Obituaries

AVMA member

AVMA honor roll member

Nonmember

Kenneth C. Bleichner

Dr. Bleichner (TEX ’71), 68, Biloxi, Miss., died Oct. 23, 2008. Retired since 2001, he was the former owner of Biloxi Animal Hospital and Edgewater Veterinary Hospital in Biloxi. During retirement, Dr. Bleichner volunteered his services at the Humane Society of South Mississippi and Keesler Air Force Base. His wife, Lucy; three daughters; and two sons survive him. Memorials may be made to the Humane Society of South Mississippi, 2615 25th Ave., Gulfport, MS 39501; or American Heart Association, Living Legacy Partnership, P.O. Box 409410, Atlanta, GA 30384.

Charles W. Colquitt

Dr. Colquitt (AUB ’52), 84, Barnwell, S.C., died July 5, 2008. He founded Barnwell Animal Clinic in 1958, practicing there until retirement in 2005. Dr. Colquitt also served as veterinarian for several livestock markets in South Carolina. Earlier in his career, he was a member of the veterinary faculty at Auburn University. Dr. Colquitt served in the Navy during World War II. His wife, Mildred; a son; and two stepdaughters survive him. Memorials may be made to the Hilda First Baptist Church Cemetery Fund, P.O. Box 59, Hilda, SC 29813.

Erik M. Daly

Dr. Daly (FL ’00), 32, Portsmouth, Rhode Island, died Dec. 5, 2008. He practiced at Riverside Animal Hospital in East Providence, Rhode Island. Dr. Daly is survived by his wife, Kathy, and three daughters. Memorials may be made to the Dr. Erik M. Daly FIV Research Fund, Attn: Katherine Desmond, University of Florida, College of Veterinary Medicine, 2015 S.W. 16th Ave., P.O. Box 100125, Gainesville, FL 32618.

Harlen J. Engelbrecht

Dr. Engelbrecht (ISU ’44), 88, Dyersville, Iowa, died Sept. 14, 2008. From 1948 until retirement in 1985, he worked in Fort Dodge, Iowa, for Fort Dodge Laboratories, where he helped develop group E Streptococcus vaccine for jowl abscesses in swine. Earlier in his career, Dr. Engelbrecht practiced in Lake Park, Iowa. His wife, Joy, and three sons survive him.

Brian J. Hablinski

Dr. Hablinski (TEX ’94), 39, Willis, Texas, died Oct. 15, 2008. He practiced at Willis Animal Hospital and Willis Animal Clinic, and in Conroe, Texas, at Triangle Animal Clinic and Animal Emergency Clinic of Montgomery County. Earlier in his career, Dr. Hablinski worked at Forest West Animal Clinic in Houston. He is survived by his wife, Cheryl, and two sons. Memorials may be made to the Building Fund, Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Conroe, TX 77301.

James A. Henderson

Dr. Henderson (ONT ’36), 96, Sooke, British Columbia, Canada, died Dec. 14, 2008. From 1963 until retirement in 1973, he served as dean of Washington State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Henderson began his career in Flemington, N.J., where he was in charge of the first co-operative artificial insemination association in the United States. In 1939, he joined the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign as an associate professor in the Department of Animal Pathology.

In 1942, Dr. Henderson traveled to England, where he assisted in an advisory capacity with the Cambridge University School of Agriculture’s AI program and in planning and administering the AI program of the Milk Marketing Board in Surrey. In 1946, Dr. Henderson joined the faculty of Ontario Veterinary College. From 1950-1963, he served as head of the Department of Medicine and Surgery.

A past president of the Canadian VMA, Dr. Henderson was an AVMA board member from 1957-1963 for the district that used to represent the provinces of Canada. He co-authored “Veterinary Medicine,” a textbook on diseases of large animals. Dr. Henderson was a veteran of the Royal Canadian Air Force. His wife, Valerie, and two sons survive him.

Thompson P. Hoffmeyer

Dr. Hoffmeyer (AUB ’44), 85, Florence, S.C., died Nov. 4, 2008. Prior to retirement in 1991, he owned Hoffmeyer Animal Hospital in Florence. Dr. Hoffmeyer was a member of the South Carolina Association of Veterinarians. He was also a 50-year member of the Florence Rotary Club and a recipient of its Paul Harris Award. Dr. Hoffmeyer is survived by his wife, Margaret; two daughters; and two sons. Memorials may be made to Pisgah United Methodist Church, 621 N. Ebenezer Road, Florence, SC 29501; The Manna House, 450 Jarrott St., Florence, SC 29501; or Florence Area Humane Society, P.O. Box 527, Florence, SC 29503.

William E. Iman Jr.

Dr. Iman (OSU ’73), 68, Oregon, Ohio, died Nov. 4, 2008. Before retiring in 2006, he worked for the Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service in West Virginia, Virginia, and Ohio. Earlier in his career, Dr. Iman owned Iman Veterinary Hospital in Oregon. He was past president of the Toledo VMA, past treasurer of the Ohio VMA, and a member of the West Virginia VMA. Dr. Iman served on the board of trustees of the AVMA Group Health and Life Insurance Trust from 1994-2002. He received a Meritorious Service Award in 1996 and a Distinguished Service Award in 1998 from the OVMA.

Dr. Iman’s wife, Ella Mae; a son; and two daughters survive him. Memorials may be made to the American Heart Association, P.O. Box 15120, Chicago, IL 60693; or Omega Tau Sigma Scholarship Fund, OSU Foundation Fund #308457, Attn: Katie Kostyo, 127 VMAB, 1900 Coffey Road, Columbus, OH 43210.

William Kaplan

Dr. Kaplan (COR ’46), 86, Fresno, Calif., died July 30, 2008. Prior to retirement, he was a medical mycologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. A diplomate of the American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine and the American Board of Medical Microbiology, Dr. Kaplan was known for his expertise on fungal histopathology and the diagnosis of dermatophyte infections, protothecosis, and multiple systemic mycotic infections. During his career, he also served as an associate professor at the University of North Carolina School of Public Health and was an associate professor of microbiology at Georgia State University.

Dr. Kaplan was a member of the American Academy of Microbiology, American Society for Microbiology, International Society of Human and Animal Mycoses, and Medical Mycological Society of the Americas. In 1974, he was one of two recipients of the Kimble Methodology Research Award, given by the Conference of Public Health Laboratory Directors. Dr. Kaplan received the ISHAM Lucille Georg Award in 1988.

Donna M. Keirn

Dr. Keirn (WSU ’83), 51, Seattle, died July 23, 2008.

U.S. Grant Kuhn

Dr. Kuhn (WSU ’44), 86, Lacey, Wash., died Dec. 4, 2008. He retired in 1974 as a naval captain with the United States Public Health Service, following 29 years of commissioned service in the Air Force and the USPHS. During that time, Dr. Kuhn conducted research in nuclear radiation, tuberculosis, and venereal disease, and was chief of treponemal research at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. Early in his career, he owned a practice in Bothel, Wash., and served in the Army Veterinary Corps.

In retirement, Dr. Kuhn was chief of the Department of Veterinary Medicine at Emory University’s Yerkes Regional Primate Research Center in Atlanta. A member of the Georgia VMA, he served as chair of its Public Health Committee in 1974. Dr. Kuhn’s wife, Phyllis; two sons; a daughter; two stepsons; and a stepdaughter survive him. His son and daughter-in-law, Drs. Thomas B. Kuhn (GA ’77) and Margaret A. Kuhn (GA ’78), are veterinarians in Asheville, N.C

Cecil W. Lange

Dr. Lange (ISU ’62), 82, Pekin, Ill., died Nov. 12, 2008. Retired since 1991, he founded Lange Animal Clinic in Pekin in 1968. Dr. Lange began his career in Fort Madison, Iowa, practicing there from 1962-1965. He then worked at Pekin Animal Hospital. Dr. Lange was a member of the Illinois State and Mississippi Valley VMAs. He is survived by his wife, Shirley; two sons; and a daughter. Memorials may be made to First United Presbyterian Church, 1717 Highwood Ave., Pekin, IL 61554; or Pekin Union Mission Center, 203 Court St., Pekin, IL 61554.

Frederick S. Martin

Dr. Martin (PUR ’71), 61, Covington, Ind., died July 21, 2008. He owned Martin Veterinary Clinic in Covington since 1971. Dr. Martin also served as the environmental health specialist at the Fountain-Warren County Health Department. His wife, Dotty, and three children survive him. Memorials may be made to the Covington Community Foundation, 135 S. Stringtown Road, P.O. Box 175, Covington, IN 47932; or Shriners Hospitals for Children, Office of Development, 2900 Rocky Point Drive, Tampa, FL 33607.

Laurnie W. Nelson

Dr. Nelson (ISU ’57), 75, Mount Vernon, Ind., died Nov. 9, 2008. Prior to retirement in 1988, he worked for Bristol-Myers Squibb. Dr. Nelson began his career practicing in Missouri at Lancaster and Saint Joseph. He then worked in meat inspection for the Department of Agriculture. After earning degrees in veterinary pathology, Dr. Nelson joined the radiologic division at the United States Public Health Service. He then worked for Hazelton Laboratories in Virginia. Dr. Nelson joined Bristol-Myers Squibb in 1968 and remained there until 1977. He then practiced at Nelson Pathology Services prior to rejoining Bristol-Myers in 1982.

Dr. Nelson’s wife, Margaret; a daughter; and five sons survive him. Memorials may be made to VNA Charlier Hospice, P.O. Box 3487, Evansville, IN 47734; or First United Methodist Church, 601 Main St. #A, Mount Vernon, IN 47620.

Benjamin R. Page Jr.

Dr. Page (GA ’52), 83, Young Harris, Ga., died Oct. 26, 2008. Prior to retirement, he owned Page Animal Hospital in Savannah, Ga. Dr. Page was a past president of the Georgia VMA. A veteran of World War II, he served in the Army. Dr. Page is survived by his wife, Patricia; two daughters; a son; and two stepdaughters.

Barrie D. Watson

Dr. Watson (ISU ’54), 82, Mentone, Ala., died Oct. 11, 2008. Prior to retirement, he served as veterinarian for the Bahamas Humane Society. Earlier in his career, Dr. Watson owned a mixed animal practice in Spencer, Iowa; served in Tanzania as part of a government-sponsored aid project; and worked in veterinary inspection for the government of Bermuda. An Army veteran, he served as a paratrooper during World War II. Dr. Watson’s son survives him.

James L. Welch

Dr. Welch (ISU ’41), 90, Clinton, Wis., died July 25, 2008. He founded Clinton Veterinary Clinic in 1946, practicing there until retirement in 1977. Following graduation, Dr. Welch worked for East Central Breeders in Waupun, Wis. He then served in the Army Veterinary Corps during World War II, attaining the rank of captain. A past president of the Wisconsin VMA, Dr. Welch received its Meritorious Service Award in 1978. Active in civic life, he served on the Clinton village, school, and district fire association boards and was a charter member of the Clinton Kiwanis Club.

Dr. Welch is survived by his wife, Ruth; two sons; and a daughter. Memorials may be made to the Clinton High School Scholarship, 112 Milwaukee Road, P.O. Box 566, Clinton, WI 53525; or Heifer Project International, 1 World Ave., Little Rock, AR 72202.

John M. Woodcock

Dr. Woodcock (ONT ’38), 93, Pittsfield, Maine, died July 4, 2008. Prior to retirement in the 1980s, he served as Maine state veterinarian. Early in his career, Dr. Woodcock worked in Rhode Island and New Jersey, including service with the Department of Agriculture. In the 1950s and ’60s, he owned a small animal practice in Pittsfield, also serving dairy farmers in the area. Dr. Woodcock is survived by two daughters.