Don Tyson dies of cancer (Updated)
by January 6, 2011 12:01 pm 745 views
Don J. Tyson, a college dropout who grew his father’s chicken production business to a Fortune 500 conglomerate, died early Thursday (Jan. 6) morning.
The 80-year old Springdale native was responsible for taking Tyson from sales of $1 million in 1952 to the world’s largest poultry producer with sales of almost $8 billion internationally when he retired.
"Don Tyson was a business giant who helped put Arkansas on the world map for poultry and food production. As he reached higher and higher levels of success, he never forgot where he came from, remaining a life-long Arkansan and generously giving back to his community and our State. Don will be greatly missed,” noted a statement from Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe.
"It’s a very sad day in the poultry industry. Within the last 30 days we’ve lost two icons. Don’s contribution to the industry is priceless. He will be sorely missed," said Arkansas Poultry Federation President Marvin Childers.
The poultry industry mourned the Dec. 1 passing of Gene George last month. George was the leader of the privately-held Springdale-based poultry company, George’s Inc.
U.S. Rep. Steve Womack, R-Rogers, said Tyson was more than just a businessman.
Womack noted in a statement: “The passing of Don Tyson leaves an enormous hole not only in the 3rd District but across the country. Don’s life was one that encompassed the true American dream. Because of his vision, what was once just a small family business known as Tyson Feed and Hatchery is now a key part of the state’s economic engine. But for those who knew Don personally, he was more than businessman. He was a good man. For that, he will be greatly missed. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family.”
University of Arkansas Chancellor David Gearhart said Don Tyson’s life was more than just an Arkansas success story, it was an American success story.
“I received the news of Don’s passing with great sorrow,” Gearhart said in his statement. “This is an immense loss. To all who knew him, he was a larger-than-life figure — a business pioneer, a great philanthropist, and a dear friend. A self-made man, he wasn’t just a great Arkansas success story, he was a great American success story. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family. His vast and big-hearted presence will be sorely missed.”
A statement from the National Chicken Council — a Washington, D.C.-based industry group that represents companies who account for 95% of the chicken sold in the U.S. — noted that Tyson was a “titan” of the industry who saw the industry’s future before many others.
“He was a pioneer in moving beyond commodity chicken to value-added products and in the development of new products and international markets. Don Tyson was a key figure in transforming the industry into the powerhouse it is today. Not only his family and his company have suffered a loss, but the entire industry as well,” noted the NCC statement.
Don Tyson was named a “Pioneer of the Industry” by the National Chicken Council in 2004 in recognition of his lifetime of achievements.
TYSON HISTORY
After leaving the University of Arkansas in 1952, Tyson joined his father’s local chicken production business. He first made his mark on the family business in 1965 when he persuaded his father to introduce the Rock Cornish game hen as a specialty item at a flat rate of 50 cents per bird.
After his father’s tragic death in 1967, Tyson took over the company with his half-brother Randall. At that time, Tyson Foods controlled less than 2% of the U.S. chicken market. In 1998, as the nation’s leading poultry supplier, Tyson Foods, Inc., controlled 28% of the market with $7.4 billion in sales.
Then Tyson Foods operation employed 70,000 worldwide, and operated 70 food-processing plants in 17 states.
While Don Tyson was employed as senior chairman from 1997 to 2001, his son, John Tyson, took over as chairman of the board in 1998 and also served as CEO from 2001 to 2006. In September 2007, the younger Tyson stepped down as CEO, but has continued in the chairman’s seat to this date.
In 2001, Tyson Foods beat out Smithfield Foods in a bidding war for beef processor IBP. However, Tyson Foods backed away from the initial offer, and Dakota Dunes, S.D.-based IBP sued to force Tyson Foods back to the negotiating table. Later in 2001, Tyson Foods acquired IBP in a more than $3.2 billion cash and stock deal that included Tyson assuming IBP debt.
Following the IBP acquisition, it was estimated that Tyson Foods had approximately 28% of the U.S. beef market, 25% of the chicken market and 18% of the pork market.
Prior to IBP, Tyson Foods acquired Rogers-based Hudson Foods in a $642 million deal after Hudson was financially hammered by a recall of about 25 million pounds of potentially contaminated hamburger.
In recent years, Don Tyson reengaged in the business of Tyson Foods following several years of lackluster financial performance. In early 2009, Leland Tollett , a former chairman and CEO of Tyson Foods, replaced Dick Bond as president and CEO. The January move was unexpected, with Bond being completely separated from the company. In a November 2008 report from the Associated Press, Don Tyson acknowledged that he and his “lieutenants” Tollett and Buddy Wray were working with the company during a financially difficult time of high feed, fuel and other input costs.
Don Tyson was also involved in several legal and financial issues related to dealings with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and stock and business transactions that resulted in fines from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and other regulatory agencies.
Following is the statement issued Thursday morning by Tyson Foods.
Statement From Tyson President and CEO, Donnie Smith:
It is with great sadness I report today the death of Don Tyson, former Chairman and CEO of Tyson Foods and a leading member of our company’s board of directors. Don passed away this morning at the age of 80 after a brief illness.
As noted in the obituary that follows, Don was known by all to work hard, but also to play hard. He was famous the world over for his "No Bad Days" outlook on life, and well known for telling everyone that "I don’t have time to have a bad time." Don’s passing will be mourned by all who knew him, especially his family, his countless friends, and business leaders and associates in Arkansas, across the country and around the world.
A small, private family service has been planned and a public memorial service will be held at a later date. We will provide more details later.
DON TYSON
Donald John Tyson, known to everyone as "Don," son of Tyson Foods, Inc. founder John W. Tyson, and father of current company Chairman John H. Tyson, passed away today, January 6, 2011, at the age of 80, after a brief illness. He was the former Chairman of the Board and CEO of Tyson Foods, Inc., a company he led through phenomenal growth in the 1970s and 1980s.
Don Tyson was born on April 21, 1930 in Olathe, Kansas, the son of John W. and Mildred Tyson. The family moved to Springdale, Arkansas in 1931 to enable Mr. Tyson to develop his business of hauling produce from Northwest Arkansas to the larger markets in the Midwest such as Kansas City, St. Louis and Chicago. By the time Don Tyson was a teenager his father had started hauling chickens to those same markets and had also become involved in other aspects of the poultry business.
After high school in Springdale and Kemper Military Academy in Missouri, Don attended the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, studying business and agriculture, but left before graduating to join his father in the family business in 1952. He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters degree by the University of Arkansas at its May 2010 graduation ceremony.
Through most of the 1950s Don worked with his father to grow the family business, then known as Tyson Feed and Hatchery, supplying feed and baby chicks to local poultry producers in Northwest Arkansas. In 1958 the company became "vertically integrated" by building its first chicken processing plant in Springdale, with Don overseeing the construction and then becoming its first plant manager.
The company soon began to grow by acquiring other area poultry operations, and then went public with its initial public offering of stock in 1963 under the name Tyson’s Foods, Inc. This was the company name until 1972 when it was changed to Tyson Foods, Inc. The company continued to grow through the 1970s and 1980s with Don leading a series of acquisitions including Val-Mac, Lane Poultry and the 1989 purchase of Holly Farms, which more than doubled the size of the company and made it the largest poultry producer in the country.
Don had moved up progressively in the company leadership, being named President in 1966, and then becoming Chairman and CEO in 1967 when his father and step-mother were both tragically killed in an automobile-train accident in Springdale. He continued to serve as Chairman, President and CEO until 1983 when long-time Tyson executive, Leland Tollett was named President. In 1991 the company named Tollett President and CEO with Don remaining as Chairman until 1995 when he officially "retired" and Tollett was named Chairman and CEO. Tollett, along with another long-time company team member, Donald "Buddy" Wray had worked alongside Don throughout these years growing and running the company. It was often said that Don provided the vision and leadership, and that Leland and Buddy had the ability to profitably run whatever Don bought.
In the late 1990s the company continued to grow, most notably with the acquisition of Hudson Foods in 1998. By this time, Don’s son John Tyson had succeeded Tollett as Chairman of the Board of the company and Don Tyson was named Chairman Emeritus.
Don continued to provide guidance and support for the company’s leadership team, including Tyson’s 2001 acquisition of IBP, inc., a purchase engineered by his son John. As a result of the acquisition, Tyson Foods, the largest poultry producer in the world, also became the largest beef processor and second largest pork processor, with annual revenues jumping from approximately $7.5 billion to more than $24 billion.
Don was known by all to work hard, but also to play hard. He was famous the world over for his "No Bad Days" outlook on life, and well known for telling everyone that "I don’t have time to have a bad time." He was also well known for his active involvement in state and national politics, having been led by his father to believe that it was a citizen’s duty to take part in the political and electoral process.
He was a world renowned fisherman, a founder of the Billfish Foundation that promotes the catch and release of marlin and other billfish, and was a long time member and benefactor of the International Game Fish Association (IGFA), a group that tracks and certifies world records for fishing.
Don also created and led the Tyson Family Foundation, which among other things provides scholarships for post secondary students from communities where Tyson Foods has operations. He has been a well known philanthropist in Arkansas and elsewhere, supporting countless causes, primarily in the fields of education, conservation and the arts.
Don was preceded in death by his father John W. and his step-mother Helen Knoll Tyson, as well as his mother Mildred Tyson; and, by his wife Twilla Jean Womochil Tyson and his brother Randal Tyson.
He is survived by his son, John Tyson and three daughters, Carla Tyson, Cheryl Tyson and Joslyn J. Caldwell-Tyson; his sister-in-law Barbara Tyson; as well as two grandchildren, John Randal Tyson and Olivia Laine Tyson; and, long-time friends Gloria Gray, Ramona Caldwell, Shelby Rogers and Melissa Ramsey.
Visitation will be Friday, January 7, from 4 to 6 p.m. at Sisco Funeral Home in Springdale, Arkansas. A small, private family service is planned for Saturday, January 8, with John Tyson, John Randal Tyson, Leland Tollett, Donald "Buddy" Wray, Jim Blair, Greg Mohney, Ned Tabor and Fred Cameron acting as pall bearers.
Honorary pall bearers include Gary George, Mark Simmons, Bo Pilgrim, Jim Perdue, Archie Schaffer III, David Van Bebber, W.H. Taylor, Tom Schueck, Harry C. Erwin III, Hayden McIlroy, Paul Berry, Lloyd McCord, Woody Bassett, Clark Irwin, Butch Davis, Jim Kever, C.R. Magnus, Vahab Fatourechi, Mike Levitt, Johnny Morris, Joe Fred Starr, Herman Tuck, Dash Goff, Billy Moore, Jerry Jones, Willie Nelson, David Pryor, Dale Bumpers, Jim Compton, Mel Immergut, Joe Washington, and the 115,000 Tyson team members around the world.
A larger public memorial service is being planned, with details to be announced later.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to The Billfish Foundation, The Mayo Clinic and the Dale Bumpers College of Agriculture, Food and Life Sciences at the University of Arkansas. The addresses are below:
The Billfish Foundation
PO Box 8787
Fort Lauderdale, FL 3310-8787
The Mayo Clinic
200 First Street SW
Rochester, MN 55905
University of Arkansas
Dale Bumpers College of Agriculture, Food & Life Sciences
E108 AFLS Building
Fayetteville, AR 72701