Two past chairmen of the National Broiler Council board received special awards recognizing their service to NBC and the broiler industry at the 23rd annual NBC conference in Washington (December, 1977). Incumbent chairman Edward Covell (L) presented the awards to Jess Merkle (C), who retired from the presidency of J-M Poultry Packing Company (and then Country Pride Foods) in El Dorado, Ark., and Ed Reynolds (R) who retired from his position as corporate vice president of Cargill in Minneapolis. 
