 D. W. Brooks Papers
Collection DescriptionBiographical NoteDavid William Brooks (1901-1999), a farmer and cooperative executive, was born in Royston, Georgia. Brooks entered the University of Georgia (UGA) in 1918 and earned Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in Agriculture. Concurrent to his Master's studies, Brooks taught agronomy at the university for four years and founded his first farm cooperative, the Georgia Cotton Growers Cooperative Association in Carrollton, in 1921, while he was teaching. In 1925, Brooks left UGA to devote all of his time to his cooperative. Due to a variety of factors, this cooperative failed. Upon the association's demise in 1933, Brooks immediately started another farm cooperative called the Georgia Cotton Producers Association. Renamed Cotton Producers Association (CPA)in 1934, and Gold Kist in 1974, this cooperative proved successful. By the late twentieth century, the company achieved Fortune 500 status and was a leading exporter of poultry in the world. Brooks started with CPA as the manager in 1933, and by his retirement at age 65, he was Chairman of the Board. In 1941, Brooks also founded the Cotton Farmers Mutual Insurance Association, a company that provided fire and windstorm insurance to farmers. In 1955, Brooks set up a life insurance company for farmers, Cotton States Life and Health. Both companies have achieved continued success since their respective inceptions. Brooks' agribusiness acumen and experience privileged him to serve as a member of the Advisory Committee for Trade Negotiations under Presidents Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, and Carter. Brooks also served on the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agribusiness Industry Advisory Committee. In 1954 he was a delegate to the American Assembly, which proposed changes in the United Nations Charter. He served as director of the Foundation for American Agriculture; Agricultural Missions, Inc., New York; and the National Council of Farmer Cooperative; and Chairman of the Board of Farmers Chemical Association in Chattanooga, Tennessee. At 86 years old, Brooks returned to the University of Georgia as a visiting professor of Agricultural Economics. Brooks' contributions to the University of Georgia prompted the university to name a pedestrian mall on South Campus after him, D.W. Brooks Mall. D.W. Brooks was active in the Methodist Church and a member of St. Mark's United Methodist Church in Atlanta. He was a member of the Board of Global Ministries of the United Methodist Church, NY, and vice president of its World Division. Brooks and his wife, Ruth, established an endowed chair in World Christianity at the Candler School of Theology at Emory University and Brooks was chairman of the Committee of One Hundred for the Candler School of Theology. Brooks served as a trustee at Emory University, Wesleyan College in Macon, Reinhardt College in Waleska, and the Lake Junaluska Assembly, Inc. in North Carolina. He was a member of the University of Georgia Foundation. D.W. Brooks received numerous honors and awards during his lifetime. Highlights include: First inductee into the University of Georgia's Agricultural Hall of Fame (1972); WSB Television and Atlanta Gas Light Company's Shining Light Award (1977); elected to Cooperative League of the United States Hall of Fame (1979); Man of the Year in Community and Rural Development by Cooperative Extension Service at UGA (1979); honorary degrees from Morris Brown College and Emory University. On August 6, 1930, D.W. Brooks married Ruth McMurray. They had two children, David William Brooks, Jr., and Nancy Ruth Brooks. Scope and ContentThese papers document D.W. Brooks' business career as founder of the Cotton Producers Association and Gold Kist, as well as his government service, service on a number of university boards, and service to the Methodist Church. The papers related to his businesses include his wide-ranging correspondence with agricultural and financial organizations, individual businessmen and government officials about business deals, cooperatives, U.S. agricultural policy and other agricultural issues, as well as company newsletters and reports, research files, and articles and speeches by Brooks. His government, university, and church service is documented through meeting materials, reports, and correspondence. Organization and ArrangementThe papers are organized into 8 series: I. Correspondence, II. Business, III. Subject Files, IV. Government and University Service, V. Personal, VI. Photographs, VII. Artifacts, and VIII. Audiovisual Materials. Administrative InformationAccess RestrictionsThis collection is open for research use. Some boxes in Series I. Correspondence, Series III. Subject Files, and Series IV. Government and University Service must be reviewed by Russell staff prior to research use. These include records that were damaged in a fire that require basic preservation treatment and boxes that must be reviewed for account numbers or social security numbers. These boxes are identified with an R before the box number. Please request these boxes 3 weeks prior to your research visit to allow time for this review. Preferred CitationD.W. Brooks Papers, Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies, University of Georgia Libraries, Athens, Georgia, 30602-1641. User RestrictionsLibrary acts as "fair use" reproduction agent. Copyright InformationBefore material from collections at the Richard B. Russell Library may be quoted in print, or otherwise reproduced, in whole or in part, in any publication, permission must be obtained from (1) the owner of the physical property, and (2) the holder of the copyright. It is the particular responsibility of the researcher to obtain both sets of permission. Persons wishing to quote from materials in the Russell Library collection should consult the Director. Reproduction of any item must contain a complete citation to the original. Finding Aid PublicationFinding aid prepared on: 2008. Related Materials and SubjectsSubject TermsRelated Collections in this Repository
D.W. Brooks Oral History Collection Lamartine Griffin Hardman Papers | ||||||||||||||||||||||