Poultry Industry Hall of Fame to induct 4 members

The four inductees into the Poultry Industry Hall of Fame for 2016 are Shai Barbut, Glenn W. Froning, Andrew R. Rhorer, and Yvonne Vizzier Thaxton. They will be inducted at a ceremony held the International Poultry & Processing Expo (IPPE) in Atlanta, on January 27, at 1:30 p.m. in room B-201 of the Georgia World Congress Center.

The four inductees into the Poultry Industry Hall of Fame for 2016 are Shai Barbut, Glenn W. Froning, Andrew R. Rhorer, and Yvonne Vizzier Thaxton.  They will be inducted at a ceremony held the International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE) in Atlanta, on January 27, at 1:30 p.m. in room B-201 of the Georgia World Congress Center.

Dr. Shai Barbut

Barbut was born in Israel and is a Canadian citizen.  He has been a professor in the Department of Animal & Poultry Science at the University of Guelph, in Guelph, Ontario, Canada since 1985.

Barbut has published extensively in the area of poultry meat and egg products.  Dr. Barbut’s textbook on Poultry Products Processing-An Industry Guide has been used extensively by academia and industry personnel.  His most recent book entitled The Science of Meat and Poultry Processing extends the coverage of his first book and has been published as an E-book providing free access to anyone while permitting the author to update the content as needed. 

He is a fellow in the Institute of Food Technology in the area of muscle foods and has won numerous honors and awards  as well as providing leadership on many government committees.

Dr. Glenn W. Froning

Froning is professor emeritus from the University of Nebraska in Food Science and Technology. 

Froning’s broad scope of research efforts of over 40 years has lead to the publication of over 200 articles on poultry meat and eggs.  Some of the areas covered by Froning’s work lead to improved quality and uses of mechanically deboned poultry meat, identified functional properties of eggs and egg products as well as causes of color and texture defects in poultry meats and their use in products, characterized the particles of bone found in poultry meats and studied many additives and their effects on egg and poultry meat products. 

Froning has served the Poultry Science Association (PSA) in many capacities as well as the Institute of Food Technology (IFT) and has been recognized as a fellow in each association.   His former undergraduate and graduate students serve the industry throughout the US and around the world.

Andrew R. Rhorer

Rhorerserved as the executive vice president of the Indiana State Poultry Association and the Tri-State Poultry Federation from 1984-1989. He was the executive director of the Indiana State Egg Board, which is the enforcement agency for the Indiana Egg Law and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Egg Product Inspection Act for Indiana from 1984-1989. 

Rohrer was also the scientific director of the Midwest Egg Quality School from 1976-1989 at Purdue University.  He served as the Egg Industry Liaison on the Department’s Salmonella enteritidis Task Force from 1990 to 1994 and was the senior coordinator (Director) of the National Poultry Improvement Plan (NPIP) for 24 years.   

He supervised 49 Official State Agencies in the NPIP which cooperated by a written agreement between the State and USDA, APHIS, VS as well as supervised, reviewed and certified 130 Authorized Laboratories (AL) which cooperated with NPIP through written agreement which specified official reporting and testing methods. He also served as the executive secretary of the NPIP’s -General Conference Committee (GGC) which is the Secretary of Agriculture’s official advisory committee on poultry health.

He is currently the president of Global Poultry Improvement, LLC.

Yvonne Vizzier Thaxton 

After receiving her bachelor’s degree, Thaxton went to work as a Microbiologist for MFC Services (AAL) in Jackson, Mississippi, in 1969. After receiving her master’s degree, she became manager for the Food Products laboratory at MFC Services (AAL).  

In 1974, she went to work for Marshall Durbin Food Company as their laboratory manager and became their director of laboratory services.  In 1981, she  served as assistant vice president of Marshall Durbin Food Corporation and in 1983 became the vice president of science & quality assurance for Marshall Durbin.

While working for Marshall Durbin, she received her PhD from Auburn University  and served as an adjunct professor in Poultry Science at Mississippi State University and eventually became a full time Professor of Poultry Science at Mississippi State where she “retired” from as Professor Emerita in 2010. 

She currently serves as professor and director for the Center for Food Animal Wellbeing at the University of Arkansas.  She and her late husband Paul Thaxton (inducted in 2010) are the first husband and wife to be inducted into the Poultry Industry Hall of Fame.

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