The Georgia Cattlemen’s Association inducted Sam B. Hay, Jr. into the GCA Hall of Fame at the Cattlemen’s Ball on Friday, April 4 during its 53rd annual convention & trade show and 17th annual Georgia Beef Expo in Perry.

For more than 50 years, Sam has farmed in Newton County, with a dairy herd in his younger years and more recently, a registered Angus herd. Throughout the years he has received numerous awards and been elected to positions in the field of agriculture. These include, but are not limited to: the Top Dairy Herd in the state of Georgia; he was selected as the Agri-Leader of the Year in 1976 by the Farmers Club of Atlanta; he was president of the Georgia Cattlemen’s Association from 1978 to 1980; he was first elected chairman of the Stocker Finisher Council in 1977 and gave his considerable leadership talents to the establishment of the annual Stocker Finisher Conference that attracted cattlemen from all over Georgia interested in the stockering or finishing of cattle; he was one of the first members of the newly formed Georgia Beef Board in 1977; he was first elected director of the National Cattlemen’s Association in 1977; he was first elected director of the Georgia Agribusiness Council in 1977; he was inducted into honorary membership in the UGA’s Agricultural Honorary Fraternity in 1978; and he also was a director of the Georgia Agri-Trust.

Sam was also the chairman of the GCA Building Committee in 1986. Several other GCA members saw the property for sale and realized it had two things going for it – it was along the interstate and was in GCA’s price range.

“We want the building where folks will use it most,” Hay said in 1986.

Members donated calves and money to fund the building.

“We raised a good bit of money that way and through donations.” Hay said.

People he least expected too were donating calves.

“Everybody did a good job; we pretty much had it paid for with no loan or debt.”

David Gazda, 2013-14 GCA president, presented Hay with his hall of fame plaque.

“We are honored to induct Sam Hay, Jr. into the GCA Hall of Fame,” Gazda said. “He has done so much for our organization, and he is very deserving of this honor.”