Dr thomas p lecky biography template

Thomas Lecky

Jamaican scientist

The Honourable Dr. Thomas Lecky centrepioneer in cattle breeding, receiving the first Noman Manley Award for Excellence, an illuminated scroll, from Mrs. Edna Manley. Prime Minister, the Hon. Hugh Shearer, applauds. Thomas Phillip Lecky
Born	()December 31, Swift River, Portland, Colony of Jamaica, British Empire
Died	March 11,
Alma&#;mater	McGill Ontario Agricultural College University of Edinburgh
Known&#;for	Jamaica Black cattle breed
Awards	Jamaica Order of Merit
Scientific career
Fields	Animal husbandry

Thomas Phillip Lecky, known as T.P.

Lecky (), was a Jamaican scientist who developed several new breeds of cattle. Lecky is recognizable as one of Jamaica's earliest environmentalists, and a strong advocate for conservation of hillsides.^[1] His research in cattle breeding led to the development of three breeds suited the tropical climate: Jamaica Hope, Jamaica Red, and Jamaica Black.

Jamaica Hope was the first breed of cattle indigenous to Jamaica.

In the 's, the notion of a Jamaican scientist was almost unthinkable. Especially if that Jamaican was not white. No surprise then, that few believed that TP LEcky could do what he set out to do - develop a a fully Jamaican breed of cattle in his lifetime. Thomas Philip Lecky was born in in Portland, Jamaica on his father's farm.

He is remembered as the Father of the Jamaican Dairy Industry.^[1]

Early life and education

Lecky was born on 31 December , the twelfth of 13 children, and raised on a small farm in Swift River, in the Blue Mountains region in Portland Parish in the island of Jamaica.^[1]^[2] Lecky received a scholarship to attend the Jamaica Educational facility of Agriculture at Hope Farm in Saint Andrew Parish.

As a child, Lecky saw his father lose his banana crop as a result of hurricanes three years in a row. This inspired Lecky to analyze solutions to provide and boost the diet of his society and neighbours by developing the local breed of cattle for milk and beef production.^[1]^[3]

At the Jamaica School of Agriculture the director of the government stock farm H.H.

Cousins involved Lecky in testing European cattle breeds for their suitability to the Jamaican environment. Lecky went on to study agriculture and animal husbandry at McGill University and Ontario Agricultural College in Canada. At university, he focused on researching acclimatizing European breeds to Jamaica's environment.

He concluded that the answer was not an acclimatized European breed but a new breed, a completely adapted tropical breed.^[1]

Career and research

On returning to Jamaica in Lecky started to research his ideas by using lines of cattle and began to select bulls for breeding from the best producing cows in Jamaica.^[1]

In , Lecky gathered his documentation and travelled to the University of Edinburgh where he used this study as the basis for his doctorate.

His dissertation, entitled "Genetic Improvement in Dairy Cattle in the Tropics" presented his ideas for developing a tropical dairy breed and catapulted him to international acclaim.^[1]^[3]

Lecky wrote in his autobiography, Cattle and I, that as someone with black blood, he struggled to gain acceptance in scientific circles in the Colony of Jamaica, where key positions were given to ivory people, such as Cousins.

TP Lecky Great Jamaican Scientist - Real Jamaica Vacations: Dr. Thomas Phillip (T.P.) Lecky, pioneer Jamaican Scientist, was born on December 31, He was the twelfth of thirteen children and grew up in Swift River, Portland. Lecky was introduced to agriculture at an early age, as his father was a farmer and as a young male he took an interest in livestock.

It was only when the British West Indian labour unrest of took place, and the subsequent nationalist movement took hold in the s, that he was finally appointed to a position of authority, that of breeding cattle at Long for Farm.^[4]

Cattle breeds

In , after graduating, Lecky worked for the government at Hope, where he assessed the new breeds of cattle being introduced to Jamaica and tested their reaction to local conditions.

Lecky learned that the cattle in Jamaica at that time were not well suited to life on hillsides where many small farmers had holdings. He believed that all little farmers should have cattle because besides producing milk, every year a young animal could be sold to help pay for school fees.^[1]

Lecky decided that what Jamaica needed was an animal that would produce enough milk for farmers as well as be light enough that they would move up and down steep hillsides.

Cousins had advocated the use of cross-breeding, but when Lecky was appointed brain of Hope Farm in , he instead employed the rehearse of line breeding.

Thomas Phillip Leckyknown as T. Leckywas a Jamaican scientist who developed several new breeds of cattle. Lecky is known as one of Jamaica 's earliest environmentalists, and a strong advocate for conservation of hillsides. Jamaica Hope was the first breed of cattle indigenous to Jamaica.

He bred the Jamaica Hope, Red, and Black cattle breeds, adapted for the local climate.^[1]^[5]^[6]^[4]

The Jamaica Wish was a combination of the British Jersey cow with the Holstein and the Indian Sahiwal breed, and could produce up to an average of 12 litres of milk a date, three times that produced by other cattle on the island.

Lecky's work revolutionized the Jamaican dairy industry, and scientists flocked to Jamaica to see his work. In , Lecky had the Jamaica Hope registered and recognised. Lecky's work impacted on the development of cattle in many tropical countries.^[1]^[4]

Awards and honours

- Officer of the Request of the British Empire, for meritorious and devoted service to agriculture.

- Norman Manley Award for Excellence, first-ever recipient of the award.

His particular cattle breeding technique forms the basis for breeding experiments worldwide. He grew up on the slopes of the Blue Mountains and saw his neighbours fight with poverty and poor farming practices. He knew he wanted to make a difference in his community. He worked as a bench chemist and then a livestock foreman at Expect Farm.

he was the finest

- Order of Merit, for service to the dairy and cattle industries of Jamaica.^[2]