Veterinary Report Vol. 26 No. 1: Alumni

Alumni Listings
In Memoriam
What’s new?
Keep your College and fellow alumni informed of pertinent events in your life by sending your news to Vet Report, U of I College of Veterinary Medicine, 2938 VMBSB, 2001 South Lincoln Avenue, Urbana, IL 61802; fax:217/244-2988; email: editor@cvm.uiuc.edu.

ALUMNI LISTINGS
The Class of 1960 gathered for a 41st reunion in Nova Scotia in September. Attending were Drs. Donald Ferlicka, Kermit Frailey, Melvin Geiger, Robert Jackson, Ronald Kolar, Albert Lewis, Ray Matthews, Robert Pensinger, Donald Reeder, Harley Schnowske, Charles Starling, and Byford Wood. The class and their spouses went whale watching, fishing, hiking, and sightseeing. Dr. and Mrs. Wood celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary, and Dr. Frailey celebrated "his 433rd birthday in frog years."

Class of 1961 40th Reunion: On October 5, twelve members of the Class of '61 met in Urbana to celebrate their 40th reunion. Front row, from left: Drs. Al Day, Carl Armstrong, Richard Bradbury, and John Horn. Second row: Drs. Philip Rose, Wayne Rehn, Noel Lehner, Gerald Hankes, Lee Patel, Robert Kinser, Robert Hampton, and David Huxsoll.

Dr. Gerald Hankes ('61) retired from Auburn University's College of Veterinary Medicine in September after 32 years of service as a cardiovascular surgeon and researcher. From 1997 to 2000, Dr. Hankes also served as interim head of the Department of Small Animal Surgery and Medicine.

Earlier this year he received the Pfizer Animal Health Award for Research Excellence for his work with the Guidant Corporation and the University of Alabama-Birmingham Medical School. His cardiology research brought more than $2 million to Auburn from the National Institutes of Health, the American Heart Association, and other government and corporate funding. Dr. Hankes earned master's and PhD degrees in surgery and physiology from Colorado State University in 1967 and 1969, respectively.

Dr. Kenneth Walker ('64), owner of Walker Standardbred Farm in Sherman, Ill., and his wife Pat were inducted into the Illinois Harness Racing Hall of Fame during a December ceremony held at Balmoral Park in Crete, Ill. Dr. Walker spent many years in practice and as a state veterinarian at pari-mutuel tracks. The Walkers have owned outstanding horses, including Incredible Finale, the first million-dollar-winning horse bred in Illinois, and have worked to improve the Standardbred breed and the conditions at race tracks in Illinois.

Dr. Randall Larson ('68), supervisor with the Illinois Department of Agriculture's Bureau of Meat and Poultry Inspection, spent April working with the British Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in the effort to contain the foot and mouth disease outbreak there. Since his return he has been sharing his experience and knowledge of the outbreak to help prevent and plan for a foreign animal disease outbreak in the United States.

Dr. Sheldon Rubin ('68), director and chief of staff at Blum Animal Hospital in Chicago, was chosen by members of the Student Alumni Association as a 2001 Homecoming Illini Comeback Guest. He and his wife, Paulette, participated in all aspects of Homecoming, including riding in the parade and being recognized during the football game.

While on campus Dr. Rubin spoke with veterinary students about building involvement with the profession and the importance of the media and communicating with the public. Highlights of his 33-year career include serving as president of the Chicago Veterinary Medical Association, serving on advisory boards of the Lincoln Park and the Chicago Anti-Cruelty Society, and helping to organize Chicago's first veterinary emergency clinic. Among his patients are Oprah Winfrey's cocker spaniels, Sophie and Solomon.

Dr. Phillip Bushby ('72), director of academic programs at the Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine, received a Fulbright Scholarship to conduct a 3-month project on problem-based learning at the University College Dublin in Ireland.

According to Dr. Bushby, "Problem-based learning teaches students how to learn and thus prepares the graduates to deal with rapidly changing scientific information."

Dr. Ronald Gill ('75), owner of the Gill Veterinary Clinic in West Salem, Ill., was elected to serve on the American Veterinary Medical Association's Council on Veterinary Service, representing private mixed-practice, predominantly large animal.

Dr. Linda Tollefson ('80) was promoted from deputy director of the Food and Drug Administration's Center for Veterinary Medicine to Assistant Surgeon General (Rear Admiral) on August 1, 2001. Dr. Tollefson is the first female veterinarian in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps to reach the O-7 (Rear Admiral) rank.
Rear Admiral Tollefson is responsible for all public health programs and international activities of the Center for Veterinary Medicine. She is one of the founders of the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System for Enteric Bacteria (NARMS) and currently serves as president-elect of the American Association of Food Hygiene Veterinarians.

Dr. Martin Johnson ('84), veterinarian at Green Trails Animal Clinic in Lisle, Ill., and Dr. Judy McBeth ('92), owner of the Fox Ridge Veterinary Clinic in Montgomery, Ill., were married in July. The couple resides in Naperville, Ill.

Dr. Robin Downing ('86), owner and director of the Windsor (Colo.) Veterinary Clinic, PC, received the Hill's Excellence in Veterinary Healthcare Award for use of advanced medical and surgical techniques and clinical nutrition to promote companion animal care and the pet-veterinary bond. The award was presented at the World Small Animal Veterinary Association's 26th World Congress in August.

Dr. F. Victor Pang (PhD '86) was recently appointed to a 6-year term as department head at National Taiwan University, Taiwan.

Dr. Heide L. G. Meier ('93) has joined a Banfield, The Pet Hospital, practice in Edmond, Okla. She had previously worked in small animal veterinary medicine in St. Charles, Ill. "I joined Banfield because of the practice's commitment to high quality preventive veterinary medicine," says Dr. Meier.

Dr. Margaret Lobitz ('98) joined a Banfield practice in Darien, Ill., leaving a small animal practice in Phoenix, Ariz. Dr. Lobitz is originally from the Chicago area.

Banfield, The Pet Hospital, operates more than 256 full-service hospitals and employs more than 700 veterinarians in 37 states.

IN MEMORIAM

Dr. Gerald Long (IA '34), of Mount Sterling, Ill., died on October 30. Dr. Long was credited with being the oldest practicing veterinarian in the United States. He was a past president of the Illinois State Veterinary Medical Association and was named the 2001 Mount Sterling Citizen of the Year.

Dr. Paul Trovillion, Jr., ('58), of Paducah, Ky., died on April 4. Dr. Trovillion had served in the U.S. Army during World War II, worked as the Illinois state regulatory veterinarian for 12 years, and owned Shawnee Veterinary Services for 18 years. His son Daniel is a 1986 graduate of the College.

Class of '52 Loses Three Members
Dr. J.R. "Bob" Baker ('52), of Erie, Ill., died on November 25. Dr. Baker practiced in Erie for nearly 50 years. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He was a member of many veterinary and civic organizations.

Dr. George Fehrenbacher ('52), of Wyoming, Ill, died on October 1. Dr. Fehrenbacher served in the U.S. Army during World War II. He practiced in Wyoming until his retirement in 1986. He also taught agriculture at Mansfield (Ill.) High School. Dr. Fehrenbacher belonged to many veterinary organizations and was active in his community.

Dr. Boyd Knuppel ('52) died on October 1 in Greencastle, Ind., where he had a mixed-animal practice for nearly 50 years. Dr. Knuppel served in the U.S. Army during World War II. He also raised sheep and champion cattle, with a special interest in exotic breeds. He was a lifetime member of the American Veterinary Medical Association.

College Learns of Deaths of Former Faculty, Friends
Dr. James Eagelman (PA '37), who served as a professor of veterinary medicine at the College from 1960 to 1975, died on August 12 in Myerstown, Pa. While teaching here he had traveled to Nigeria and Brazil to share his expertise in cattle breeding. He practiced in Pennsylvania for five years after retirement from the College and in 1987 received the Distinguished Veterinarian Award from the Pennsylvania Veterinary Medical Association.

Mr. Harold Hannah died on November 20. A lawyer, Mr. Hannah taught for 61 years both at Southern Illinois University and at the University of Illinois, where he held many posts in the College of Agriculture and was professor of veterinary medical law at the College of Veterinary Medicine. He also served as counsel to the Illinois Veterinary Medical Association and for more than 30 years wrote a monthly legal column for the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association.

Dr. Queenie Mills, former faculty member at the University of Illinois College of ACES and founder of a therapeutic program that brought pets into nursing homes, died on August 6. For her work in helping College faculty incorporate the human-animal bond concept into veterinary education, she received a Special Service Award in 1995 from the College of Veterinary Medicine Alumni Association.