D.W. Brooks (1901 - 1999)

Inducted: 1979

In the 1930s, D.W. Brooks organized the Cotton Producers Association (CPA) to raise the per-capita income of farmers. CPA and its well-known offspring, Gold Kist, Inc., grew to operate worldwide. Many CPA/Gold Kist operations have been so uniquely successful in difficult circumstances - the completely integrated poultry operations, for example - that they have been borrowed over the years as patterns for other enterprises.

Brooks was in the forefront of providing agricultural leadership to his state and the nation for years. He advised Presidents, Truman, Eisenhower, and Johnson, and led national co-op associations such as the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives. In addition, he helped improve agricultural public relations abroad by realizing and talking about the importance of food in world peace.