Alltech Founder Dr. Pierce Lyons Receives National Dairy Shrine Pioneer Award
Dr. Lyons was an entrepreneur and tireless innovator with a keen scientific mind. He is widely recognized for his contributions to science and agriculture and has been awarded honorary doctorates from many colleges and universities around the world. He was also revered as an inspiring leader and community activist who lived each day with passion and purpose. He and his wife, Deirdre Lyons, funded and oversaw the construction of more than a dozen state-of-the-art laboratories in elementary schools in Kentucky and Ireland with the intention of inspiring the next generation to learn science and, more importantly, be curious about the world around them. This commitment to performance through education continued with the establishment of the Alltech Young Scientist Program, the largest international agricultural science competition of its kind. More than 100,000 university students took part.
The Lyons family has added to that legacy. Deirdre, co-founder of Alltech, is the Director of Corporate Image and Design, designing and furnishing the company's more than 80 offices worldwide and overseeing its charitable activities. Their son, Dr. Mark Lyons, is the company's president and chief executive officer.
“I often think about how my father would have reacted to all the disruption our industry faces today,” said Dr. Mark Lyons. “What I am absolutely sure of is that he would look not just at the problems but at the abundance of opportunities, from food security to carbon capture, and advise us to put all our energy into them. My mother and I are honored to be joined by more than 5,000 colleagues around the world who are dedicated to continuing their father's legacy of tireless curiosity, optimism and solutions-oriented thinking as we continue to work together on Planet of Plenty™.
Dr. Pierce Lyons, along with fellow 2023 Pioneer Award recipients and the families of Dr. George Hershe, Jr. (posthumously), Dr. Richard Sacke and Dr. Charles Sniffen, were honored at an awards banquet at the National Dairy Shrine on Monday, October 2, in Madison, Wisconsin, USA. Each winner's portrait will be displayed at the National Dairy Shrine Hall of Fame and Museum in Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin.
