John Paul Thaxton Jr., a professor of poultry science at Mississippi State, died Wednesday at his home after losing a battle to cancer. Michael Kidd, director of the poultry science department, said Thaxton, who was a professor for 18 years, embodied the concept of putting students first.
Kidd said Thaxton was a “students’ professor” and was well-known for his research on the stress of poultry.
“He was a world leader in his field,” Kidd said. “He will be missed. If he could have one thing, I think he would have wanted it known how important his students were.”
Senior poultry science major Mason Smith said Thaxton’s presence could fill a room.
“When he spoke, you stopped and listened,” Smith said. “He taught on a totally different level, and he loved us.”
“Dr. Thaxton was one of those people with his door open all the time,” said another senior poultry science major Shane Patterson.
“The way he acted toward us will help us go out into the industry and work with other people and take what he taught us [to] help teach them,” Patterson said.
Ryn McDonald, poultry science graduate student and director of food safety at Cal-Maine Foods, Inc., said Thaxton had faith that his students were able to learn the material despite any setbacks they faced.
“He had a learning disability as a child,” she said. “It was like sitting in a sermon in the classroom. He was passionate about what he did.”
Senior poultry science major John Bergin said Thaxton is one of the reasons he is graduating.
“It’s like a family up here,” Bergin said. “He wanted you to graduate. He’d help you, sit down with you and make you learn it.”
“I’m very fortunate to have known him as a person and a teacher, as a very spiritual person and as a father figure too,” McDonald said.
Senior poultry science major Ryan Weaver said Thaxton always welcomed students to come to him to talk about their problems.
“I could always go talk to him about anything,” Weaver said.
Thaxton grew up in Starkville and attended public schools where he excelled in sports.
He was the first student from Starkville to attend Ole Miss with a football scholarship, according to an obituary from the Starkville Daily News.
Thaxton graduated from Mississippi State University, where he earned his Master of Science degree and was a member of Sigma Chi fraternity.
He earned his doctorate in animal physiology from the University of Georgia.
Before joining the faculty at MSU, he served as the head of the physiology department at North Carolina State University.
There he was awarded the Poultry Science Association Research Award.
Thaxton co-founded Embrex, the first bio-tech company devoted to products for the poultry industry, authored seven patents and received the Governor of North Carolina’s Award of Entrepreneurial Excellence.
While teaching at MSU, he received the University Alumni Association’s Research Award and was elected a fellow in the Poultry Science Association.
He has been on the Advisory Board of the American Humane Society and the Animal Welfare Advisory Committee for Yum Foods’ KFC as a result of his work in the stress of birds.
Funeral services took place Saturday at St. Joseph Catholic Church.