Artist: Istvan Nyikos (1942–2026)
O’Dell G. “Dan” Daniel
DANIEL, O’DELL G. “DAN” (1920–2017), inducted 2001
Dr. “Dan” Daniel was born and raised in Paris, Arkansas, completed the Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Maryland, and earned his Ph.D. from Oklahoma State University. He began teaching at Oklahoma Panhandle and then accepted the position to lead the University of Georgia’s Extension Animal Science Department in 1958. There, he revitalized the 4-H livestock program, formed the Beef Cattle Improvement Association, built a new bull test station, and helped launch televised cattle auctions in Georgia. When he retired as head of the Animal Science Department in 1981, the department was more than forty scientists strong. He served as a steer judge in twenty-seven states and was superintendent of the Southeastern Livestock Judging Contest for eighteen years. Dr. Daniel bred cattle at his Partisover Ranch. He was named to the Georgia Agricultural Hall of Fame in 1998.
This painting is the only egg tempera work in the Saddle & Sirloin collection. Canadian artist, Istvan Nyikos, applied transparent layers of pigment suspended in an egg yolk binding medium, to create this likeness of Dr. Daniel.
Source: Saddle & Sirloin Guidebook 2026, p. 77