Thomas Lionel Barton, a long-time poultry specialist at the University of Arkansas and friend to the local poultry industry, died Sept. 19 at age 78 in his Fayetteville home. Barton was friends with poultry pioneer Don Tyson and Leland Tollett who ran Tyson Foods at various times over the past thirty years.
Barton was known throughout the Arkansas poultry industry for his 28 years of service as a poultry specialist for the Cooperative Extension Service.
He was “the perfect poultry extension specialist,” said Michael Kidd, director of the Division of Agriculture Center of Excellence for Poultry Science. “He had a unique ability to relate scientific findings to practice and helped numerous farmers and the poultry industry throughout his career. His contributions to the Center of Excellence for Poultry Science after his retirement were invaluable. He was very engaged and I never saw him have a bad day.”
Barton joined the UA faculty in 1967 and served until his retirement in March 1995. Throughout his career and following retirement, Barton worked to improve the lives of poultry farmers and address the needs of the poultry industry in Arkansas. He was inducted in the Arkansas Agricultural Hall of Fame in 2011.
“The most impressive characteristic of Dr. Barton was his reputation within the poultry industry. Having been a member of a team of five extension specialists at Texas A&M University with statewide responsibility, it was remarkable to me that he was the primary resource serving the industry of Arkansas. When the size and scope of the poultry industry in Arkansas is considered in comparison to the industry in Texas, his contributions to the industry were nothing short of magnificent,” said James Denton, former director of the Center for Poultry Excellence at the UA.
Barton grew up on a farm in Columbia County and graduated from Magnolia High School in 1955. He studied agriculture at Southern State College and received a bachelor of science degree in agriculture/animal science and a master of science degree in poultry nutrition from the University of Arkansas and a doctorate in poultry nutrition from Michigan State University. He was an Army veteran.
He was also instrumental in the organization for the Center of Excellence for Poultry Science and helped obtain significant funding from the Arkansas Energy Office for development and operation of the Broiler Energy Verification Unit, where research was conducted in four commercial-scale broiler houses.
His guidance played a critical role in developing the poultry industry into the largest sector of Arkansas' agricultural economy.
Barton is survived by one daughter, Ann Boyd and her husband Shane, three sons, Steven Barton, John Barton and James Barton and wife Christina as well as four grandchildren all of Fayetteville. He also leaves behind two sisters and numerous nieces and nephews. Barton was preceded in death by his wife Martha Caple to whom he married in 1962.
A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 26, at Moore’s Chapel in Fayetteville.
Memorials may be made to the Lionel Barton Scholarship, c/o Southern Arkansas University Foundation, P. O. Box 9174, Magnolia, Arkansas 71753, the University of Arkansas Department of Poultry Science or the charity of donor’s choice.