Honoring the Legacy of Dave Anderson

Dave Anderson was inducted into the American Poultry History Society (APHS) Hall of Fame during the International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE) in Atlanta this January.

He is one of four honorees in 2025, joining 108 other prominent poultry leaders from the U.S. and Canada.

“Those endorsing Dave’s candidacy for this award spoke of his passion, and willingness to serve and share his knowledge with all,” said Dr. Michelle Hall, professor emerita, Clemson University, and secretary of the APHS.

Honoring Pioneers in the Industry

American Poultry Association (APA) president Norma Padgett nominated Anderson; the other nominees were Dr. Walter Hughes, nominated by Dr. Francine Bradley; Henry Kuhl, nominated by his son, Kevin Kuhl; and Dr. Ed Moran, nominated by Dr. Dianna Bourassa.

“I believe all of our inductees today embody the spirit not only of veterinary medicine but the required expertise of the whole chicken, as well as their commitment to the future generations through mentoring and education,” Dr. Hall said.

Steady Leadership in Times of Struggle

Anderson is a life-long poultry keeper/exhibitor and twice former APA president. He was an aerospace engineer and successful businessman who owned a management and marketing consultant agency for 30 years. He is credited with guiding the APA through multiple challenging times over the years.

In the 1960s, the APA was in serious decline with less than 300 members and a negative financial position. Anderson worked with a handful of members to remove the existing officers and replace them with true businessmen who successfully rescued the organization.

“For some reason, I felt like the APA was very important to me,” he said. “I guess it was because of my experiences as a youth and my close relationship with my grandfather in those days.”

The organization faced challenges again in the early 2000s, and Dave ran for and was elected president in 2006 with the goal of stabilizing the APA. He served for four years, and left office with a healthy organization, both in membership and finances. He continued as a board member for the next four years, followed by another two-year term as president and two more years on the board.

The APA recently celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2023 as a strong, stable organization with over 4,000 members and a solid financial position.

Anderson was inducted into the California Poultry Hall of Fame and the APA Hall of Fame in 2006. He has appeared as an expert witness in several trials regarding poultry matters and also spoke before the California state legislature on behalf of the poultry exhibition industry. He is an experienced poultry show superintendent and licensed poultry judge and has officiated at poultry shows throughout the U.S. (including Alaska and Hawaii), Canada and Mexico.

Honoring Other Poultry Industry Leaders

Dr. Walter Hughes served in the Air Force during World War II before becoming a poultry veterinarian. He completed 35 flying missions as a B-24 pilot over Germany and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Distinguished Service Medal and a Purple Heart for his service.

Later, his work in California advanced the poultry industry with regard to bird health and producer profitability.

Henry Kuhl built a company around his name, which is a staple of quality and reliability in the industry.

The Kuhl Corporation has remained a strong, thriving, family-owned enterprise for over 115 years with four generations of dedicated family leadership.

Kuhl’s contributions are in three areas: as a supplier to the poultry industry, as a visionary developing and advancing the poultry industry and as a leader and supporter of the poultry industry.

Dr. Ed Moran was a “professor’s professor” who encouraged and advised students and faculty in research, teaching and extension. He has been known to his students as a man of inspiring scientific principles which they pay forward today.

About 30 students attended the induction ceremony and Dr. Bourassa was overcome by emotion as she accepted the award on his behalf.

Moran contributed to the basic understanding of nutrition in the commercial poultry industry. The data he generated led to the U.S. and Canadian dietary guidelines and his work addressed basic nutritional research and principles to chick/poultry development, carcass quality, food safety, immunity and meat yield.

The induction ceremony was held during the IPPE in Atlanta. Sponsored by the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association, American Feed Industry Association and the Meat Institute, IPPE is the world’s largest annual poultry and egg, meat and animal food industry event of its kind.

The expo welcomed 31,000 industry attendees from all over the world, with more than 1,300 exhibitors, covering almost 600,000 square feet, (more than 500 acres), in three buildings.

For added perspective, an expo photographer said that his Fitbit had recorded more than 11,000 steps before noon. He was catching his breath after taking photographs of Tyler Harper, the commissioner of the Georgia Department of Agriculture, who visited the event

A History of the APHS Hall of Fame

The APHS Hall of Fame was established in 1953 and the Hall of Fame plaques are displayed at the South Carolina Agricultural Museum in Pendleton, South Carolina.

Historically, the APHS Hall of Fame has honored poultry leaders from the industry and from academia. APHS Secretary Hall encouraged the APA to submit a candidate. When she informed Anderson that he had been nominated, he thought it was an industry award.

“As a specialist with small flocks and one who suffers from OCD (obsessive chicken disorder) I assured him that without the genetics and awareness of the fanciers, there probably would be no poultry industry,” Dr. Hall said.

Anderson joins John Skinner (1989) and Lou Arrington (2013) in representing the exhibition and Standardbred side in the Hall of Fame.

The interests of the industrial world, and the academic, which overwhelmingly serves the industry, don’t often overlap. While both involve poultry, the industrial world relies on patented genetics and raising birds by the millions. The exhibition world focuses on the perfection of standard breeds through normal biological breeding and raising birds in small flocks.

APA Leads Poultry Exhibition

The APA and the American Bantam Association are the primary national poultry exhibition organizations. Their goal is improvement in domestic fowl and advocating for purebred poultry. They also publish Standards of Perfection, against which poultry breeders and judges compare their birds.

The APA includes waterfowl, turkeys, guineafowl and both large chickens and bantams. Local clubs affiliate with the APA and sponsor local shows, while specialty breed organizations hold competition meets for their breed within the shows.

The APA provides support and education for experienced breeders and a pathway into Standardbred exhibition poultry for interested novices, while its Youth Education Program encourages young people to get involved.

The APA is the umbrella organization under which poultry exhibitions are held and the organization tracks Exhibitor Points to recognize successful exhibitors.

“Some of my early mentors, Dr. McGibbon and John Skinner, said it is the duty of the fancier to make it practical and the practical to make it fancy,” said Dr. Hall. “It was my honor on behalf of the APHS to induct Dave Anderson into the 2025 Poultry Hall of Fame.”