Dr. C.R. “Dick” Creger

COLLEGE STATION – Dr. C.R. “Dick” Creger, whose career spanned 34 years in agriculture leadership roles at Texas A&M University, has died. He was 78.

Visitation will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Aug. 7 at Memorial Funeral Chapel in College Station. Graveside services will be held Friday at Hosey Hill Cemetery in Weir, Kansas.

In 1958, Creger came to Texas A&M as a doctoral student and worked as a research assistant in what were then the departments of biochemistry and nutrition, and poultry science. After earning his doctorate, he became an assistant professor in those departments in 1962. He advanced to full professor in 1974 and in 1982 was named head of the department of poultry science.

He was known for organizing the annual Texas Human Nutrition Conference, which attracted hundreds of participants, and he authored two books and almost 200 scientific articles. He was named a Poultry Science Association Fellow in 1997.

When Creger was honored with Vice Chancellor’s Award in Excellence in 1993, he was “credited with building the department into the largest and most respected poultry science department in the nation.”

His leadership skills were tapped by the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences in 1992 when he became associate dean and later executive associate dean through 2000.

In January 2001, Creger was named associate vice chancellor for agriculture and life sciences and associate director of the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, now named Texas AgriLife Research. He remained in top management of agriculture and life sciences at Texas A&M through 2004 before returning to the poultry science department as professor.

 Creger was a Corona, Kansas native who earned his bachelor’s degree in 1956 and his master’s in 1957, both in nutrition from Kansas State University.

The family suggests memorials to the C.R Creger Endowed Scholarship in Poultry Science through the Texas A&M Foundation at 800-392-3310 or 979-847-9314 or by contacting the department of poultry science at http://posc.tamu.edu/ , (no comma) or 979-845-1931.
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