Dearstyne, R. S. (Roy Styring), 1889-1960.

Roy Styring Dearstyne was a member of the North Carolina State College of Agriculture and Engineering (later North Carolina State University) Poultry Science faculty from 1922 to 1955, serving as the head of the Poultry Science Department from 1930 until his retirement in 1955. He developed a testing procedure for controlling pullorum disease in poultry, wrote one of the first books in the nation about poultry diseases, and was instrumental in the development and expansion of the North Carolina poultry industry. N.C. State's Dearstyne Avian Health Center, built in 1968, was named for him.

From the description of Roy Styring Dearstyne papers, 1914-1970 [manuscript]. (North Carolina State University). WorldCat record id: 466906745

Roy Styring Dearstyne was born on September 11, 1889 in Rensselaer, New York. He received his B.S. degree in bacteriology from the University of Maryland in 1916. During World War I he was on detached duty with the United States Army and then worked as a bacteriologist for various public health departments from 1916 to 1921. In 1923, Dearstyne received his M.S. degree in poultry pathology from North Carolina State College and began his career as an N.C. State professor.

A member of the N.C. State faculty from 1922 until his retirement in 1955, Dearstyne served as an Associate Professor of Poultry Science, 1922-1930, and Professor and Head of the Poultry Science Department, 1930-1955. As a pathologist, he developed a testing procedure for controlling pullorum disease in poultry. He also wrote one of the first books in the nation about poultry diseases, was influential in organizing the North Carolina Hatchery Association and the North Carolina Poultry Council, and is considered to have been an instrumental to the development and expansion of North Carolina's poultry industry.

Dearstyne was a fellow in the National Poultry Science Association, as well as a member of the editorial staff of Poultry Science. He was also a member of a number of professional, scientific, and honor societies, including Alpha Zeta, Sigma Xi, Phi Kappa Phi, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. After his retirement, Dearstyne became a consultant for the Farmer's Cooperative Exchange.

When Roy S. Dearstyne died on February 27, 1960, he was survived by his wife, the former Anna Rose Holly, and their son, Roy H. Dearstyne. The R. S. Dearstyne Memorial Loan Fund was established after his death to provide financial aid to poultry majors at N.C. State and a building named after him--the Dearstyne Avian Health Center--was built on N.C. State's West Campus in 1968.

From the guide to the Roy Styring Dearstyne Papers, 1914 - 1970, (Special Collections Research Center)