Four new poultry Hall of Fame members

On Oct. 6, four new members were inducted into the prestigious Latin American Poultry Hall of Fame.

The presentation was made by Chris Wright, editor of Industria Avícola, to an audience of 1,400 during the inauguration ceremony of the XXI Latin American Poultry Congress, which is taking place this week in Havana, Cuba.

The new Hall of Fame members are:

Dr. Ernesto Ávila González of Mexico.  Since 1973, he has been a professor of veterinary medicine at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM). From 1993 to date, he has held the position of technical director at the Center for Reserach and Extension in Poultry Production. In his work as an investigator in poultry nutrition, he has published more than 190 scientific articles in national and international journals and has published three books and 18 technical pamphlets.

Prof. Omar Cruz Trujillo of Cuba (Posthumous).  He was the director of the Unión de Empresas del Combinado Avícola Nacional from 1956 to 1996. This is the company producing eggs and poultry meat in Cuba, with its own genetics and the production of feed for different species. He was the creator of Instituto de Investigaciones Avícolas, the only scientific institution in the sector. He is the founder of the Revista Cubana de Ciencia Avícola, published since 1966, which presents the main results of research.

Mr. Antonio Echeverría of Costa Rica.  He has been a producer of feed since 1967 with his own company, Ternerina SA, which has been very successful. He served as director of the two largest chicken producers in Costa Rica and is the current president, and has been for 12 consecutive years, of the Costa Rican Poultry Association. He is also the current chairman of the Central American and Caribbean Poultry Federation. He is the current vice president of public affairs for the Latin American Poultry Association.

Dr. Carlos López Coello of Mexico.  He has been a professor of veterinary medicine at UNAM for 33 years. Besides being a teacher, he has been a broiler producer. He has consulted with approximately 55 poultry companies in 15 countries in Latin America. More than anything, he is recognized and respected throughout Latin America for being a frequent author and lecturer of technical and scientific work.