By Lynda Potts

Special to the Tribune

Henry Dowlen, retired superintendent of the University of Tennessee Dairy Research Center, will be the guest speaker at the Sunday afternoon, Feb. 5, quarterly meeting of the Marshall County Historical Society. Dowlen’s presentation will highlight the history of the research center, better known to most local folks as “The Experiment Station.”

Dowlen was born and reared on a dairy farm in rural Hamilton County, Tenn., where beef cattle and grain were also part of the family farm production. His participation in 4-H and Future Farmers of America was a natural fit for enrollment in the University of Tennessee’s College of Agriculture, where he received both an academic and work-study scholarship. He received his Bachelor of Science in Agriculture in 1967.

After serving in Vietnam as an infantry soldier with the 25th Infantry Division, he returned to UTK with GI funds and a graduate assistantship to earn his Master of Science in Agriculture. At the completion of his graduate degree in 1972, he was hired as assistant professor for Lewisburg’s dairy research center. Eventually that title evolved unofficially to assistant superintendent to John Owen. When Owen retired in 1988, Dowlen officially became the Superintendent of the UT Dairy Research Center at Lewisburg.

Dowlen’s retirement in June of 2008 marked the end of a 36-year career with the University of Tennessee. Just before his retirement, the American Jersey Cattle Association recognized his notable contributions to the advancement of the Jersey breed and the livelihood of Jersey owners in the United States through research, development, marketing, and other significant activities of the allied dairy industry.

Dowlen currently farms with Angus cattle and hay production. He and his wife, the former Patricia “Pat” Presswood of Chattanooga, Tennessee, live within sight of the research center and are proud that their two sons, both graduates of Cornersville High School, followed their father in agriculture careers. Jeffrey is a research associate with the University of Tennessee at Plateau Research and Education Center at Crossville, Tennessee, while Mark is a high school vocational agriculture teacher at Heritage High School in Maryville, Tennessee. The Dowlens have five grandchildren.

Dowlen is an active member of the Lewisburg Lions Club and the Tennessee Dairy Producers Association, serves on the Farm Bureau Board of Directors, the Marshall Education Foundation Board, and the Civil Service Board. He is an active member of East Commerce Baptist Church where he serves as a deacon, is church moderator, and active in the Wildlife Ministry.

Sunday’s presentation promises to be both entertaining and educational. The public is cordially invited to attend this free and open meeting at 2 p.m. in the Marshall County Historical Museum, 230 College Street in the Hardison School Annex.