Henry Atherton grew up in Glover, on a Depression-era family farm — four cows, a couple of pigs and a large vegetable garden — where, as Henry is fond of saying, "We had everything but money." His University of Vermont education was interrupted by a stint in the Air Force during World War II, but he earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in dairy technology in 1948 and 1950 respectively. Armed with a PhD thesis from Pennsylvania State University on cold-temperature bacteria, he returned to UVM in 1953 as a research assistant and instructor. That year he also founded what became a beloved institution — the UVM Dairy Bar. He had returned to UVM as the dairy industry was undergoing transformation that Henry likened to the Industrial Revolution — the radical switch from milk cans to refrigerated bulk tanks. This shift required new milk houses, equipment, technology and new science — changes that put many farmers out of business. Suddenly, that PhD thesis was all too relevant. Atherton developed a protocol used today for measuring the preliminary incubation rates of cold-tolerant bacteria — the kind that live in bulk tanks. He studied bulk tanks’ impact on milk flavor and shelf life. He helped farmers and the industry make this difficult transition. Henry Atherton pioneered the emerging field of psychotropic bacteria research. Atherton was a founder and leader of many organizations including: Northeast Dairy Practices Council, Vermont Dairy Industry Association and International Association of Food Protection. He was a 2009 inductee into Vermont’s Agricultural Hall of Fame. He is a member of Phi Beta Kappa and other honorary societies. At UVM he was professor and Extension dairy specialist. He authored many articles and books including “Making Ice Cream at Home” and the classic text “Chemistry and Testing of Dairy Products.” Henry Atherton also launched many fine careers. For example, Bebe Belaski Zabilansky, sales manager for a large dairy and food process equipment firm out of Maine, wrote, “after one course with Henry Atherton, "I changed my major to dairy science. It was one of the best decisions that I made in my life." Cary Plumer Frye, a UVM alum who worked for Kraft, H.P. Hood and now International Dairy Foods Inc. as vice president of regulatory affairs said, "Henry Atherton has been an advisor and mentor in my dairy science career for over 30 years. With his support I found my true passion and talent." UVM Professor Catherine Donnelly, internationally known listeria scientist, said, "more than any other individual, Henry influenced all stages of my career. It was Henry who urged me to study listeria." As Plumer Frye put it, Henry Atherton "deeply cares and cheers on his students toward a lifelong path in dairy science." It is for these and many other reasons that CALS Dean Tom Vogelmann awarded Henry Atherton the Robert O. Sinclair Cup lifetime achievement award on May 8 at UVM’s Davis Center during the College’s 17th annual alumni and friends dinner. The award is named for Bob Sinclair, longtime CALS dean, whose contributions to the College embody the award’s attributes. Sinclair was the award’s first recipient and was on hand to congratulate this year’s winners. CAPTION: Henry Atherton ’48, ’50, long-time College of Agriculture and Life Science’s professor and beloved as the founder of the former UVM Dairy Bar. ~Todd Pritchard photo.