Richard L. Willham Joins the Ranks of Historic Stockmen On November 14, 2004, the portrait of Richard L. Willham (right) was presented to the Saddle & Sirloin Club Portrait Gallery in a ceremony held in Louisville, Kentucky.  Willham's likeness joins those of more than 300 other stockmen who have played important roles in the science and industry of animal agriculture. Richard Willham, son of Dr. Oliver and Susan Willham, was born in 1932 and graduated with a BS degree from Oklahoma State University in 1954.  He married Esther Burkhart, and they have two children, Karen and Lee, and three grandchildren: Audrey, Travis, and Nash.  He received the MS in animal breeding at Iowa State College in 1955.  After military service, including a tour in Korea, he returned to Iowa and completed his PhD at Iowa State University in 1960.  Willham went to Oklahoma State in 1963 but returned to Iowa State in 1966 and spent the rest of his career there, retiring in 1997.

The "Father" of Expected Progeny Differences Willham devoted unmeasured amounts of time to research and development in genetic prediction methods and their eventual application in the beef industry during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. Starting with Estimated Breeding Values (EBVs) at the Litton Charolais Ranch in Missouri, moving on to EBVs in Angus, Hereford, and other breeds, Willham got breeders thinking about prediction of breeding value (what the breeder actually sells to the commercial producer) instead of simply basing selection solely on phenotype.  Not only did Willham help develop the theory and genetic models, he also spent hours convincing industry leaders that sound scientific principles could be harnessed for genetic improvement of livestock, especially beef cattle. Willham wrote the initial and subsequent versions of the Beef Improvement Federation (BIF) Guidelines on National Sire Evaluation.  From within-herd EBV to National Sire Evaluation and EPDs, to the current National Genetic Evaluation, Willham kept the research fires burning, met repeatedly with industry organizations, and gave untold numbers of presentations to keep the industry on the path to improvement.  He coined the term Expected Progeny Difference (EPD). Teacher and Motivator of Students Forty-seven graduate theses and dissertations were completed under the guidance of Dr. Willham. Through example as a gentleman and a scholar, he instilled high values for service to society and the livestock industry.  He had high expectations of himself, and, by example not exhortation, these high expectations came forth in his students.  Many have established themselves as leaders and have contributed greatly to the advancement of genetic improvement. In the mid-1960s, Willham developed the Computer Cowgame, a valuable tool for teaching principles of selection.  Thousands of undergraduate students in animal breeding courses have used this simulation exercise to gain insight into response to selection; it remains in heavy demand in animal breeding classes yet today.  In the early years, breeders and commercial producers also "played" the game, coming away with a clearer understanding of genetic principles and sustained practice of selection. To get concepts related to genetic prediction across to a variety of audiences, Willham has used a variety of methods, including pictures to draw the novice into the search for knowledge.  Those who witnessed his slide presentations at BIF or at other meetings in the early 1970s can attest to the originality, variety of colors, and uniqueness of drawings penned by his hand. Union of Art, Civilization, and Livestock Willham has always possessed the aptitude for art and history and directed it into presentable works in the past two decades.  As curator of the exhibit "Centuries of Fascination:  Art About Livestock," he filled the Brunnier Art Museum on the Iowa State University campus in 1990 for the annual American Society of Animal Science meeting.  His book, The Legacy of the Stockman, is for those wishing to grasp how we as humans relate to our livestock. His class, titled "Our Livestock Heritage," taught for years at the Iowa State campus and, since retirement, at the Colorado State campus, has given students a chance to see and thus understand that livestock have filled not only agricultural but also social needs throughout the history of civilization.

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