ATKINS, HARRY W
Poultryman; b Streator, Ill May 16, 1883; s of Franklin P Atkins-Katherine Bursk; ed Chicago Ill HS; Orrs Business Coli 1901-02; m Myra L Hansen July 17, 1907 Chicago Ill ; 1902-10 piano business, Chicago Ill ; 1898-1908 mbr Atkins Family band & orchestra, playing for Chautauquas & Lyceum work; 1910-12 secy Galesburg Ill Poultry Show & Ill League of Poultry Assns; 1912-16 worked for Col French on Iowana Farms poultry dept, showed chickens at various shows around country; 1916-28 chicken raiser & judge of poultry shows; 1928- owner & opr Harry Atkins' Hatchery, Davenport, also estab & presented to Amer Poultry Assn flock certification plan, 1st Amer grading plan for hatcheries; 1918-40 with poultry dept Iowa St Fair, 1918- judge, also during this time mgr of poultry dept of many prominent poultry shows in US including, Waterloo Poultry Congress, Mississippi Valley Fair; I 939 chmn livestock display Worlds Poultry Congress Show at Cleveland Ohio; 1930 stock won many prizes including $500 prize special hatchery display at Chicago World's Fair, has judged large shows in US, & Canada; 1915 lie judge No 380 at San Francisco World 's Fair, Cal; as supt of Iowa State Fair in 1937 was instrumental in securing new $125,000 poultry bldg for Iowa with new set of equipment, which is best poultry exposition bldg in US; has one of most complete poultry Jibs in country; Iowa St Bantam Lawn Show held at his home July 28, 1940; life mbr Amer Poultry Assn, 1938 pres chmn flock inspection & certification com; past pres & dir American Poultry Assn Licensed Judges; 1940- secy & mbr Amer Poultry Assn; secy-treas Fanciers' Buff Orpington Club; pres Iowa Rhode Island Red Club; pres Iowa Ancona Club; past pres, secy & dir Iowa St Poultry Breeders Assn; Iowa St Livestock Commission, San Francisco Cal 1915; mbr Amer Bantam Assn; UCT; MWA; AF & AM 483; Scot Rite; Kaaba Shrine; Congl Ch; Rep; hobbies: coins, stamps; off 3020 Brady; res 3030 Brady, Davenport.
This bio was extracted from the "Who's Who in Iowa," by Iowa Press Association, Des Moines: Iowa Press Association, 1940, pg. 1085.