Artist: Othmar J. Hoffler (1893–1954)
Henry Perly Rusk
RUSK, HENRY PERLY (1884–1954), inducted 1946
After earning his bachelor’s degree at Valparaiso University and his master’s degree at the University of Missouri, Henry Perly Rusk accepted a position to teach and supervise cattle feeding research at Missouri in 1908. Two years later, he joined the faculty of the University of Illinois, where he organized the annual Illinois Cattle Feeders Day. Rush was named head of animal husbandry in 1922 and dean of the college of agriculture in 1939, serving until his retirement in 1952. He was in demand as a cattle judge, officiating at the American Royal and the International. Rusk was president of the American Society of Animal Production in 1925–1926 and served in leadership roles for the Farm Foundation, the National Research Council, and the Illinois State Fair. Henry Rusk considered his work as advisor to President Herbert Hoover to be the high point of his career. Rusk was chairman of the Commission on Government Reorganization’s agriculture task force, and he also helped revise federal lending policies.
Source: Saddle & Sirloin Guidebook 2026, p. 170