One autumn evening in 1977, beef scientist Erskine Cash and beef unit manager Donald Nichols met in Cash’s kitchen 10 miles east of State College to name some promising calves that were soon to be registered with the American Angus Association. Among the calves was an animal that would dominate pedigrees for decades, make hundreds of thousands of dollars for the University, and change the history of the breed.

Above: Lester Long, a graduate student in dairy and animal science, herds an Angus steer into a chute.