Hal Lewis Testimony by Fred Bourland, 12/5/2017
Harold Lloyd Lewis was born in northeast Arkansas in 1934. Yes, his mother (my Aunt Exie) named him after the famed star of silent films. Like his namesake, Hal performed well (actually excelled); but unlike his namesake, he was not silent!
After serving in the military, Hal received his B.S. degree (Texas A&M University) in 1960. Then in only four years, he earned his M.S. (University of Houston) and Ph.D. (University of Arkansas) degrees. He subsequently became an Assistant Professor at Texas Tech University in 1964. Remarkably, he was promoted to Professor with tenure in only three years. After serving as Manager of the Physiology/Biochemistry at the National Cotton Council (1968-1970), he served as Director of Research at Cotton Incorporated (1970-1973). In 1974, he returned to Arkansas and founded Scientific Seeds. In that role, he bred cotton and soybean varieties, marketed seed,farmed, conducted research, taught classes at a nearby university, and consulted with various companies.
I have known Hal Lewis all of life, and my comments might be somewhat skewed by the fact that our mothers were sisters and that we grew up in the same area. Yet, due to our age difference, I had little contact with him until I returned to Arkansas in 1988. From then until his death, we communicated regularly (mostly, I listened!). Our communications covered a wide array of subjects including family, politics, and religion, but mostly we discussed cotton and science. Some of his observations led me to refocus my breeding programby emphasizing yield components (how the plant produces yield most efficiently) and the improvement of fiber quality.
Dr. Lewis likely possessed the widest range of expertise of anyone that I have ever known. He could comfortably provide you an in-depth explanation on most everything from adouble-shovel (a mule-drawn plow) to a double-disc opener (part of a modern cotton planter) to the double-helix of a DNA molecule. He profoundly understood the DNA molecule because much of his training in biochemistry occurred shortly after the discovery of DNA. His farm experience gave him practical in-sights into what things worked; his career in research gave him in-sights into howthings worked; his training in biochemistry gave him in-sights into why things worked. He used these in-sights to improve everything that he encountered.
In addition to his knowledge and experience, Hal had a deep understanding and concern for the cotton industry and its associated people. Few persons have been more revered, and had more impacts on both the Arkansas and U.S. cotton industry. He served in many and varied roles in the cotton industry. In every role, he excelled and consequently received many awards and honors including the 1992 Man of the Year in Arkansas Agriculture by Progressive Farmer, the 1995 Arkansas Cotton Achievement Award by University of Arkansas Cotton Research Group, and induction into the Arkansas Agriculture Hall of Fame in 2006.
As Director of Cotton Incorporated Research Program, he helped to establish the foundation for the organization that we have today. Our industry owes a great debt to individuals like Dr. Lewis who had the vision to establish many of the procedures and methods that are still in place. Over the years, he personally was involved with development of the module builder, boll weevil eradication, byssinosis research, micronaire control (he personally developed a field procedure that is still used to control micronaire), and played a primary role causing USDA to universally adopt HVI fiber testing.
After returning to Arkansas, Dr. Lewis was heavily involved with University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture and the Arkansas State Support Committee until his death in 2015. His primary objective was to ensure the effective use of funds byencouraging researchers to conduct innovative and relevant research. Many of his efforts went far beyond our state borders and affected the entire cotton industry. During those years, his voice was strong, his messages contained good logic and reason, and his influence on our industry was undeniable.
Finally, Hal had awonderful sense of humor and was a great storyteller. Irecall two of hisanecdotal storiesrelated to hand-picking of cotton. The first was from his youth, and related to the hand-picking skills of Hal and Jack (one of his older brothers). According to Hal, they were out in the cotton field and his Dad (my Uncle Garfield) said “Boy, that Jack is a cotton-picking dude, but son, you are just a dude, picking cotton.” The second anecdote was from later in his life after much of his right hand hadbeen severed in a combine accident. As he would present his data from a hand-picked test, he would grin slightly, raise his prosthetic hand for emphasis, and say “I picked the whole damn test single-handedly.”
Both literally and figuratively, Hal Lewis “single-handedly” accomplished a great deal in our industry. I am personally grateful for thepath that he forged for me. This Hall of Fame recognition confirms that the U.S. cotton industry is also grateful for the leadership and direction that he provided.