Richard Henry Lee Chichester III, 91, longtime general manager at Select Sires, died peacefully at his home in Falmouth, Virginia, on March 26, 2026, surrounded by his family.
Born in Stafford County, Virginia, he graduated with honors in Dairy Science from Virginia Polytechnic Institute. After serving in the U.S. Army, he returned to his family’s farm, Glencairne, to raise Holsteins and Guernseys. In 1960, Chichester began his career in A. I. as manager of West Virginia Artificial Breeding Cooperative. He went on to serve as General Manager of Select Sires, Inc. During his 28 years at Select Sires, his vision, diplomacy and dedication made the company a model for the artificial insemination industry.
Chichester’s youthful dream to follow in his grandfather’s footsteps and breed a great herd of cows evolved into a career in which he guided the development of outstanding, breed-leading sires for dairy and beef cattle around the world. These included Round Oak Rag Apple Elevation, who sired 80,000 daughters and at least 2.3 million granddaughters, making him the most influential bull ever born. Richard also pioneered genetic testing for “mule foot,” BLAD and Johne’s disease in cattle. At the time of his retirement in 2000, Richard was recognized as a worldwide goodwill ambassador for the U.S. dairy and beef genetics industry.
Chichester received numerous awards, including the 1994 Dairy Shrine Guest of Honor, the 1995 World Dairy Expo Industry Person of the Year, the Distinguished Service Award from the National Association of Animal Breeders, and was inducted into the Ohio Agricultural Hall of Fame and Virginia Livestock Hall of Fame. In 2013, he was proud to be named Outstanding Alumnus from his beloved Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
Despite the accolades, Richard always credited the success of Select Sires to the people who worked there, and he never lost sight of the farmers whom they all served. After retirement, Richard moved back to his hometown of Falmouth, where he continued to actively pursue his interests in agriculture, history, and civic participation.
He leaves his devoted wife of 69 years, Jacqueline Rose Chichester, their four children, eight grandchildren and four great-grandchildren, two brothers and many nieces, nephews and cousins.
A service will be held at 2 pm on Thursday, April 2, 2026, at Aquia Episcopal Church followed by a private interment. The family requests donations to honor Richard’s leadership suggests: Richard H. L. Chichester Scholarship Fund to support young people pursuing careers in agriculture, National Dairy Shrine, P. O. Box 68, Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin 53538; https://dairyshrine.org/donate/ or Dick and Jackie Chichester Dairy Judging Support Endowment at Virginia Tech, c/o Virginia Tech Foundation, 902 Prices Fork Road, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061
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