth and converted the broiler operation to turkeys, expanded swine operation to include feeder pigs and the name was changed to Carroll’s of Warsaw, Inc. Both the poultry and swine division experienced phenomenal growth during the next decade. Broiler production wsa started in 1979. When Mr. Carroll’s died in 1981, the company employed over five hundred people and was producing approximately 6 million turkeys, 16 million broilers and 180,000 market hogs.

Ottis S. Carroll was an entrepreneur and pioneer in the North Carolina poultry industry and the North Carolina Poultry Federation is pleased to induct him into the North Carolina Poultry Hall of Fame.

1905 – 1975

Hoyle C. Griffin was born in 1905 in Union County, North Carolina. He attended The Ohio State University and earned a degree in economics and animal husbandry. After graduation, he returned to the family farm and had an active agri-business career for nearly 50 years.

Mr. Griffin and his partner developed the Griffin Implement Company, a farm equipment dealership, and the Griffin Milling Company that was the predecessor of the Producers Cooperative Feed Mill. Mr. Griffin was also active as a turkey producer during. He was co-founder and first president of the Monroe turkey processing plant, later affiliated with Armour and Company and Cuddy Farms. Mr. Griffin participated in the formation of Gimco Sales Company, a turkey production firm.

Mr. Griffin was an outstanding agricultural leader in south central North Carolina. He served as a member of the North Carolina State Board of Agriculture for 20 years and was a member of a national committee studying turkey production. He was active in community leadership, serving as a member of the Union County Industrial Commission, the Board of Trustees of the Union Memorial Hospital and was Director of the Federal Land Bank of Monroe.

Hoyle C. Griffin was a pioneer in developing the poultry industry in the Union County, NC area and the North Carolina Poultry Federation is pleased to induct him into the North Carolina Poultry Hall of Fame.

1914 –

Dennis Ramsey was born in 1914 in New Bern, North Carolina. His father and his maternal grandfather were railroad men, and the Ramseys lived in several eastern North Carolina towns, including Raleigh. In 1935 Mr. Ramsey graduated from North Carolina State College with a degree in Mechanical Engineering.
After graduation, Mr. Ramsey worked briefly as an assistant master mechanic with a cotton mill. He quickly located a new opportunity with the Pennsylvania Railroad in their motive power department and worked for the railroad in a number of positions until he entered the U.S. Army at the beginning of World War II.

Following WWII, Mr. and Mrs. Ramsey opened a movie theater in Rose Hill, NC. They operated the theater for 10 years until the television industry prompted them to look for other business opportunities. Mr. Ramsey became intersted in the idea of producing chickens after many visits to his wife’s family in Georgia, who were active in the chicken business.

In 1954, Mr. Ramsey introduced commercial poultry production to Duplin County, NC. He built a chicken house himself to show good faith in the project and started contracting with local farmers to grow chickens for sale. He provided the feed, chicks, supervision and marketed the broilers, sharing the proceeds with the growers. From this beginning, he formed partnerships with Shelton Lewis of Smithfield, NC in a hatchery and with Ebern T. Watson, Sr., of Raleigh, NC in a processing operation.

Mr. Ramsey was the first President of the North Carolina Poultry Federation and was instrumental in helping to develop the National Broiler Council. He was a pioneer in developing the broiler industry in Duplin County, in North Carolina and in the United States. The North Carolina Poultry Federation is proud to induct Dennis Ramsey into the North Carolina Poultry Hall of Fame.

1926 –

Paul J. Morgan was born in 1926 in Guilford County, North Carolina. A member of a pioneering poultry family, his parents began keeping hens for eggs to sell in the early 1920s. During the Depression, the family survived because they could trade and sell eggs and chickens.

Mr. Morgan attended Oak Ridge Military Institute and Duke University. Following World War II, he returned to the family farm and went into business with his father. They determined that the live chicken market was very unpredictable but that dressed birds sold well. They started a small business in the family garage, processing 65 birds the first day. The next day they hired their first employee and increased production to 130 birds per day. From this beginning, the Morgan & Sons Poultry Company evolved. The firm grew into one of the leading local poultry processors in the area and marketed birds under the Dogwood brand. The Morgans entered into several working arrangements with other poultry producers in the area for the production of feed and broilers to supply the processing plant.

Mr. Morgan was a leader in the North Carolina poultry industry from the start. In the late 1950’s and early 1960’s, he was active in the organization of the Southeastern Poultry and Egg Association. He served as a member of their Board of Directors, as Secretary-Treasurer, and was President of the organization in 1963. He served as President of the National Broiler Council and the National Broiler Marketing. He was a continuous member of the North Carolina Poultry Processors Association and served as President of that organization. He was a member of the original group of poultry producers who organized the North Caroling Poultry Federation and served as a member of the Board of Directors in 1968. He later served in a number of different positions and was President of the Federation in 1973.

Mr. Morgan represented North Carolina well as a leader in the poultry industry in both a state and national contexts. Probably no one individual played a greater leadership role in the development of the North Carolina poultry industry than Mr. Morgan.

The North Carolina Poultry Federation is pleased to recognize Paul J. Morgan for his outstanding contributions to the poultry industry and to induct him into the North Carolina Poultry Hall of Fame.

1924 – 1987

S. Oren Starnes was born in 1924 in Monroe, North Carolina. He graduated from Prospect High School in 1941. Mr. Starnes served in the Merchant Marines during World War II and married Helen Cox in 1945.

Mr. Starnes bought a 150-acre farm with an FHA loan and began farming in 1947. In the early 1950s he built poultry houses and began a commercial layer operation, supplying the A & P warehouses in Charlotte, NC. In the early 1960s, Mr. Starnes switched from layers to turkeys. He incorporated the farm with his son and formed Circle S. Ranch, Inc. and Star Turkey Farms. He bought adjoining land, increasing his land to 1000 acres.

Mr. Starnes always tooks time to help others. He was an active member of the Prospect Methodist Church where he served as a Sunday School teacher and on various committees. He served as a Union County, NC Commissioner for over 40 years. He was a charter member of the Sandy Ridge Volunteer Fire Department. In 1974, he was named Man of the Year by the Chamber of Commerce.

Mr. Starnes served the agriculture and poultry industries in a variety of roles. He was Direction of the National Turkey Federation and served as President of the North Carolina Poultry Federation from 1985-1986. He was a long-time board member of the North Carolina Turkey Federation, served one year as president and actively served on numerous committees of both the turkey and poultry federations.

Mr. Starnes was well-respected in and beyond Union County. In recognition of his contributions to the Union County and NC poultry industries, the North Carolina Poultry Federation is pleased to induct S. Oren Starnes into the North Carolina Poultry Hall of Fame.

1924 – 2012

Maurice J. Pickler was born in Chicago, Illinois and came to North Carolina during the height of the Depression. Mr. Pickler was five years old and his father, Jacob Pickler, was forced to return to the farm for economic reasons.
Mr. Pickler grew up on the farm. He graduated from NC State University with a B.S. in 1947 and from Cornell University with an M.S. in agricultural economics in 1948.

Mr. Pickler joined the family farming business with his father in 1948. In 1949 they processed and sold quality controlled eggs under the Springdale Farms private label. The family business grew rapidly, building a second laying house in 1949 and a feed mill in 1952. Mr. Pickler’s brother, Gene Pickler, joined the business in 1958.

Mr. Pickler played an important role in shaping the future direction of the North Carolina poultry industry. He was one of the original board members of the North Carolina Poultry Council established in the 1950s, helped formulate and promote the passage of the NC Egg Law in 1959 and helped organize the North Carolina Egg Marketing Association in 1960. He was a board member and President of the Egg Marketing Association. The North Carolina Poultry Federation was developed from the North Carolina Poultry Council and Mr. Pickler was a member of the first board of directors.

Mr. Pickler made signifcant contributions to the development of the poultry industry regionally, nationally and internationally. He was President of the Southeastern Poultry and Egg Association, board member of the Poultry and Egg National Board and board member and research committee chairman of the American Egg Board.

Mr. Pickler made significant contributions to the egg industry by organizing and helping formulate the “Nest Run” basis for trading and pricing eggs, developing the egg clearinghouse and organizing and managing the egg marketing cooperative “Eggmar.”

Mr. Pickler was a pioneer in developing the egg industry in the United States and in supporting the development of the entire poultry industry. The North Carolina Poultry Federation is pleased to recognize Maurice J. Pickler for his contributions and to induct him into the North Carolina Poultry Hall of Fame.

1918 –

William “Billy” H. Shepard Jr. was born in 1918 in Wilmington, North Carolina and spent most of his life in Goldsboro, NC. He graduated from Goldsboro High School in 1937 and married Louise Woodard from Kenly, NC in 1939. Mr. Shepard served two years in the Navy during World War II.

Mr. Shepard’s business career was focused entirely on the feed and turkey industries. He began his career as a feed salesman and later became the manager of Statesville Flour Mills’ Goldsboro office. He joined Goldsboro Milling Company in 1947 as a salesman and retired in 1989 as General Manager. During his tenure with Goldsboro Milling, the firm transitioned from a flour mill to a feed company and eventually became one of the largest integrated turkey producers in North Carolina and the United States. Mr. Shepard was an active member of the management team that developed the Goldsboro organization.

Mr. Shepard played an important role in developing the North Carolina poultry industry, especially the state’s turkey industry. He was an active member of the Carolina Feed Industry Association and was one of the founders of the North Carolina Poultry Federation. He served as president of the North Carolina Feed Manufacturers Association, the North Carolina Poultry Federation, the North Carolina Turkey Federation and the National Turkey Federation. He was a member of the Awards Committee of the North Carolina Poultry Federation on a continuous basis.

Known for his leadership, integrity, faithfulness and active participation, Mr. Shepard was an outstanding leader in industry development and in state and national poultry-related associations. He was a dedicated supporter of active industry organizations, research programs to improve the industry and new marketing methods for poultry products.

The North Carolina Poultry Federation is pleased to recognize William “Billy” H. Shepard Jr. for his many contributions to the industry by inducting him into the North Carolina Poultry Hall of Fame.

1932 – 1991

Ronald Scott Braswell was born in 1932 in Nashville, North Carolina. He attended Louisburg College and East Carolina University. In 1956, following a period of service in the U. S. Army, he joined the egg production business started by his father and uncle. Mr. Braswell and his brother, Gene, built the business into one of the largest and most successful egg-type pullet production companies in the eastern United States. Braswell Milling produced commercial eggs, but its primary business was the growing approximately 3 million pullets annually for customers in 5 different states. Mr. Braswell was the President of Braswell Milling at the time of his death 1991.

Mr. Braswell was extremely active in activities associated with the NC and US egg industries. He was an active member and past president of the North Carolina Egg Association. He served as Chairman and on the Board of Directors of the Southern United Egg Producers, also known as National Egg Company. He was an active member of the North Carolina Poultry Federation, United Egg Producers, Southeastern Poultry and Egg Association and a past alternate to the American Egg Board. Mr. Braswell was the first person to receive the Commissioner’s Award for Outstanding Service to the North Carolina Egg Industry (1979). Mr. Braswell was active in other business and civic affairs. He was a member of the Board of Centura Bank in Rocky Mount, NC and was a life-long member of the Nashville Lions Club. He served two terms as a member of the Nashville Town Board and on the Planters Bank Nashville City Board from 1962-1987. Mr. Braswell was active in the Nashville United Methodist Church where he served in several positions including finance chairman and chairman of the administrative board.

Mr. Braswell was noted for his hospitality, friendliness, and caring spirit. He was highly regarded in the poultry industry across North Carolina and the US, and was known especially for his vision and unique leadership.
Ronald Scott Braswell was a stalwart contributor to the North Carolina poultry industry and the North Carolina Poultry Federation is pleased to induct him into the North Carolina Poultry Hall of Fame.

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Bruce M. Simpson was born and raised in Monroe, North Carolina. Aftering marrying in 1943, he began farming and growing poultry on a contract basis for a feed company in Monroe.

In 1953, Mr. Simpson set up his own poultry company: Simpson Milling Company. With one other employee, he started and built a thriving business. He put together a group of contract growers, built a feed mill to supply feed for those growers and established breeder flocks to produce eggs for his custom-hatched broiler chicks. He furnished the chicks, feed and medication, paid the growers a set amount for their production and developed a truck fleet to haul the broilers to the processing plant. In the early 1960s, Mr. Simpson was involved in turkey production in Union County, NC.
In 1965, Mr. Simpson recognized the need for a poultry processing plant to supply dressed poultry for his expanding markets. He built a new plant and hired a hundred workers. In 1966, he was approached to consider a merger with Holly Farms. Holly Farms was also growing rapidly and sales were outstripping production. Acquisition of the Simpson Milling Company provided Holly Farms with additional product for their popular new process of cutting up and packaging birds for direct shipment to retail food stores. Following the merger, Mr. Simpson became Vice President of Holly Farms and Manager of the Monroe Division. He continued with Holly Farms until 1970, when he left to pursue other interests. Holly Farms, the company he started with two employees, had grown to 710 employees.

Over the years, Mr. Simpson was active in other business and civic activities, including serving on the Union County Industrial Board, the first North Carolina Pesticide Control Board, as Director of the Board of the United Carolina Bank and as a member of the Board and Vice President of the American Commercial Bank. He was appointed to membership on the Board of Trustees for Wingate College and served as that Board’s Chairman.

Mr. Simpson was not only a talented and successful poultry pioneer and businessman; he gave tirelessly to make his community a better place. It is, therefore, with great pleasure that the North Carolina Poultry Federation recognizes Bruce M. Simpson’s contributions to the growth and development of the North Carolina poultry industry and inducts him into the North Carolina Poultry Hall of Fame.

1915 –

Lafayette Wrenn was born in 1915 in Siler City, North Carolina. He spent his entire life in that community, working primarily with the poultry industry. He attended Mars Hill College from 1933-35 and the University of North Carolina from 1935-37. Mr. Wrenn served in the U.S. Army Air Forces (forerunner to the U.S. Air Force) during World War II.

Mr. Wrenn’s entire career was related to the poultry industry. He started in 1938 with Siler City Mills, the first organization to contract broiler production in North Carolina. Mr. Wrenn promoted poultry contracting as an efficient method of increasing poultry production and consumption. During his career, he served as President of Chatham Poultry Farms, Inc. and President of Master Hatcheries in Siler City. These organizations made lasting contributions to the development of the dynamic poultry industry in North Carolina. The economy and tax base of Chatham County was enhanced by the leadership of individuals like Lafayette Wrenn.

Mr. Wrenn was one of the original poultry producers who recognized the need for a state-wide organization to represent the poultry industry. He was instrumental in helping organize the North Carolina Poultry Federation and served as a member of its first Board of Directors. He moved through the chairs of the Federation and served as the fourth President of the organization from 1971-72. In the early years of the Federation, he was active in fund raising and in the development of legislative programs for the benefit of the industry.

Lafayette Wrenn was one of the leaders in the development of the poultry industry in North Carolina and the North Carolina Poultry Federation is pleased to recognize him for his many contributions and induct him into the North Carolina Poultry Hall of Fame.

1931-

Donald W. Mabe was born in 1931 in Kernersville, NC and married in 1952. He graduated from the NC State University Department of Poultry Science in 1953.
Immediately after graduation, Mr. Mabe served for two years in the U.S. Army, leaving as a 1st Lieutenant. He then joined the sales and service staff of Fair Acre Feeds in Winder, Georgia. In 1957, he joined Perdue Farms in Salisbury, Maryland as a sales and service agent. Mr. Mabe moved quickly through a number of positions Perdue, rising to Chief Executive Officer in 1988, the position he held when he retired in 1991. As CEO, he had full responsibility for the day-to-day operations of Perdue Farms.

Perdue Farms was the recognized leader of quality poultry products in the eastern and northeastern United States. When Mr. Mabe joined Perdue in 1957, sales were $3 million and the company had 100 employees. When he retired, sales were over $1 billion and the company had over 12,000 employees. Mr. Mabe was instrumental in helping Frank Perdue and his staff launch programs that demonstrated the power of quality products, advertising and marketing. He understood the importance of, and was deeply involved in, hiring well-trained, high-quality personnel. Mr. Mabe believed in people and had confidence that if the employees of Perdue Farms were treated well, the company would succeed.
Mr. Mabe made many contributions to his company and the poultry industry. He led many of the company’s major undertakings, including the development of its egg-hatching operations, first on Delmarva and later in North Carolina. He converted an old plant into Perdue’s first major processing operation in Maryland and he was instrumental in the development of all Perdue operations in North Carolina. Those operations had a major economic impact in many parts of North Carolina. Mr. Mabe applied his Poultry Science and people skills, using them to help the Perdue organization develop a first-class integrated agribusiness company.

Mr. Mabe’s contributions didn’t stop with Perdue and the poultry industry. He served on the boards of a local hospital, bank, utility, Salisbury State College and the Private lndustry Council. He was a man dedicated to his work, family and church. In 1983, he received Delmarva’s Distinguished Service Award — recognition for his many accomplishments. ln 1986, he received the Outstanding Alumnus Award from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at NC State — the highest recognition given for former CALS students. Mr. and Mrs. Mabe established the Mabe Scholarship Endowment in the NC Agricultural Foundation. This endowment provides one scholarship annually for a student in the NC State Department of Poultry Science.

Donald W. Mabe was a leader who contributed to the growth and development of the North Carolina poultry industry and the North Carolina Poultry Federation is pleased to recognize him for his contributions and induct him into the North Carolina Poultry Hall of Fame.

1911 –

Malcolm Harry Murray was born in 1911 in Catawba, North Carolina. He was one of 12 children and grew up around the family-owned-and-operated Murray’s Mill. Built in 1912, the mill was known for its output of water-ground corn and grain products.

In 1941, Harry and his brother-in-law D. G. Drum purchased the Horn-Johnson Milling Company in Mocksville, NC. The business had six employees, one truck and produced approximately 15 tons of flour per week. In 1943, the business was incorporated under the name Mocksville Flour Mills, Inc. and gradually expanded to include feed wheat grinding. The company began specializing in poultry feed and under Mr. Murray’s leadership, the operation expanded into other areas of poultry production. In 1948, Selected Feed Store, a retail feed outlet, was established in North Wilkesboro, NC. Three years later, a chicken hatchery was constructed in Dobson, NC, followed by one of North Carolina’s first feed analysis laboratories, built in Mocksville in 1952. In 1956, Mocksville Flour Mills changed its name to Mocksville Feed Mills, Inc. and became the leading feed supplier in the fast-growing poultry industry in northwestern North Carolina.

The years between 1956 and 1961 were years of tremendous growth in the poultry industry. Along with North Carolina Hall of Fame members C. Fred Lovette and E. S. Kendrick, Mr. Murray joined fifteen other companies to form Holly Farms Poultry Industries, the first totally integrated poultry operation in the country. These merged companies formed an enterprise which supervised, controlled and regulated all areas of chicken production from the hatchery to the processing plant. Mr. Murray brought Mocksville Feed Mills into the Holly Farms family.

Serving as Vice President of Feed Milling and Commodity Purchasing and as a member of the Holly Farms Board of Directors, Mr. Murray guided the feed mill expansion with the purchase of a mill in Hickory,NC and the construction of new feed mills in Monroe, NC and Crew, Virginia. Mr. Murray served on the board of Holly Farms from 1961 until he retired in 1978 after 36 years of service in the feed and poultry industry.

While in business, Mr. Murray was an active member of the N.C. Feed Manufacturers Association, the North Carolina Poultry Federation and the Southeastern Poultry and Egg Association.

As active as he was in the growth of the poultry industry, Mr. Murray made time for civic service. He was a life-long member of the Mocksville Rotary Club and was a Mocksville Town Commissioner from 1969-1977. He served as chairman of the Board of Central Carolina Bank in Mocksville and was a member of the CCB’s Corporate Board from 1971-1975. He was a member of the Mocksville Savings and Loan Association Board of Directors from 1962-1986, serving as President in his last eight years. Mr. Murray was active in the First United Methodist Church of Mocksville, serving on the Board of Trustees, as Finance Chairman and as Chairman of the Building Committee.

Malcolm Harry Murray was a leader who contributed to the growth and development of the North Carolina poultry industry and the North Carolina Poultry Federation is pleased to recognize him for his contributions and induct him into the North Carolina Poultry Hall of Fame.

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Howard Thompson was a poultry industry leader in North Carolina. He loyally served the poultry industry and the North Carolina Poultry Federation in an exemplary manner. A long-time member of the Federation’s Board of Directors, Mr. Thompson served as its President during the year 1978-79.
Mr. Thompson worked in poultry management for 40 years, most notably at Wayne Farms in Dobson, NC. He retired in 1995.

Mr. Thompson was active in the poultry industry and his church, where he faithfully served as a deacon and an adult Sunday School teacher. He was actively involved in several local civic organizations.

For his character, integrity and the legacy of his many positive contributions to the poultry industry in North Carolina, the North Carolina Poultry Federation is pleased to induct Howard Thompson into the North Carolina Poultry Hall of Fame.

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Byron Kenneth Hawkins grew up with six brothers and three sisters on a small poultry and tobacco farm in Richmond County, North Carolina. It was on that small, rural farm that Mr. Hawkins’ aspirations for high achievement took hold. Even in high school, he began to prepare himself for future success as a member of his high school Beta Club and as President of his local Future Farmers of America chapter. He won the State Farmer Award his senior year.
After high school and three years of service in the U.S. Army Air Forces, Mr. Hawkins entered NC State University in 1949. He graduated with a B.S. in Poultry Science.

Mr. Hawkins’ long career in the poultry business began in 1953 as a Poultry Extension Agent in Chatham County, NC. Two years later, he joined the Central Carolina Farmers Exchange, Inc. in Durham, NC, as a broiler serviceman and progressed to the position of Processing Plant/Sales Manager in 1965. In 1965, Central Carolina Farmers (CCF) became affiliated with Gold Kist Broiler Division in Durham, and Mr. Hawkins continued as Processing Plant Manager. In 1971, he rose to the position of North Carolina Division Manager and he held that position until 1984, also managing a joint venture between FCX and Gold Kist. In 1984, he became the Executive Vice President of Carolina Golden Products (owned by Gold Kist) in Durham, holding that title until 1985. In 1986, Mr. Hawkins became a Consultant for Golden Poultry in Durham. He served as a Poultry Extension Area Agent from 1988-93 for Chatham, Randolph, Moore and Richmond Counties.

Mr. Hawkins was one of the pioneers of the poultry food industry. Among his many innovative contributions and visionary technique refinements, he helped originate and develop the bulk weighing procedure for poultry received at processing plants; he worked with researchers at NC State to develop a scientific procedure for figuring weights to accommodate shrinking in trucking live poultry; he coordinated grant funds for a study that resulted in a significant reduction in the amount of water needed to process birds; and he was one of the first in the industry to ship poultry using dry ice.

Mr. Hawkins was an active leader in the poultry industry and served for more than ten years as President of the N.C. Poultry Processors Association; as a past President of the Southeastern Poultry Processors Council; as a member of the North Carolina Poultry Federation’s Board of Directors and its President from 1977-78; and as the 1974 Chairman of the National Chicken Cooking Contest — the first in North Carolina.
Mr. Hawkins’ strong leadership capabilities were recognized by his local community. For twenty years, he served as a Trustee of Durham Technical Community College, assuming that role after appointments from former NC Governors Bob Scott and James B. Hunt, Jr. Other local leadership roles and areas of community service included: the Tobaccoland Kiwanis Club, Jaycees, the Agricultural Extension Advisory Council, the Agricultural Advisory Council, NC State Alumni Association and President of the Durham County NC State Wolfpack Club.
In honor of his numerous contributions to the growth and development of the poultry industry, the North Carolina Poultry Federation is pleased to induct Byron Kenneth Hawkins into the North Carolina Poultry Hall of Fame.

1932 –

Herman Connor Kennett Jr. was born in 1932 in Durham, North Carolina. He attended NC State University, earning a B.S. in Poultry Science in 1954. Following graduation, he served in the U.S. Army. He joined the Standardization Branch of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Poultry Division Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) as a poultry marketing specialist in 1956. His work involved developing standards and grades for poultry, eggs and related products, as well as the development and implementation of egg and poultry inspection programs. He was deeply involved with the development and implementation of the mandatory USDA Poultry Products Inspection Act of 1957.

In 1962, Mr. Kennett was promoted to Assistant Branch Chief, and in 1966 to Branch Chief of the Standardization Branch. In 1967, he moved to become the Deputy Director of the USDA Poultry Division AMS. In that position he administered nation-wide voluntary poultry and egg grading, standardization activities, voluntary egg products inspection, mandatory poultry inspection, national poultry market news services and the purchase of poultry and egg products for the national school lunch and feeding programs. He played an important role in the development and implementation of the mandatory Egg Products Inspection Act of 1970.

In 1973, Mr. Kennett was promoted to Director of the USDA Poultry Division AMS. He served in that capacity until 1988 — the longest tenure of any Poultry division Director. In that capacity, his responsibilities included the duties listed above, with the mandatory inspection of poultry transferred to APHIS in the late l960s; oversight of a mandatory egg check-off program for eggs was added in 1974. He was involved in the development and implementation of the Egg Research and Consumer Information Act of 1974.

In addition to his duties with the USDA, Mr. Kennett was a true friend of the US and North Carolina poultry industries. He worked at length with industry, government agencies and Congress to develop needed programs that helped the producers and consumers of egg and poultry products.

Mr. Kennett received many awards during his distinguished career including USDA Certificates of Merit in eight different years, USDA Superior Service Awards in 1960 and 1977, and the Presidential Award as a “Meritorious Executive” in 1982. He received distinguished service awards from numerous poultry organizations including: American Egg Board, Maryland Egg Council, Georgia Poultry Federation, National Broiler Council, Southeastern Egg and Poultry Association, Pacific Egg and Poultry Association, and United Egg Producers. He held honorary membership in the National Turkey Federation. A scholarship in his name was established in 1988 for a deserving Poultry Science student at NC State University. Mr. Kennett was inducted into the American Poultry Historical Society’s Poultry Hall of Fame at the Southeastern Poultry and Egg Association’s meeting in 1992.

Herman Connor Kennett Jr. was a pioneer in the US and North Carolina poultry industries and the North Carolina Poultry Federation is pleased to honor by inducting him into the North Carolina Poultry Hall of Fame.

1920 –

Franklin Parsons Perdue was born in 1920 on the Delmarva Peninsula. The same year, his father, Arthur W. Perdue, built a chicken coop, bought 23 Leghorn pullets for $5 and entered the table egg business. Mr. Perdue was raised in a hard-working, visionary family while his father worked to establish a business in Salisbury, Maryland, the area’s main commercial center in the 1920s.
Mr. Perdue’s had his first hands-on adventure in the poultry business at the age of ten when he oversaw 50 laying hens culled from his father’s flock.

Under Mr. Perdue’s care, the hens produced well and earned him $10 – $20 per month. After graduating from high school, Mr. Perdue attended a local college for two years and then joined the family business in 1939. Starting with three employees, including Mr. Perdue and his father, the family business grew and evolved from selling table eggs to hatching and growing broilers.

In 1950, when Mr. Perdue took over leadership of the family business, the company, with 40 employees, had grown into one of the largest chicken businesses on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. The company continued to grow; in 1968, Mr. Perdue decided to market his own brand of chicken. This prompted the company’s first advertising campaign, successfully initiated on New York City radio. Television and other forms of advertising followed, gaining the Perdue name broad recognition. Mr. Perdue later became Perdue’s on-camera spokesperson, clearly capturing his deep and heartfelt belief in his products.

Mr. Perdue’s overall business philosophy was simple: “I was always interested in being the best rather than the biggest.” While he methodically built one of the most progressive food companies in the United States, Mr. Perdue found time for heavy involvement in poultry industry affairs and activities. He served on the board of directors of the National Broiler Council and the Delmarva Poultry Industry (DPI). He endowed Salisbury State University with funding to establish the Perdue School of Business, and he served for five years on the Board of Regents of the University of Maryland. In keeping with one of his greatest loves — baseball — Mr. Perdue was instrumental in bringing the Class A Delmarva Shorebirds baseball team to Salisbury in 1996. He built a stadium in Salisbury in honor of his father, Arthur W. Perdue.

In North Carolina, Mr. Perdue is well-known and respected, having spent more than 40 years working with farmers and growers to build his business. Mr. Perdue surrounded himself with associates who recognized opportunities offered by North Carolina’s geography: expansive farmland able to support and maintain a fast-growing poultry business. Mr. Perdue attributes the success of Perdue Farms in North Carolina to the strong work ethic, energy and enthusiasm of its people; the state’s favorable business and farming climates; and the state’s location and proximity to major northeastern markets.

Through his keen vision, passion for quality and ability to create marketplace demand, Mr. Perdue has become a symbol of entrepreneurial success. His driving work ethic and approach to marketing opportunities are well-regarded, having transformed a small family-farming operation into a multi-billion-dollar agricultural business leader. Perdue Farms’ success story fills many pages in business and marketing textbooks.

In honor of his numerous contributions to the growth and development of North Carolina’s and US’s poultry food industry the North Carolina Poultry Federation is pleased to induct Franklin Parsons Perdue into the North Carolina Poultry Hall of Fame.

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E. Marvin Johnson was born into a hard-working, close-knit rural farm family in southeastern North Carolina during the Depression. In 1942, he graduated from Rose Hill High School. He joined the Merchant Marines in 1944, serving until 1946. He married Grace Powell in 1951.

As a young man, Mr. Johnson and his brother, Bizzell, began their venture into the poultry business, selling live turkeys on the streets of Rose Hill, NC. The turkeys were raised on their parents’ farm. Operating in 1955 as Nash Johnson and Sons Inc., Nash Johnson and his sons Mr. Johnson and Bizzell built the first feed mill in Rose Hill. In 1959, with surplus capacity from the mill, the Johnson family expanded their business to include a chicken hatchery and grow-out operation. They became part owners in 1962 of Rose Hill Poultry, a chicken processing plant in Rose Hill. The same year, they became part-owners of a turkey processing plant in Raeford, NC. In 1967, the Johnsons became the sole owners of Rose Hill Poultry, and in 1974, under the Johnsons’ sole leadership, Raeford Turkey Farms became known as the House of Raeford. In the years that followed, Rose Hill Poultry became part of the House of Raeford Farms, Inc. In 1988, the company’s breaded specialty product plant opened in Hemingway, South Carolina.

In 1991, the Johnsons built a new feed mill — the largest in the United States. That same year, Marvin’s son Bob Johnson became Vice President of the House of Raeford Farms, Inc. The Johnsons further expanded their operations in 1992, opening a specialty products plant in Athens, Michigan. As the poultry industry continued to grow throughout North Carolina and the US, by 1993 the House of Raeford had positioned itself as the 12th-largest privately-owned company in North Carolina. In 1996, the House of Raeford opened a new 243,000-square-foot further-processing plant and distribution center in Raeford. The House of Raeford purchased Columbia Farms in South Carolina in 1998, adding an additional 195 million pounds of chicken to its sales base.

Mr. Johnson’s vision and insight helped build the House of Raeford into one of North Carolina’s premier business operations. He helped pioneer and build the turkey industry in eastern North Carolina, as well as the entire poultry food industry across the state of North Carolina and the US. Mr. Johnson served as President of the NC Turkey Federation, the North Carolina Poultry Federation, the National Turkey Federation, and the Southeastern Poultry & Egg Association — later known as the U. S. Poultry & Egg Association — the largest poultry organization in the world.

Always taking time to participate in and support worthy causes, Mr. Johnson was active in NC State’s Wolfpack Club; the North Carolina Republican Party; served on the State Board of Agriculture; was a member of Rose Hill Methodist Church; and was one of the principal sponsors of the noted North Carolina Turkey Festival held annually in Raeford. Well-known for his vision, his keen insight, his use of common sense and his wit and humor, Marvin was respected by his family, friends, peers and business associates as a remarkable entrepreneur.

In honor of his numerous contributions to the growth and development of North Carolina’s poultry food industry, the North Carolina Poultry Federation is pleased to induct E. Marvin Johnson into the North Carolina Poultry Hall of Fame.

1927 –

James Louis Maxwell Jr. was born in 1927 in Goldsboro, North Carolina. He graduated from Goldsboro School in 1944 and attended Davidson College. After service in the U.S. Navy at the end of World War II, he attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, graduatin in 1950 with a B.S. in Commerce. He married Mary Ann Jeffreys in 1952.

Founded in 1916 by Mr. Maxwell’s grandfather, Goldsboro Milling Company was a part of Mr. Maxwell’s life from birth. Goldsboro Milling produced corn meal and grits, later adding poultry, hog and dairy feeds under the Diamond Feeds brand. Most of the products were distributed through wholesale grocers and “country stores.” Early on, Mr. Maxwell made the rounds of customers as a Diamond Feeds salesman.

Mr. Maxwell’s father, affectionately known as Big Louis, died at 53, leaving Mr. Maxwell and his uncles to continue the business. Both uncles retired, and Mr. Maxwell and Billy Shepard continued to work as salesmen, office managers and feed millers.

Mr. Maxwell would explain that he and Billy Shepard convinced his uncles to let them try chickens, hogs, turkeys or anything else that might provide income; the feed business was drying up and they needed to diversify. Some of their ideas failed, but, with some advice from Marvin Johnson, the turkey business stuck.

Goldsboro Milling Company and its related companies became one of the largest fully-integrated turkey operations in the world. In partnership with Smithfield Foods, Goldsboro Milling produced over 450 million pounds of turkey products and over 325 million pounds of hogs. In addition, the company was a major landowner in North Carolina and Florida and had extensive timber interests.

Mr. Maxwell’s greatest assets were his vision, his honesty and his understanding of human frailties. His family, friends, peers and business associates knew him on a straightforward basis: what you see is what he is.

In honor of his numerous contributions to the growth and development of North Carolina’s poultry food industry, the North Carolina Poultry Federation is proud to induct James Louis Maxwell Jr. into the North Carolina Poultry Hall of Fame.

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John W. Hamby Jr. was born in Surry County, North Carolina. His family later moved to Rowan County, NC where they operated a dairy farm and grew cotton, tobacco and grain. After graduating from Mount Ulla High School, Mr. Hamby joined the U.S. Navy and served in the Pacific during World War II. When he returned from WWII, he attended Mars Hill College. He graduated from NC State University in 1951 with a degree in Agriculture. While attending NC State, he was a member of Kappa Phi Kappa Honorary Fraternity and erved as Vice President of NC State’s chapter of the Future Farmers of America.

Mr. Hamby married Mildred Ingram of Statesville, NC.

Mr. Hamby began his professional career teaching Vocational Agriculture at China Grove High School in Rowan County. He later became a Marketing Specialist in poultry and eggs for the NC Department of Agriculture, and he served as an Extension Agent in Cleveland County, NC. After accepting a position with Central Carolina Farmers (CCF) as Manager of Eggs and Livestock Production, Mr. Hamby moved with CCF to Durham, NC. He rose to the position of Vice President of CCF. In 1980, with the merger of CCF and FCX, Mr. Hamby became Vice President of Livestock, Poultry Production and Marketing for FCX. Until his retirement in 1986, Mr. Hamby served as Operations Manager of the North Carolina Division of Gold Kist Eggs.

Though much of his life was devoted to agriculture and the poultry food industry, to Mr. Hamby his family and his church always came first. He was a faithful member of the First Presbyterian Church in Durham, where he served as an Elder and a Deacon. He also served as Chairman of First Presbyterian Board of Deacons, Church Treasurer and Chairman of the Finance and Every Member Canvass Committees.

Throughout his years of loyal service to the poultry food industry, Mr. Hamby was always looking for new ideas and innovative ways to help refine and improve North Carolina’s egg production and processing. Two of his most significant contributions were the concepts of caged poultry houses and egg pasteurization. Mr. Hamby gave generously of his time and talents. A few of the many leadership roles he held were: Member of the Board of Directors of the Southeastern Poultry & Egg Association (now the U. S. Poultry & Egg Association); Chairman of the Egg Advisory Committee for the NY Mercantile Exchange; Chairman of the North Carolina Poultry Council; Chairman of the N. C. Egg Marketing Association; President of the North Carolina Poultry Federation; appointment by the U. S. Secretary of Agriculture to four terms on the American Egg Board; President of the North American Poultry Association; Advisory Board Member to Dean Legates of NC State’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS); and 1986 Chairmanship of Dean Bateman’s Advisory Committee for CALS. Hamby also received numerous honors through the years, such as the Commissioner of Agriculture Award in 1983 for outstanding contributions to the North Carolina Egg Industry and the North Carolina Egg Marketing Association; and Honorary Membership into NC State’s Gamma Sigma Delta Fraternity in 1986. Mr. Hamby’s vigor and enthusiasm enabled him to contribute significantly to many community and civic organizations, such as the Durham Lions Club, the Triangle Community Development Association, the State Vocational Advisory Board and the UNC Dental School Foundation.

John W. Hamby Jr. made a lasting and vital impact on the growth and development of North Carolina’s entire poultry food industry and the North Carolina Poultry Federation is pleased to honor his contributions with induction into the North Carolina Poultry Hall of Fame.

1930 –

Don Tyson was born in 1930 in Olathe, Kansas; in 1931 his parents moved the family to northwest Arkansas. Following his early education in the Springdale Public Schools, Mr. Tyson continued his education at the Kemper Military Academy in Booneville, Missouri and the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, AR.

Mr. Tyson’s stellar career in the poultry business began in 1952 when he joined his father’s poultry operation, then known as Tyson’s Feed and Hatchery. From 1952 until 1958, Mr. Tyson and his father worked together closely, developing and building their poultry feed and live production business. Their dedication and hard work led to the opening of their first poultry processing plant in Springdale, AR in 1958. Tyson’s Feed and Hatchery thus became the first fully-integrated poultry firm in Arkansas, and Mr. Tyson was the company’s first plant manager.

Under the leadership of John W. Tyson, the company bought Garrett Poultry in Rogers, AR in 1963, the first of many acquisitions. 1963 also saw the initial public offering of stock in the newly-named company — Tyson Foods, Inc. In 1967, John W. Tyson and his wife, Helen, died in an automobile-train collision. Mr. Tyson took over leadership of Tyson Foods, Inc. Under his leadership, Tyson Foods, Inc. expanded in 1967 by acquiring Franz Foods in Green Forest, AR, making that facility the third plant operated by Tyson Foods. The company grew internally over the next 25 years and completed 23 more acquisitions of poultry and other food processing facilities. In 1994, Tyson Foods became the 10th largest manufacturing company on the Fortune 500 listing. When Mr. Tyson stepped down as Chairman of the Board of Tyson Foods, Inc. in 1995 and assumed the role of Senior Chairman, Tyson Foods was the world’s largest producer, processor and marketer of poultry and poultry-based food products.

In North Carolina, the name Tyson Foods, Inc. is well-known and respected as an industry pioneer and leader. It currently operates facilities in Wilkesboro, Monroe, Sanford, Harmony, Creswell, and Fayetteville, NC and employs over 5,000 team members statewide. A key component in the success of Tyson Food’s commitment to consistently providing only the highest-quality products for its customers is the close relationship it maintains with its 600 grower families spanning eight North Carolina counties. Tyson Foods provides jobs to thousands of North Carolina residents and positively impacts the state’s economy, contributing to the success of many allied industries.

In honor of Don Tyson’s vision, his pioneering spirit and his exemplary leadership skills in propelling Tyson Foods, Inc. into a model of entrepreneurial success and in honor of his numerous contributions to the growth and development of the poultry food industry in both North Carolina and the United States, the North Carolina Poultry Federation is pleased to induct Don Tyson into the North Carolina Poultry Hall of Fame.

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Robert “Bob” S. Erwin Jr. grew up in Hickory, North Carolina and attended Hickory High School. He graduated from Davidson College in Davidson, NC in 1952. Mr. Erwin joined the U.S. Army and served for two years. The Korean War ended just as Mr. Erwin was posted to Korea, so he was afforded the special opportunity to spend one year of his military service in northern Japan. Mr. Erwin was discharged from the Army in 1954 as a 1st Lieutenant.

Mr. Erwin married Sara Breeden. Mr. and Mrs. Erwin spent their first year of marriage in Charlotte, NC working for Commercial Credit. In 1955, they moved to Morganton, NC, where Mr. Erwin joined Breeden Poultry, started by his father-in-law R. T. Breeden, Sr. Shortly after joining the company, Mr. Erwin became President of B and L Feed, the feed and grow-out division of Breeden Poultry. When Mr. Erwin joined the business in 1955, most of the chickens Breeden Poultry processed were purchased from hatcheries, feed dealers and feed mills. By 1964, the company had constructed a hatchery and feed mill, and and Mr. Erwin supervised the growth and eventual total integration of the company over the following years. In 1988, B and L Feed and Breeden Poultry were sold to Tom Shelton of Case Farms. Mr. Erwin continued as a valued consultant for Case Farms.

In addition to his active service as President of the Carolina Feed Industry Association, Mr. Erwin served as a member of the initial Board of Directors of the North Carolina Poultry Federation and became the second President of the Federation serving from 1969-70. Mr. Erwin was active on the Federation’s Public Affairs Committee and contributed extensively to the Federation’s fund-raising efforts. Mr. Erwin served for nine years on the Board of the American Feed Industry Association.

Mr. and Mrs. Erwin were very active in their local Methodist Church. Mr. Erwin’s contributions included loyal service as a Sunday School teacher, Finance Chairman, Chairman of a special fund-raising campaign for a church building addition and service as an Eagle Scout and Scout Leader. The Erwins were active members of a special building team that traveled to Mexico to help with the construction of a church.

Mr. Erwin’s many contributions to his community and to local professional and civic organizations included: serving for nine years as a Trustee and Development Committee Chair for the Methodist Children’s Home in Winston-Salem, NC; serving on the Board of the Givens Estate Methodist Retirement Home in Asheville, NC; serving on the Board of Grace Hospital in Morganton, NC; serving on the Board of the Senator Sam J. Ervin, Jr. Library at Western Piedmont Community College in Morganton; and serving as a Director of the First Union National Bank, also in Morganton.

In honor of Robert “Bob” S. Erwin Jr.’s pioneering spirit, exemplary leadership skills and numerous contributions to the growth and development of North Carolina’s poultry food industry, the North Carolina Poultry Federation is pleased to induct him into the North Carolina Poultry Hall of Fame.

1939 –

John Anthony Guglielmi was born in 1939 in Highland Park, Illinois. After completing high school in Illinois, Mr. Guglielmi attended Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. At Duke Mr. Guglielmi met his future wife, Chiquita Murray, of Mocksville, NC, the daughter of North Carolina Poultry Hall of Fame member Malcolm Harry Murray.

In 1961, Mr. Guglielmi’s career in the poultry business began with a training program at Holly Farms Poultry Industries in Wilkesboro, NC. Mr. Guglielmi worked for several departments at Holly Farms during the training program, including Hatchery Operations, Grow Out Management and Sales. In 1966 Holly Farms relocated Mr. Guglielmi to Mocksville, where he learned the commodity purchasing aspects of the poultry business under M. H. Murray’s mentorship.

During the late 1960s and early 1970s, Mr. Guglielmi got involved in local and state politics. He worked diligently to educate policy makers on the needs of the poultry industry and to temper regulations that affected the industry. During this same period Mr. Guglielmi became active in the North Carolina Poultry Federation and the North Carolina Feed Manufacturers Association, quickly rising to leadership positions in both associations. Mr. Guglielmi moved through the chairs of the North Carolina Poultry Federation and became the Federation President in 1974.

In 1976, Holly Farms moved Mr. Guglielmi back to Wilkesboro to head the corporation’s Commodity Purchasing Department. The Department was challenged with the task of centralizing commodity purchasing for all of Holly Farms’ feed manufacturing facilities in North Carolina, Virginia, and Texas. Mr. Guglielmi’s success in leading the Commodity Purchasing Department resulted in his promotion to Vice President of the Corporation and later being named to Holly Farms’ Executive Committee.

A series of presidential and congressional actions in the late 1970s and early 1980s led to the deregulation of a large segment of the transportation industry. Of significance to the poultry industry, railroads and interstate trucking were deregulated. Mr. Guglielmi served as Chairman of the Traffic Committee for the Southeastern Poultry & Egg Association (now the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association) and spearheaded the Association’s work with Congress and the United States Department of Transportation. As Traffic Committee Chairman, Mr. Guglielmi supported the poultry industry by monitoring transportation the rates, surcharges and cost effectiveness of trucking and rail. The Traffic Committee under Mr. Guglielmi’s leadership commissioned a study to measure the short-term and long-term effects of deregulation the Association used for many years to guide their actions.

Mr. Guglielmi’s tremendous efforts and leadership in the poultry industry earned him the Southeastern Poultry & Egg Association’s highest award in 1978: “Workhorse of the Year.” Soon after, Mr. Guglielmi was elected to the Board of Directors and later to the Executive Committee of the Southeastern Poultry & Egg Association.
Mr. Guglielmi continued his statewide representation of the poultry industry as a member of the North Carolina Board of Agriculture. He worked closely with North Carolina Agriculture Commissioner Jim Graham, advising him on regulations and policies affecting the poultry industry. In 1982, Mr. Guglielmi was elected President of Southeastern Poultry & Egg Association. In his role as President, he focused on Washington, D.C. Agriculture Secretary John Block became a central figure for Mr. Guglielmi’s efforts to ensure that the poultry industry was represented fairly in Washington.

As active as he was in his representation of the poultry industry, Mr. Guglielmi never lost sight of his commitment to his community. Mr. Guglielmi was a past member of the Mocksville Jaycees and a member of the Masons. In Wilkesboro, Mr. Guglielmi was a member of Saint Paul’s Episcopal Church, serving on the church’s vestry as both Junior and Senior Warden. He also served on the Foundation Board of the Diocese of Western North Carolina.
In honor of his numerous contributions, dedicated service and tireless work on behalf of the poultry food industry, the North Carolina Poultry Federation is pleased to induct John Anthony Guglielmi into the North Carolina Poultry Hall of Fame.

1923 –

John Henry Hendrick was in 1923 and grew up with his parents, four brothers and six sisters on a cotton farm near Fallston, North Carolina. Mr. Hendrick graduated from high school in 1941 and married Osteen Spurling in 1942.

Mr. Hendrick was drafted into the Army during World War II and served on the front lines at the Battle of the Bulge. He reached the rank of Platoon Sergeant and came home in 1946 with three battle stars.

After WWII, Mr. Hendrick 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 was producing 350,000 turkeys annually. The Hendricks quickly became one of the most successful family turkey operations in the United States.

Over the years, Mr. Hendrick 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 worked with the Agricultural Extension Service to bring educational programs to the county poultry producers. He was active in supporting Future Farmers of America poultry-judging teams, Cleveland County Fair poultry exhibits and a poultry judging contest for youth. In 1993, Mr. Hendrick was elected to the Cleveland County Poultry Hall of Fame.

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

As president of the National Turkey Federation, Mr. Hendrick emphasized nutritional education programs for consumers. He worked with universities 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 a wider variety of products — from drumsticks, thighs, breasts and giblets to turkey salami, bologna and hot dogs.

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

Mr. Hendrick served the North Carolina Poultry Federation and the state poultry industry in many capacities. Because of his many years of service to the industry and the Federation and because of his pioneering spirit as an industry leader, the North Carolina Poultry Federation is pleased to induct John Henry Hendrick into the North Carolina Poultry Hall of Fame.

1927 –

Dr. Robert “Bob” E. Cook was born in 1927 and grew up on a general livestock farm near Spencer, West Virginia. During high school, he was active in 4-H and served as the State Future Farmers of America President. Dr. Cook entered West Virginia University, earning a B. S. in Agricultural Education in 1949. Prior to serving in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, he worked for the International Harvester Company. After being discharged from the Army, he taught Vocational Agriculture for a year before starting graduate school at West Virginia University. He earned his M.S. in Animal Science then attended NC State University, earning his Ph.D. in poultry genetics in 1958.

In 1958, Dr. Cook joined the Department of Poultry Science at the University of Florida in Gainesville, FL as an Assistant Professor. In 1961, he moved to become the Coordinator of the USDA’s Southern Regional Poultry Genetics Project. From 1964-1965, Dr. Cook worked exclusively for the USDA as Leader of Genetic Investigations. In 1965, he entered university administrative as Chair of the Department of Poultry Science at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. In 1969, he became head of the Department of Poultry science at NC State. During his tenure at NC State, he served on numerous state, industry and university committees and on a number of department evaluation teams for the USDA.
In 1985, Dr. Cook was appointed an Assistant director of the NC Agricultural Research Service. He served in that capacity until 1986, when he was named the Assistant Dean for the NC State College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS). One of his primary duties as Assistant Dean was to work directly with the NC Legislature to address the research and extension needs of CALS and agriculture in general. He retired from NC State in 1992. Retirement was not, however, the end of Dr. Cook’s contributions to North Carolina agriculture. He actively worked with the North Carolina Poultry Federation in many capacities after his retirement, and in 1997 was appointed by then-Governor James B. Hunt, Jr. to serve as a member of the North Carolina Environmental Management Commission. He served on that commission to represent agriculture and the animal industries’ viewpoints on proposed environmental regulations. He retired from the Commission in 2001.
During his tenure as at NC State, both the Department of Poultry Science and the North Carolina poultry industry grew rapidly. Although no one person is responsible for that growth, Dr. Cook’s leadership and untiring efforts on behalf of the department’s extension, teaching and research programs played a key role. Based on his leadership, the department became one of the premier educational units of its kind in the world.

During his tenure as Assistant Dean, Dr. Cook was instrumental in working with the poultry industry and the NC Legislature to fund the renovation and expansion of Scott Hall, home of the Department of Poultry Science at NC State. That accomplishment laid the foundation for the continued success of the poultry teaching, research and extension programs at NC State.

Dr. Cook received numerous honors over the years, including: an Achievement Award from the Ohio Poultry & Livestock Industry, 1969; the Golden egg Award from the North Carolina Egg Marketing Association, 1974; Distinguished Service Awards from the North Carolina Poultry Federation, 1971 and 1983; a Certificate of Merit from Phi Kappa Phi, 1984; a Distinguished Service Award from the North Carolina Egg Marketing Association, 1986; and the “Workhorse of the Year” Award from the Southeastern Poultry and Egg Association in 1990. He was very active in a number of industry and scientific associations and served as a board member and President of the Poultry Science Association from 1976-77 and as Vice president of the US branch of the World Poultry Science Association from 1984-1988. He was named as a Fellow of the Poultry Science Association in 1981.

The poultry industry within and beyond North Carolina benefited from Dr. Robert “Bob” E. Cook’s and the North Carolina Poultry Association is pleased to induct him into the North Carolina Poultry Hall of Fame.

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Wyatt Gray Upchurch was born in Lee County, North Carolina. His values — hard work, family, community, public service — were shaped on his family’s farm. He grew up when tobacco was king. Mr. Upchurch pursued a different line of agribusiness: turkey production. After graduating from high school in 1953, he took courses in poultry science and agricultural economics at NC State University. During that time he worked as an inspector for the USDA and met and married Mary Garner.

In 1959, Mr. Upchurch became eastern sales manager for Chicago-based Priebe Poultry. Constant travel and entrepreneural desire led Mr. Upchurch to join the Upchurch Milling Company and its Upchurch Turkey Farms. (The parent company was unrelated to Mr. Upchurch’s family.) In 1972, Mr. and Mrs. Upchurch purchased Upchurch Turkey’s breeder operation and hatchery outright, and formed a new company: Tar Heel Turkey Hatchery. Based in Raeford, NC the new company immediately took on a key investor when Carroll’s Foods (now Smithfield Foods) bought a share of the hatchery. Adding Carroll’s guaranteed a market for the new company’s product and was the beginning of strategic partnership.

Tar Heel Hatchery began with two incubators and two offices — one for Mr. Upchurch and one for Mrs. Upchurch. After several expansions, the company occupied multiple buildings, including a large office complex built in 1993. Tar Heel Hatchery always maintained the strictest health, safety and security standards, utilizing state-of-the-art techniques in protecting its products and workers.

Mr. Upchurch’s leadership in the poultry industry was felt far beyond Hoke County and North Carolina. In 1990, as part of his long association with the North Carolina Turkey Federation and the National Turkey Federation, both of which he served as president, Mr. Upchurch had the honor of presenting the official “holiday” turkey to President George H.W. Bush on the White House lawn. Closer to home, Mr. Upchurch exemplified the finest traditions of community service. He served for a decade on the Hoke County Board of Commissioners, seven of them as chairman. He chaired the Board of the Lumber River Council of Governments. They commended Mr. Upchurch’s leadership with the Calvin Haggins Award two years in a row. From 1995, his service as a Director of North Carolina’s Southeast Commission helped attract jobs and investment to an eleven-county region stretching from Richmond County to the Atlantic Ocean.

Mr. Upchurch was an avid supporter of education. In 2001, the ribbon was cut on Upchurch Hall, a 10,000-square-foot facility on the Sandhills Community College’s Raeford campus. The $1.8 million structure sits on a 10-acre lot purchased by Mrs. and Mr. Upchurch and donated to the college. Mr. Upchurch was a man of strong faith, serving as Deacon and Elder of the Raeford Presbyterian Church.

With his sharp mind, tireless work ethic and business acumen, Mr. Upchurch might have pursued any number of careers in any number of places. The poultry industry in North Carolina is fortunate he chose the path he did. It was a good day for him and a great day for the poultry industry. Because of that choice, the North Carolina Poultry Federation is honored to induct Wyatt Gray Upchurch into its Hall of Fame.

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Bill Prestage grew up in Michigan with two older brothers and two sisters. His father was a beer distributor in Battle Creek. After one year of college at Western Michigan he married and started a family.

The beer business wasn’t Mr. Prestage’s ambition, so in 1960 he took a job with Central Soya selling Master Mix feeds. He moved his family to Spartanburg, South Carolina for his first sales territory, excelled, and moved to Fayetteville, North Carolina to cover a larger territory in 1963.

One of his customers was Ottis Carroll and their mutual respect led to an offer to be 50% partners in 1967. Mr. Prestage accepted the offer and moved his family to Clinton, NC to be closer to the business. The turkey operation grew and pioneered new and innovative production practices such as moving the birds inside to more controlled environments and optized growth opportunities. Contact production used the skills of the local farmers to manage the birds while offering farmers a stable income and a constant bird marketing opportunity. Centralized supplies acquisition, feed ingredients, genetic breeding, medications, veterinary services, transportation and management support created a vertically-integrated system.

Mr. Prestage perfected this new way of growing turkeys and carried the practices into the swine production business. Within a few years the company had become a significant presence in both poultry and swine production. In 1981, Mr. Prestage’s long-time friend and business partner, Ottis Carroll, died. Mr. Prestage sold his interest in Carroll’s Foods to Mr. Carroll’s family, 15 years after the partnership was formed.

In August of 1983, Mr. Prestage immediately resumed work in the turkey business with his wife, sons, 22 employees and 18 contract growers by acquiring the North Carolina grow-out operation of Swift. He reentered swine production as well. Prestage Farms was on its way. In 1991, Mr. Prestage expanded his business beyond North Carolina by starting another swine division in Mississippi. In 1993 he continued the expansion by building his own turkey hatchery. In 1994 his son Ron joined the family business and they started another turkey operation in South Carolina. Never afraid of a new challenge, Mr. Prestage and his family purchased the Rocco turkey processing plant in St. Pauls, NC in 2000.

The Prestage business philosophy has been simple from its start: be fair to your employees, your growers, your colleagues and your neighbors; don’t just meet the rules, exceed the rules; do business with good people; a business deal must be beneficial for all involved parties; above all, be competitive at everything you do. That philosophy has served the company well.

Mr. Prestage has served as President of both the North Carolina Turkey Federation and the National Turkey Federation. He has served on the Board of Directors for North Carolina Natural Gas and Smithfield Foods.

Mr. Prestage’s agriculture production foresight, his honesty and respect for people make him a deserving inductee of the North Carolina Poultry Hall of Fame.

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Fred Adams Jr. was born and grew up in Macon, Mississippi. He graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi in 1954. Mr. Adams’ first job after university was with the Ralston Purina Company working in feed sales in Louisiana and Mississippi. In 1957, Mr. Adams started his own poultry and egg business in Jackson, MS. In 1969, he merged his business with egg companies in California and Maine. That was the beginning of Cal-Maine Foods, Inc.

Mr. Adams’ involvement in North Carolina began in 1989 with Cal-Maine’s purchase of the egg operations of Sunny Fresh Foods, Inc. in Albemarle and Louisburg, NC. The company further expanded its North Carolina operations with the purchase of Sunnyside Eggs, Inc. in Greenville, NC in 1990.

In 1996, Cal-Maine Foods, Inc. became a publicly-traded company. The company became the largest company involved with the production and marketing of fresh shell eggs in the United States, with operations in Arkansas, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Utah. Mr. Adams served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Cal-Maine Foods. He served as the Chief Executive Officer and director of Cal-Maine beginning in 1969 and as the Chairman of its Board of Directors beginning in 1982.

Mr. Adams was a director and past chairman of the National Egg Company, the United Egg Producers, the Mississippi Poultry Association, U.S. Egg Marketers, Inc., and Egg Clearinghouse, Inc. Fred Adams, Jr. is and individual who made signifciant contributions to how table eggs are produced and marketed in the US.

Because of his outstanding contributions to the NC and the US poultry industries, it is with great pleasure that the North Carolina Poultry Federation inducts Fred Adams Jr. into the North Carolina Poultry Hall of Fame.

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J. B. Barnes was born in Hall County, Georgia and grew up on a small grain and cattle farm. He attended local schools and worked with a local company, Piedmont Sheet Metal Company, near Gainesville, GA. In 1950, during the early part of the Korean War, Mr. Barnes joined the U.S. Navy, serving initially served in the Fleet Air Service Squadron. He was later transferred to the VP 28 Patrol Squadron where he served as a crew member for a P2V patrol plane for the duration of the war.

After his discharge in 1954, Mr. Barnes returned to Georgia to work for Lockheed Aircraft. In 1957, he began attending the University of Georgia at Athens while serving as a management trainee with Martin Feed and Poultry Company in Gainesville, GA. He graduated with a BBA in Business and a poultry production minor in 1962. After graduation he was promoted to complex manager for Martin Feed and Poultry.

In 1967, Mr. Barnes was hired by Hubbard Farms, a major broiler breeding company located in Walpole, New Hampshire. He and his family moved to Statesville, North Carolina, where he assumed the role of regional hatchery manager. As the company grew and developed, Mr. Barnes was promoted to Area Production Manager for Hubbard Farms, and was tasked with building a modern hatchery and changing the company’s production methods from independent to contract producers. He combined the former production facilities located in North and South Carolina into a single site near Statesville, NC. The project was completed in 1975.

As the company continued to grow and expand, Mr. Barnes was promoted to Director of Production and Sales for Hubbard Farms for the eastern US and Canada. His goals were to improve grandparent production and hatchability for all of Hubbard’s facilities in his region. He also strove to design and develop an ISO 9000 program compatible with all of Hubbard Farms’ units world-wide to ensure consistent quality control.

In 1995, Mr. Barnes helped Hubbard purchase land in Pikeville, Tennessee for a new grandparent complex. He oversaw the construction of a new hatchery and support facilities built on a completely fenced tract to ensure security and quality control. At the time it was the largest breeder complex and modern hatchery in the US.

Mr. Barnes was extremely active in industry and community organizations including: the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association (Board of Directors, President, 1991); the North Carolina Poultry Federation (President 1982-83); the NC Mutual Hatchery Association (President 1972-84); the N. Wilkesboro Area Poultry Association, (President 1979-80 and 1987-88); the National Poultry Improvement Plan (General Conference Committee); the NC Agricultural Foundation Board; the NC Cooperative Extension Advisory Council; the Statesville-Iredell County School System; the Tennessee Poultry and Egg Association; and the Hubbard Charitable Foundation (Chairman until 2004). In 1997, Mr. Barnes retired from Hubbard Farms and began a consulting business working with broiler companies around the world on production and hatching problems. He has consulted with a number of US integrators, as well as with companies in Zambia, Belize, Panama and the Bahamas.

Due to his outstanding contributions to the NC and the US poultry industries, it is with great pleasure that the North Carolina Poultry Federation inducts J.B. Barnes into the North Carolina Poultry Hall of Fame.

1921 –

Frank Rankin Craig was born in 1921 in Mount Holly, North Carolina. He graduated from Mount Holly High school in 1938, attended Belmont Abby College, and later attended NC State University. From 1942 to 1945, Dr. Craig served in the U.S. Army Air Forces. He earned a B.S. in 1946 and an M.S. in Agricultural Education and Poultry Science from NC State in 1952. He transferred to the University of Georgia’s School of Veterinary Medicine, earning his DVM in 1952. Dr. Craig married Doris Talton.

After earning his veterinary degree, Dr. Craig joined the Department of Poultry Science at NC State University, specializing in poultry disease research. While at NC State, he was promoted over the years to full professor. He designed and oversaw the construction of the Dearstyne Avian Disease Research Center. In 1969, Dr. Craig accepted an offer from Perdue, Inc. to become their Director of Health Services. In 1985, he became Senior Vice president of Technical Services for Perdue.

Dr. Craig was well-known among his veterinary and industry colleagues. He received a number of awards and honors from professional organizations and was lauded by fellow academics and government leaders as one of the nation’s leading contributors to significant progress in poultry health research and to development and implementation of progressive poultry and meat inspection systems. His greatest professional may have been receiving the USDA Distinguished Service Award for Outstanding Public Service as the first industry winner. He was also proud of the Distinguished Citizen Award awarded by the DELMAECA Poultry Industry Association in 1984.

Dr. Craig was a member of numerous professional and academic honor societies and served on several USDA/APHIS task forces, including control of Exotic Newcastle Disease (1973-74), control of Avian Influenza (1983-84), and control of Salmonella enteritidis (1989), which he co-chaired. He was a member of the USDA’s National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection from 1962-1970 and from 1982-1987. He served on numerous industry and government scientific committees. He was a member of the National Broiler Council’s Scientific Committee and was a past Director, Vice President and President of the American Association of Avian Pathologists.

Dr. Craig was respected professionally and personally as an expert in his field, a leader with far-reaching vision, and a wonderful friend, brother, husband, and father. It is with great pleasure that the North Carolina Poultry Federation inducts Dr. Frank Rankin Craig into the North Carolina Poultry Hall of Fame.

1938 –

Hugh Gordon Maxwell III was born in 1938 in Goldsboro, North Carolina and remained a life-long resident of Goldsboro. He attended Campbell Junior College and completed a two-year degree before continuing study at NC State University. He earned his B.S. in Poultry Science. He married Charlotte Hodges.

Goldsboro Milling Company was founded in 1916 by Mr. Maxwell’s grandfather, “Mr. Hugh,” and was an important part of childhood. Returning to the business after graduating from NC State, Mr. Maxwell joined his cousin, Louis, and played a major role in business operations after his father’s retirement.

Goldsboro Milling Company and its related companies became one of the largest fully-integrated turkey operations in the world, employing over 3,500 associates. In partnership with Smithfield Foods, Goldsboro Milling produced over 500 million pounds of turkey products and over 350 million pounds of pork each year. In addition, the company was a major landowner and had extensive timber interests in North Carolina and Florida.

Serving as the President of Goldsboro Milling was only one of Mr. Maxwell’s endeavors. He was a member of the Board of Trustees of Campbell University and of the local board of the BB&T bank. He was a former member of the Board of Smithfield Foods and was involved in many civic positions and in various boards of his church.

Mr. Maxwell was well-recognized in Wayne County and he left an indelible mark on his community. His love for the outdoors, hunting, fishing and wildlife conservation and management was well-known and appreciated by his peers.
In honor of his numerous contributions to his community and to the growth of NC’s poultry food industry, the North Carolina Poultry Federation is proud and pleased to induct Hugh Gordon Maxwell III into the North Carolina Poultry Hall of Fame.

1936 –Edwin “Ed” W. Woodhouse was born in 1936 in Mt Airy, North Carolina. He earned an A.A. from Louisburg College before graduating from Pfeiffer College in 1958 with a B.S. Prior to assuming the role of Executive Director of the North Carolina Poultry Federation in 1969, he served as Executive Director with the North Carolina Democratic Party and with the North Carolina Soil Drink Association. He also served on Dan K. Moore’s staff during Moore’s successful campaign for NC Governor.Mr. Woodhouse received numerous honors and awards during his career, and held offices such as President of the Men’s Student Council at Louisburg and Pfeiffer Colleges; Pfeiffer College’s “Alumni of the Year”; and the Distinguished Service Award from the North Carolina Poultry Federation.During his 33-year tenure (1969-2002) as Executive Director of the North Carolina Poultry Federation (NCPF), Mr. Woodhouse also served as Secretary-Treasurer of the NC Turkey Federation and of the NC Poultry Processors Association. Beyond his NCPF responsibilities, he contributed to NC agriculture by serving on the NC Legislature’s Forestry, Agriculture and Seafood Legislative Study and Awareness Committee and the Agriculture Committee for the Alternative Energy Corporation. He served as President of the American Association of Poultry Federation Executives, a board member of the NC Agribusiness Council and on the Budget Review Committee of the NC Agricultural Foundation in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at NC State University.As the Executive Director of the North Carolina Poultry Federation, Mr. Woodhouse was aided the NC poultry industry by continuously monitoring legislation that had the potential to impact various aspects of the industry. He was well-known to many members of the legislature and worked closely with them to draft legislation beneficial to the NC poultry industry. He worked closely with NC State faculty members and the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, as well as numerous other agricultural organizations, such as the North Carolina Feed Industry Association, North Carolina Agribusiness Council,North Carolina Farm Bureau, and numerous NC commodity associations.In addition to his professional accomplishments, Mr. Woodhouse had a distinguished record of service to his community and his state. He served as a member of Governor Dan K. Moore’s Advisory Committee on State Beautification and as president of “Keep North Carolina Clean and Beautiful” for four years. He served on the North Carolina Kerr Reservoir Development Committee and the North Carolina Recreation Commission. He was a man of tremendous faith and served as an elder at Brooks Avenue Church of Christ in Raleigh, NC.In recognition of his long-term service and contributions to the NC poultry industry, it is with great pleasure that the North Carolina Poultry Federation inducts Edwin “Ed” W. Woodhouse into the North Carolina Poultry Hall of Fame.

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Gordon P. Miller grew up on a dairy farm in northwestern North Carolina. He graduated from Sparta High School in 1950 and entered North Carolina State College, graduating with a degree in Animal Industry. While attending NC State, he received an Army ROTC commission. After a two-year tour of duty in Korea, he returned to the dairy business until his acceptance into the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Georgia. After graduating in 1963, he was hired as a poultry pathologist by Holly Farms Poultry Industries.

Early in his career, Dr. Miller learned to use all tools at his disposal to control diseases. He coordinated with university, state and company laboratories, and worked in conjunction with breeder, pharmaceutical and vaccine companies for diagnostic answers. As poultry diseases monopolized less of Dr. Miller’s time, he pursued opportunities to work closely with live production staff and with growers assisting in poultry management best practices. This work enabled him to shift his emphasis toward preventive medicine rather than microbial treatments, resulting in growing efficiency, lower condemnation, increased livability abd production of a better poultry product.

Dr. Miller worked as vice President of Live Production Services for Holly Farms Poultry until 1989, when Tyson Foods purchased Holly Farms. Dr. Miller continued with Tyson Foods as Senior Vice President of Live Production and as Senior Veterinarian until His Retirement in 2004.

Among many honors, Dr. Miller received the C. A. Bottorff Award from the American Association of Avian Pathologists (AAAP) in 1996 in recognition of his significant contributions as an avian pathologist to poultry health programs in North American. Dr. Miller was a life member of the AAAP and a life member of the American Veterinary Medical Association.

Dr. Miller was well-known and respected in his local community. He was a charter member of the North Wilkesboro Rotary Club and served as its President from 1978-79. He was President of the Wilkes Area Poultry Association for a two-year term from 1975-1976. He was a member of the First Baptist Church of North Wilkesboro.

In honor and recognition of his numerous contributions to the development of NC’s poultry industry, the North Carolina Poultry Federation is very pleased to induct Dr. Gordon P. Miller into the North Carolina Poultry Hall of Fame.

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Windell Talley graduated from the NC State University Department of Poultry Science. In 1963, he and his wife purchased 90 acres of farm land and began Talley Farms. They built a brooder house and ranged turkeys, producing 4,000 turkeys for market their first year. They purchased additional acreage and built grow-out facilities to accommodate increased production. Mr. and Mrs. Talley built a small feed mill to feed their growing number of turkeys. Over the years, they modernized and expanded the feed mill to accommodate an annual production of 100,000 tons of feed.

When Mr. and Mrs. Talley’s sons graduated from NC State, they returned to the family farm, prompting further expansion. Talley Farms Inc. was formed by Mr. Talley, Paul Talley and David Talley to produce 4.5 million turkey hatching eggs under contract to Swift Ekrich, Inc. Prestage Farms continued the agreement when they built their own hatchery.

In 2006, Talley Farms purchased the balance of Cuddy Farms’ land and production facilities in North Carolina for the production of additional turkey meat birds, turkey eggs and beef cattle. Talley Farms Inc. grew to produce 9 million hatching eggs and approximately 800,000 meat birds, 80% of which were vegetable-fed, non-antibiotic birds.

As a testament to Mr. and Mrs. Talley’s early vision and drive, they were selected by the National Farm Bureau as one of three Outstanding Young Farm Couples in 1969. Mr. and Mrs. Talley attribute the success of Talley Farms to the hard work of their entire family (son Nelson and his wife, Angie, and their children, Sarah, Allison and Andrew; son Paul and his wife, Patti, and their children, Jesse, Logan, and Wil; and son David and his wife, Stacy, and their children, Lauren, Emily, and Samantha) and every Tally Farms employee.

Mr. Talley’s 44 years of experience and expertise in poultry production garnered him numerous distinctions. He served two six-year terms on the North Carolina state Board of Agriculture, appointed first by Governor James E. Holshouser, Jr. and later by Governor James G. Martin. He served on the Governor’s Task Force on Farm Economy and the Governor’s Farm Workers Council. Mr. Talley was a past President of the North Carolina Turkey Federation and served several terms on the Board of the National Turkey Federation. He served on NC State’s Ag Foundation board for many years. Mr. Talley was very active in his local community, serving on Stanly Memorial Hospital’s board of directors for 16 years and as Chairman for two years. He was a past president of the Stanly County Farm Bureau and a past Vice President of the Stanly County Chamber of Commerce.

In honor and recognition of his pioneering spirit and numerous contributions to the growth and development of NC’s poultry industry, the North Carolina Poultry Federation is pleased to induct Windell Talley into the North Carolina Poultry Hall of Fame.

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Tom Shelton is CEO of Case Foods, Inc., its subsidiary, Case Farms Processing, Inc. and its affiliated entity Case Farms, L.L.C.

Mr. Shelton has more than 44 years of experience in the poultry industry. He joined Perdue Farms, Inc. in 1964 after graduating from NC State University. Mr. Shelton served Perdue for 22 years, holding every major position, including President, and serving on the Board of Directors. In 1986, Mr. Shelton resigned as President of Perdue to build his own company.

In 1986, Mr. Shelton acquired Case Egg & Poultry, a family farm that included a processing plant, hatchery and a food distribution facility. In its first year of operation, Case Foods, Inc. processed 135,000 birds per week, employed 140 and produced 22 million pounds of poultry products. Case Foods, Inc. spent the next 12 years acquiring and building additional plants, hatcheries, mills and farms.

Mr. Shelton graduated from the Harvard Business School Advanced Management Program. He served on the Board of Directors of the Baltimore Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond for six years, as President and member of the Board of Directors of the National Chicken Council, and served a three-year term on the Maryland Agriculture Commission.

In honor and recognition of his contributions to NC’s poultry industry, the North Carolina Poultry Federation is pleased to induct Tom Shelton into the North Carolina Poultry Hall of Fame.

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Blake Lovette grew up on his family’s farm in Millers Creek, North Carolina. Growing up, Mr. Lovette’s parents taught him a keen worth ethic as he worked with his siblings to maintain the family farm.

After graduating from NC State University in 1965, Mr. Lovette began a long and successful career in the poultry industry. After working for two years with Holly Farms, Mr. Lovette became a plant manager and was named Executive VP in 1976. In 1978, he left Holly Farms and moved to Arkansas to become the Executive VP of Valmac Industries, Inc. Only a year later, Mr. Lovette was named CEO. During his six years with Valmac, he developed a line of prepared products. In 1985, Mr. Lovette left Valmac to work for Perdue Farms as President of Perdue’s Shenandoah Products Corp. Three years later, he returned to Holly Farms to serve as their President and Chief Operating Officer. Mr. Lovette held this position with Holly Farms through the transition period after Tyson Foods acquired Holly Farms.

In 1990 Mr. Lovette left Tyson Foods and bought the company his father had started. Renamed the Lovette Egg Company, Mr. Lovette owned and operated the wholesale meat and poultry distributor until he sold it to ConAgra Poultry Company in 1998. Mr. Lovette served as President of ConAgra from 1998 until he retired in 2003.

Although Mr. Lovette is retired he remains active in the poultry industry and his community. He works as a consultant for the poultry industry and serves as a board member for Morris & Associates, Chairman of the Wilkes Economic Development Corp. and was Chairman of the Wilkes Regional Medical Center board for eight years. He is a dedicated church member and has been a strong supporter of the Rainbow Center of Wilkes, Health Foundation, Yadkin River Greenway and other local organizations.

Throughout his career, Mr. Lovette has been a dedicated professional and has made significant contributions to the NC poultry industry. In honor and recognition of his contributions to NC’s poultry industry, the North Carolina Poultry Federation is pleased to induct Blake Lovette into the North Carolina Poultry Hall of Fame.

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Milton Hendrixson was born and raised in Ohio. During his years at Finn College (now Cleveland State University), an aptitude evaluation suggested that Mr. Hendrixon should pursue a career in agriculture. At the time, he dismissed the idea, considering himself as engineer. When another aptitude test returned similar results, he said, “Sometimes you just can’t avoid one’s fate.”

Mr. Hendrixsons’s first job involved laboratory work with Thompson Aircraft. He moved to manage the lab for Kentucky Chemical, which was eventually purchased by Provico Feeds in Cincinnati, OH. Mr. Hendrixson traveled to multiple states selling feed and offering nutritional knowledge. This opportunity allowed him to meet many people with whom he maintained relationships over the years.

Mr. Hendrixson was a dedicated worker who cared deeply about the interests of farms and birds. At one point in his career, many area poultry farms experienced excessive mortality, and producers couldn’t get timely results from the state laboratory to assist with diagnosis and intervention. Mr. Hendrixson took it upon himself to produce and offer these farmers quick laboratory results, regardless of whether or not they were a current feed customer. Unsurprisingly, this kindness gained him and his employer new customers. In 1958, Mr. Hendrixson took a job with Browning Turkey Farms in Winchester, Kentucky. Browning hatched, raised, and processed turkeys. In 1967 Milton joined Goldsboro Milling Company in Goldsboro, North Carolina.

In addition to being a dedicated family man and employee, Mr. Hendrixson volunteered his talents and services to his community. He was active in the Kiwanis Club and a deacon and elder in his church. Throughout his career, Mr. Hendrixson was a dedicated professional and made a significant contributions to the poultry industry in North Carolina. In honor of those contributions, the North Carolina Poultry Federation is pleased to induct Milton Hendrixson into the the North Carolina Poultry Hall of Fame.

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William “Bill” F. Morris Jr. graduated in 1937 from Broughton High School in Raleigh, North Carolina. He graduated third in his class from NC State in 1941. Mr. Morris was formally recognized as a Distinguished Engineering Graduate and Distinguished Engineering Alumnus in 1996. In World War II he served in Europe with the 585th Bomb Squadron and the 394th Division. He was awarded the Bronze Star and the American Order of the French Croix de Guerre with Palm for his service with this highly decorated unit.

Mr. Morris, a native of Clayton, NC founded and was president, until his retirement in 2002, of Morris and Associates, Inc. of Raleigh, NC — a refrigeration equipment company in operation since 1949. The company manufactured refrigeration products for the poultry industry and a line of ice makers for commercial markets. Mr. Morris patented the first continuous-process chilling systems and the first high-sided auger chiller. His continual development of new products earned him 19 patents. In 1990 he received the NC Governor’s New Product Award for his thermal storage ice harvesters.

A registered Professional Engineer in North Carolina and member of the NC Society of Professional Engineers, he was a lifetime member of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air Conditioning Engineers.
In honor of his contributions to the NC poultry industry, the North Carolina Poultry Federation is pleased to induct William “Bill” F. Morris Jr. into the the North Carolina Poultry Hall of Fame.

1934 – 2006

Ferdinand “Sonny” J. Faison Jr. was born in in 1934 Sampson County, North Carolina. He graduated from Clinton High School, where he was voted “Wittiest” in his class.

Mr. Faison attended Wake Forest College and said that he never went back after graduation because he didn’t pay for his cap and gown. He did visit Shorty’s Grill and Pool Room — where he claimed he spent most of his time and money while at Wake. Mr. Faison later served with the U.S. Army for two years in Germany.

In 1962, Mr. Faison married Dorothy Sue Starling. In 1974 Mr. Faison joined Carroll’s Foods; he became President in 1983, holding that position until he retired in 2000. Mr. Faison was proud of the company’s success and the growth of the poultry and swine industries in North Carolina. He enjoyed his co-workers and getting up every day and going into the office. In over 25 years with Carroll’s Foods, he never missed a day of work. He was grateful to the Matthews family for giving him the opportunity to lead the company that Otis Carroll founded.

Mr. Faison loved all types of sporting events — Wolfpack football and basketball to Super Bowls to the Kentucky Derby. He enjoyed talking and telling stories with friends, and one of his favorite spots was the beach.
In honor of his contributions to the NC poultry industry, the North Carolina Poultry Federation is pleased to induct Ferdinand “Sonny” J. Faison Jr. into the the North Carolina Poultry Hall of Fame.

1945-

Ronnie Cameron is Chairman of the Board and CEO of Mountaire Corporation. Mr. Cameron has been with the company since 1968, taking control of operations in 1972 at the age of 27, moving up to become the President in 1973, and becoming Chairman of the Board in 1978.

Mountaire was started in 1914 by Mr. Cameron’s grandfather, Guy Cameron, as an animal feed business. Mr. Cameron’s father, Ted Cameron, grew the company into a poultry business. Today, the company is headquartered in Arkansas with operations in Delaware, Maryland, and North Carolina. Mountaire sells over two billion pounds of poultry across the globe each year, making them the seventh largest chicken company in the United States with more than 7,000 employees.

Mr. Cameron received the honorary lifetime member award from the National Chicken Council Board of Directors in 2008. He has served on various industry, local, and national boards. Mr. Cameron has been an active supporter of organizations focused on advancing economic freedom in his home state of Arkansas and the US. He graduated from the University of Arkansas with a degree in Business.

In honor of his contributions to the NC poultry industry, the North Carolina Poultry Federation is pleased to induct Ronnie Cameron into the the North Carolina Poultry Hall of Fame.