Five individuals will be inducted into the Virginia Livestock Hall of Fame for 2015 at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 24, at the College of Agriculture and Life Science's Alphin-Stuart Livestock Arena on Virginia Tech's campus. The event is free and the public is invited to attend.

The ceremony will include an unveiling of the portraits of the 2015 honorees, which will be permanently displayed in the arena. The new Hall of Fame members, who hail from academia and industry, have demonstrated outstanding and uncommon contributions to the livestock industry.

This year's honorees are:

  • Olive K. Britt of Maiden, Virginia, who is being honored posthumously, became Virginia’s first female veterinarian to specialize in equine medicine. She pioneered work in the field and opened doors for other female veterinarians. Her work benefited countless horses and produced a lasting legacy for the Virginia horse industry. She was honored as Virginia’s Veterinarian of the Year in 1993.
  • Richard H.L. Chichester III of Falmouth, Virginia, a 1956 graduate of Virginia Tech, is renowned for his work in cattle genetics and is recognized worldwide as a goodwill ambassador for the U.S. dairy and beef industries. Under his leadership, Select Sires — a herd management company — became the largest artificial insemination cooperative in the world. Chichester has been recognized as the 1994 Dairy Shrine Guest of Honor and the 1995 World Dairy Expo Industry Person of the Year.
  • Allen F. Harper of Suffolk, Virginia, a 1979 Virginia Tech graduate, served as a Virginia Cooperative Extension agent, state Extension swine specialist, and the director of the Tidewater Agricultural Research and Extension Center. He has made many contributions to the swine industry through his leadership of the Virginia Pork Industry Conference and his research in swine nutrition and management in the area of lessening environmental impact. Harper received the Virginia Pork Industry Association’s Extension and Service awards and the American Society of Animal Science Southern Section Extension Award. 
  • Gary Minish of Keswick, Virginia, has impacted the development of leaders in the livestock industry, as well as the improvement of academic programs in animal science and agriculture and the evaluation and production of beef cattle throughout the U.S. and abroad. His career as a university instructor, judging team coach, Virginia Tech department head, and Southern Illinois University dean influenced students and producers worldwide.
  • David Notter, of Blacksburg, Virginia, professor emeritus of animal and poultry sciences and a teacher and researcher in quantitative genetics at Virginia Tech, contributed to genetic improvement in sheep and beef cattle and the management of global animal genetic resources. He received the American Society of Animal Science Breeding and Genetics Award in 1998 and the International Animal Agriculture Award in 2015.

Established in 2009, the Virginia Livestock Hall of Fame bestows honor and recognition on outstanding Virginians who have made significant contributions to the state’s livestock industry and its people. The Virginia Cattlemen’s Association, Virginia Pork Industry Association, Virginia Sheep Producers Association, Virginia State Dairymen’s Association, and Virginia Horse Council can nominate living or deceased individuals to the Virginia Livestock Hall of Fame.

Since its inception 55 industry leaders have been recognized.

For more information. contact A.L. Eller Jr. at 540-231-3136

 

 

Written by Amy Loeffler
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