He was forever be known as “Mr. Peanut.”
Frank McGill, the legendary University of Georgia Cooperative Extension peanut specialist who traveled to 21 countries during his career as a peanut consultant, including trips to Honduras, Suriname and Barbados to “jump start” local peanut production and help eliminate pellagra, a protein deficiency, passed away Wednesday night. He was 95.
McGill’s accomplishments include being named president of the American Peanut Research and Education Society; induction into the Georgia Peanut Hall of Fame in 1982; the Lifetime Achievement Award form the American Peanut Council in 1999; and the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences’ Medallion of Honor in 2019.
The Medallion of Honor is presented to an outstanding individual or couple in recognition of dedication to the college’s mission and to express gratitude for the time, advice, support and influence they have provided.
“Frank is a phenomenal individual. I believe he is part of the reason the industry is as strong as it is, and production is as great as it is,” Joe West, former assistant dean of the UGA Tifton campus, said in 2019.
For more information about McGill’s career, see UGA CAES News.