Stephen Moulton Babcock joined the University of Wisconsin faculty in 1887 and remained there until his death in 1931. His life was marked by a great eagerness to know and a persistent desire to serve. He is best known for perfecting the butterfat test that bears his name, but the solid foundation he laid for research by himself and others in the field of animal nutrition likely surpassed it in significance to mankind. That work repeatedly showed the importance of certain vitamins in animal and human diets, and it won Professor Babcock high rank among Wisconsin’s and the nation’s great scientists.