Thomas Miller Lasater ’33

Tom Lasater died on May 7, 2001, at his home on the Lasater Ranch near Matheson, Colo. He was 90.

He was a lifelong steward of nature and the founder of the Beefmaster breed of cattle. Tom graduated from Phillips Academy and attended Princeton, but following the death of his father returned to his father's ranch. In 1940 he married Mary Caroline Casey, who died in 1980. In 1931, using what remained of his father's Hereford and Brahman herds along with some purchased Shorthorn bulls, Tom initiated the cross-breeding program that culminated in the Beefmaster breed of cattle. The U.S. Dept. of Agriculture in 1954 recognized Beefmaster as the second breed created in the U.S. In 1948 Tom moved his cattle operation to Colorado. In 1950 he was a founding member of the Pike's Peak Cattlemen's Assn., a member of the Colorado Cattlemen's Assn., and the National Cattlemen's Beef Assn. During his career he received numerous awards in recognition of his pioneering work in cattle genetics and range stewardship.

Tom is survived by a daughter, Sally, and five sons, Laurie '63, Dale '65, Lane '68, Alan, and Brian, seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. The class will miss this strong man with his original thoughts.

The Class of 1933