OF THE SADDLE AND SIRLOIN CLUB 41 
WHO’S WHO IN HOOSIERDOM 
11. Dean of the School of Agriculture and Chief of Animal 
Husbandry in Purdue University is JoHN Harrison SKINNER. A 
native Indianan, he has been a notable factor in the upbuilding 
of the purebred livestock interests of the Hoosier state and in 
disseminating among its smaller breeders and farmers, first class 
animals for sires and matrons. He has set a notable example to 
them by his development of small herds of Shorthorns, Herefords 
and Aberdeen-Angus at the University Farm. From a limited 
investment in only two or three cows of each breed and a good 
bull, he has developed three International grand champion steers. 
The first of these, Fyvie Knight, the Aberdeen-Angus champion 
of 1908, was only fed at the farm, but Merry Monarch, Short- 
horn champion of 1917, and Fyvie Knight 2d, Aberdeen-Angus 
champion of 1918, were both bred and fed at Lafayette. 
Dean SKINNER was born at Romney, Ind., March 10, 1874, and 
was reared on a farm. He attended the local district schools and 
in 1893 entered Purdue University, receiving his B. S. in 1897, 
and being an honor student and member of Sigma Xi. He served 
his full rural apprenticeship in the fields and among the herds 
and flocks of his father’s farm, and for a period of two and one- 
half years after graduation busied himself as farm manager 
at home, sifting the chaff from the wheat of his college learning. 
In 1899 he was assigned to duties as assistant agriculturist at 
the Purdue Station, but in 1901 was called to the University of 
Illinois as instructor in animal husbandry. The following year 
he returned to Purdue as associate professor of his subject and 
chief of his department. His professorship came in 1906 and 
one year later he was made dean of the School of Agriculture, 
which position he still holds. 
He was elected secretary of the Indiana Livestock Breeders’ 
Association in 1905 and at later periods served in the same 
capacity for the Indiana Cattle Feeders’ Association and the 
