Gary and Kay Smith Excellence Endowments at Texas A&M

Honoring a legendary meat scientist at Texas A&M University, the Gary ’68 and Kay Smith Endowed Chair in Meat Science Excellence and the Gary ’68 and Kay Smith Meat Judging Team Excellence Endowment have been established in the College of Agriculture and Life Science’s Department of Animal Science.

Two former colleagues of Gary Smith, Ph.D., renowned as the “dean” of meat scientists, committed $1 million each toward the endowed chair, with an invitation to others to provide matching support towards the meat judging team excellence fund in the Department of Animal Science.

Gordon W. Davis ’74, Ph.D., Lubbock, made the initial donation. Davis is the founder of CEV Multimedia Inc. and currently serves as the company chairman. Davis followed Smith to Texas A&M as a student and was an instructor at Texas A&M while finishing his master’s degree and doctoral requirements.

Davis was joined on the endowment by Burley Smith Jr. ’70, along with Brent, George and Hollie Smith and Smikid LTD, from San Angelo. Burley Smith Jr. earned his bachelor’s degree in animal science and was heavily influenced by Gary Smith.

Davis said his career and association with Gary Smith began in 1969 and has included participation in various programs, including Pursuit in Excellence, Success Begets Success, It’s All About the Kids, and It’s Important to Give Back. He said he hopes his commitment of $1 million will encourage former students, colleagues, meat industry leaders and other supporters who have been influenced by Gary Smith to contribute to the excellence fund.

“Dr. Smith impacted my career and life as a meat team coach, major professor and mentor, and he deserves this distinct recognition at Texas A&M University in perpetuity,” Davis said.

Similarly, Burley Smith, who established Lone Star Beef Processing in San Angelo, indicated Gary Smith was a mentor he always looked up to.

A legacy of teaching, mentoring

The new endowed chair will be modeled after the career of Smith, who, through his work at Washington State University, Texas A&M University and Colorado State University, became the preeminent meat scientist and meat science educator in the world, said Cliff Lamb, Ph.D., head of the Department of Animal Science.

Smith’s legacy as an outstanding classroom teacher, lifelong mentor of graduate students, strong leader in research and dedication to serving the national and international communities made him the model of what a professor at a land-grant university should be.

Smith worked at Texas A&M as a professor from 1969-1982 and head of the Department of Animal Science from 1982-1990. He rejoined the department in 2014 as a visiting professor.

In 2015, Smith helped establish the new Master of Agriculture with an emphasis on the meat industry degree program. The degree helped Texas A&M students accelerate the climb up the corporate management ladder by exposing them to the tutelage of veteran industry experts with records of previous industry success.

Smith was nationally and internationally recognized for his efforts in meat science and food safety. His research interests included carcass evaluation and grading; composition, quality and palatability of red meat; red meat safety; and packaging and retailing of red meat. He received numerous awards, including induction into the Meat Industry Hall of Fame in 2009.

Smith’s impact cannot be measured, Lamb said. During his career, he profoundly affected those he educated, influenced and mentored through his decades of work and commitment to excellence in everything he did during his career.

Advancing the meat science program at Texas A&M

Texas A&M’s Meat Science program was built by dedicated individuals who have come before us, Lamb said. The Meat Science program at Texas A&M first began in 1926 with the introduction of “Farm Meats.” This first class was designed to teach young men how to return to the farm and process animals for their families.

Today, the meat industry is the largest agricultural segment in the country, employing half a million workers and generating $100 billion annually as it feeds the nation. Texas A&M continues to build on its legacy as the leading program in meat science with state-of-the-art facilities, exemplary professors and talented students to ensure it can provide the next generation of leaders as well as cutting-edge research.

Now is the time to establish the resources necessary for recruiting Tier 1 professionals who have the talent and commitment to be a part of this rich history and to provide the next chapter in this continuing story for this field of endeavor, Lamb said.

“No doubt exists; the people who have been a vital part of the program have helped it progress to the next level,” Lamb said. “At this time, for the university to continue to impact this discipline for the next century, bold steps must be taken to ensure the A&M program is in place to do so.”

He said that with the establishment of the Gary ’68 and Kay Smith Chair in Meat Science Excellence and the Gary ’68 and Kay Smith Meat Judging Team Excellence Endowment, the Department of Animal Science will be making a public commitment to advancing the program to the highest levels.

“At this critical time, plans are underway for a new meat science and technology center, and the need for producing key leaders for academia, government and industry has never been greater,” Lamb said.

Building the endowment

Anyone who wishes to contribute to the Gary ’68 and Kay Smith Meat Judging Team Excellence Endowment and support the meat judging team can do so at http://give.am/SmithMeatJudgingEndowment.

For more information, contact Scott Jarvis ’00 at 979-777-0309 or sjarvis@txamfoundation.com, or Jansen Merrill ’18 at 325-669-4334 or jmerrill@txamfoundation.com. Both serve with the Texas A&M Foundation.

The Texas A&M Foundation is a nonprofit organization that exists for the benefit of Texas A&M University. The Foundation works with former students, corporations and other Texas A&M supporters to match their charitable interests with the university’s priorities. Gifts create scholarships, advance faculty endeavors, enhance student programs and fund new buildings, ultimately creating a brighter future for Texas A&M, one relationship at a time.