Henry Vernon Atherton (November 12, 1923 – March 1, 2016) was a Professor of Animal Science at the University of Vermont Extension, WWII veteran and pioneer in the dairy industry.
[1][2][3] Born in Eden, Vermont on November 12, 1923, the third and youngest son of Phineas Alger Atherton (1907–1974)[4] and Maude Lillian Marckres (1885–1980).
[5] Atherton became a pioneering investigator on the influence of bulk-milk cooling on the quality of milk and dairy products.
He worked with the Department of the Interior and the Environmental Protection Agency to establish farm water quality criteria.
[9] He retired in 1989, and in 2010 he received the Sinclair Cup Award for lifetime achievement, and was elected to the Vermont Agricultural Hall of Fame.