The LSU AgCenter will have a $1 million endowed chair in cotton production as the result of industry donations honoring a man who was a driving force in Louisiana cotton production.
The Jack Hamilton Chair in Cotton Production will be a memorial to Hamilton of East Carroll Parish, an innovator and major player in the cotton industry, until his death in 2001.
Donations totaling more than $600,000 qualify the chair for state matching funds in the amount of $400,000 through the Louisiana State Board of Regents.
Hamilton’s activities included serving as an organizer and president of the Louisiana Cotton Producers Association and as president and chairman of the board of the National Cotton Council of America. A native of Mississippi, Hamilton was an LSU graduate and lived in Lake Providence for many years.
The person named to the Hamilton Chair must have demonstrated excellence in cotton production research and must have a research program showing potential to provide significant contributions to improving the productivity, profitability and environmental friendliness of the Louisiana cotton industry. This person will be named later in the year.
Tom Merrill
(This article was published in the winter 2005 issue of Louisiana Agriculture.) |