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In 1952, twenty-four veterans of World War II formed the first class to graduate from the College of Veterinary Medicine. On June 13 and 14, nine of the eleven surviving members of that class attended a 50th Class Reunion Celebration. Their spouses, widows of two 1952 classmates, and four members of the class of 1953 also attended the celebration.
Reunion events included desserts and a discussion session with College Dean Herbert Whiteley at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, followed by a behind-the-scenes tour of the performing center. The graduates also toured the college’s Basic Science Building and Veterinary Teaching Hospital.
An evening banquet attended by the classmates, wives, and College leaders took place in the historic Illini Union. The next day a short business meeting, a presentation by current veterinary student Nicolas Rippel, the recipient of a Class of 1952 Scholarship, and a guided walking tour of the main campus quad rounded out the celebration.
Two Champaign television stations covered the 50th reunion event.
In attendance from the first class were Dr. Cecil R. and Mrs. June Johnson, Dr. Robert A. and Mrs. LaVonne Latham, Dr. Charles E. Lindley and his guest Marion Stuckey, Dr. Earl E. Lutz, Dr. Edward C. and Mrs. Martha Murphy, Dr. George C. and Mrs. Shirley Scott, Dr. William K. and Mrs. Anne Specht, Dr. Oliver W. and Mrs. June Stowe, and Dr. Robert F. and Mrs. Beverly Whalen. Mrs. Carol Baker (the widow of Dr. John Baker) and her daughter Ms. Lora Brozovich and Mrs. Myrie Butzow (the widow of Dr. Robert Butzow) and her cousins Elizabeth and J.W. Wallis also attended. From the Class of 1953 came Dr. Frank F. Adams, Dr. Jerome Banicki, Dr. Paul E. and Mrs. Ruth Burkitt, and Dr. Leon and Mrs. Orpha Striegel.
Several Illinois alumni were recently inducted into the Veterinary Honor Roll of the Morris Animal Foundation. The honorees were nominated by the Rex & Nelle Jackson Foundation, based in Peoria, Ill., which contributed $500 or more to the Foundation on behalf of each recipient. They are:
Dr. Melvin Dewey (’59), owner of Pioneer Pet Clinic in Peoria; Dr. Jane Keil (’79), of Malabar Veterinary Service in Elmwood, Ill.; Dr. Mary Beth Ptasnik (’84), of Mt. Hawley Animal Clinic in Peoria, Ill.; Dr. Jennifer Ulm (’01) and Dr. David Hahn (Iowa) of Spoon River Animal Clinic in Canton, Ill.
Since its inception more than 50 years ago, the Morris Animal Foundation has funded 1,000 humane animal health studies with funds exceeding $25 million.
Dr. Ronald Kolar, MS (’60) was awarded the Lifetime Merit Award in January from the Chicago Veterinary Medical Association. He currently serves as the chair of the association’s Judicial Committee.
Dr. Stephen K. Derwelis (’66) was elected to the Board of Directors of the American Association of Equine Practitioners to represent the states of Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico. His term in office will run through 2004. Dr. Derwelis operates New Mexico Equine Inc., an equine practice in Albuquerque, N.M.
Dr. Michael D. Kastello (’70) has joined Aventis Pharmaceuticals in Bridgewater, N.J., as vice president, Global Laboratory Animal Science and Welfare. In this new role, he is responsible for the care of animals used in discovery and development of new medicines by Aventis in Frankfurt, Germany; Paris, France; Tokyo, Japan; and Bridgewater.
Dr. Kastello earned bachelor’s and DVM degrees from the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine and a Ph.D. in cardiovascular physiology from Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas. He is a diplomate of both the American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine and the American Board of Toxicology.
Aventis focuses on prescription drugs for areas such as oncology, cardiology, diabetes, and respiratory disorders as well as on human vaccines. In 2001, Aventis generated sales of $17.7 billion, invested approx. $3 billion in research and development and employed approx. 75,000 people in its core business.
Dr. Harley Schnowske (’60) retired in February after nearly 42 years of practice in Cambridge, Illinois. His partner Dr. Roger Pray (’72) will continue to operate the practice.
Dr. Walter Stein (’76) was recently appointed to the Veterinary Science Curriculum Development Committee of the National Council for Agricultural Education. The committee met in Washington, D.C., in June. Dr. Stein is a professor in the Veterinary Medical Technology Program at Joliet (Ill.) Junior College, where he teaches clinical pathology, animal management, large animal medicine and nursing, and medical mathematics.
Dr. Richard M. DeBowes, (DVM, MS, Diplomate ACVS ’79), was elected president of the Eastern States Veterinary Association Board of Directors for 2002. He will preside over the 2003 North American Veterinary Conference.
He currently serves as chair of Veterinary Clinical Sciences and professor of equine surgery at Washington State University in Pullman, Wash. He previously spent 18 years at Kansas State University, including nearly 5 years as chair of the clinical sciences department there.
Dr. Delores Cole Lipton (’79) received her certification in animal chiropractic from the American Veterinary Chiropractic Association after she completed 150 hours of classroom and laboratory work. Dr. Lipton practices at Lipton Animal Hospital in Urbana, Ill.
Dr. Peter Sakas (’83), owner of the Niles (Ill.) Animal Hospital, is the author of Essentials of Avian Medicine: A Guide for Practitioners, published by AAHA Press. The publisher notes that this text “reflects the recent explosion of medical research on the diagnosis and treatment of birds.”
Dr. Robin Downing (’86), owner of Windsor (Colo.) Veterinary Clinic, received the Award for Excellence in Veterinary Healthcare at the 26th World Small Animal Veterinary Association Congress last summer. The award, sponsored by WSAVA and Hill’s Pet Nutrition, recognizes her outstanding work in promoting companion animal healthcare and for leading edge practices that enrich and lengthen the special relationship between people and their pets.
Dr. Kimberlee Beckmen (’89) has joined the faculty of Department of Veterinary Biosciences as a visiting assistant professor. She will study ecosystem health and wildlife issues and serve as the program coordinator for the Program in Wildlife, Conservation and Ecosystem Health.
Dr. Mark Mitchell (DVM ’92, MS ’97), assistant professor of zoological medicine and director of the Wildlife Hospital of Louisiana at the Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine, is conducting studies that use wild bird populations as sentinel species for evaluating environmental risks to humans. Barred owls that have been treated and released from the wildlife hospital will be tracked using radio transmitters and later recaptured so that a blood sample can be taken. The blood will be tested for exposure to infectious diseases such as West Nile Virus and to toxins such as lead and copper. Another study looks for antimicrobial resistance in bacterial isolates from free-ranging raptors.
Dr. Reginald A. Valdez, who completed his master’s in veterinary sciences at Illinois in 1994, is now a postdoctoral fellow in pathology for the Drug Safety Evaluation division of Pfizer Global Research and Development, Groton, Conn.
Dr. Charles E. Wiedmeyer (DVM ’94, PhD ’01) was awarded the Golden Æsculapius Teaching Award by the second-year veterinary students at the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine in Columbia, where he is an assistant professor. The award recognizes outstanding dedication and achievement in the art of teaching. Dr. Wiedmeyer has just completed his first year teaching clinical pathology there.
Dr. Douglas E. Hutchens (DVM ‘96, PhD ’02) has joined the staff of Elanco Animal Health, a division of Eli Lilly and Company, as a clinical research veterinarian/scientist. He works in Greenfield, Ind.
Dr. J. Scott Allen (’99), CPT, VC, wrote in April while he was “in theater” at an undisclosed location, supporting Operation Enduring Freedom in the U.S. Army Veterinary Corps.
“Our mission over here consists of ensuring the wholesomeness of the rations provided the soldiers, and providing complete medical care for the MWD’s as well as some of the coalition force’s other working dogs (mine detector dogs),” he said. He sent a picture of himself in front of one of the minefields.
Dr. Allen is with “the only airborne veterinary unit in the Army, and we deploy all over the world.” He arrived at the 248th, which is based out of Fort Bragg, N.C., in October and originally was headed for Bosnia but in November joined Operation Enduring Freedom.
Dr. Thomas Burke, who retired last summer after 32 years on faculty, died May 12. He was a 1968 graduate of the Ohio State University. Dr. Burke was nationally recognized for his service in the American Association of Zoo Veterinarians and helped to establish the College’s Wildlife Medical Clinic. He served as professor and chief of small animal medicine in the Veterinary Teaching Hospital before his retirement.
Speaking on behalf of the College, Dr. Warwick Arden, head of the Department of Veterinary Clinical Medicine, said, “Dr. Burke was above all things a very caring and compassionate individual. He was always concerned that the best be done for his patients and their owners, and he was very committed to a good instructional environment for students.”
A memorial service for Dr. Burke was held May 22 at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts on the Urbana campus. Memorial contributions may be made to the Wildlife Medical Clinic.
Dr. Eugene Musselman, who taught cardiology at the College from 1968 to 1985, died on May 19. While at the College he received the J.O. Alberts Award in 1973 and the University Teacher of Excellence award in 1985. Dr. Musselman is credited with performing in 1974 the first successful canine pacemaker implantation.
After leaving the College he was an adjunct professor at the College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg and owned a veterinary consulting firm. In 1991 he was named Distinguished Virginia Veterinarian of the Year.
Dr. Jane Schumann (’77), a partner in Capitol Illini Clinic in Springfield, Ill., died May 12. She was very involved with College outreach activities in the Springfield area. Her love of Great Danes drew many Dane owners to the Springfield clinic. Memorial contributions may be made to the Wildlife Medical Clinic.
