Obituaries

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AVMA member

AVMA honor roll member

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Ramsay S. Buchanan

Dr. Buchanan (UP ’54), 86, Coatesville, Pa., died Nov. 20, 2012. A small animal practitioner, he was a partner at King of Prussia Veterinary Hospital in King of Prussia, Pa., from 1961 until retirement in 1988. Earlier in his career, Dr. Buchanan worked for Merck Sharp & Dohme, serving on the team that worked with monkeys for polio vaccine research. An Army veteran of World War II, he later served in the Army Veterinary Corps Reserve. He was a member of the Pennsylvania VMA and a past president of the Suburban VMA.

Dr. Buchanan worked with hounds, serving as an honorary whipper-in and field master for hound exercising for several years. He was a member of the Pickering Hunt Board and a past president of the Buck and Doe Trust Board.

He served eight years in the 1970s as a supervisor in Schuylkill Township, working on land preservation and municipal zoning. Dr. Buchanan is survived by his wife, Susie, and a son. His daughter-in-law, Dr. Cynthia M. Buchanan (UP ’96), is a mixed animal veterinarian in Coatesville. Memorials may be made to the Cheshire Hunt Conservancy Land Preservation Fund, P.O. Box 528, Unionville, PA 19375.

James E. Calender

Dr. Calender (MSU ’57), 79, Lakeland, Fla., died Dec. 19, 2012. Prior to retirement in 1980, he practiced small animal medicine at Pennfield Animal Hospital, a practice he established in Battle Creek, Mich., in the early 1960s. Early in his career, he practiced mixed animal medicine in Bellevue, Mich. In retirement, Dr. Calender served as a relief veterinarian. He was a member of the Michigan VMA. His wife, Carolyn; a daughter; and two sons survive him.

Robert S. Dedrick

Dr. Dedrick (COR ’65), 72, Nashua, N.H., died Oct. 7, 2012. A small animal practitioner, he owned East Side Veterinary Clinic in Meriden, Conn., from 1972-2004. Earlier in his career, Dr. Dedrick served as a captain in the Army Veterinary Corps. He volunteered with the New Hampshire Audubon Society. Dr. Dedrick’s wife, Kay Lynn, and three daughters survive him. Memorials may be made to Home Health and Hospice Care, 7 Executive Park Drive, Merrimack, NH 03054; or Massabesic Audubon Center, New Hampshire Audubon Society, 28 Audubon Way, Auburn, NH 03032.

Will A. Hadden

Dr. Hadden (TEX ’75), 61, Tyler, Texas, died Oct. 31, 2012. He practiced mixed animal medicine in Tyler for 32 years. During that time, he established Gresham Veterinary Hospital and the Equine Medical Center Laboratory. Dr. Hadden was also an attending veterinarian at the University of Texas Health Science Center for the past 15 years. Early in his career, he served in the Army as post veterinarian at Fort Ord in Monterey, Calif. Dr. Hadden attained the rank of captain.

He was a past president of the East Texas VMA and a past director of the Texas VMA and Tyler Animal Emergency Clinic. Dr. Hadden also co-authored and edited the Horseman’s Veterinary Encyclopedia. He is survived by his wife, Joy, and three daughters. Memorials may be made to All In Project, Grace Community Church, 3215 Old Jacksonville Highway, Tyler, TX 75701.

Larry L. Larrow

Dr. Larrow (COR ’56), 81, St. Albans, Vt., died Dec. 2, 2012. A small animal practitioner, he owned Champlain Veterinary Clinic in St. Albans for 38 years. Dr. Larrow was a past mayor of St. Albans and served on the board of directors of the Franklin County Home Health Agency. He was also active with Meals on Wheels and Habitat for Humanity. Dr. Larrow’s wife, Margaret, and five children survive him. Memorials in his name may be made to the Green Mountain Habitat for Humanity, Franklin/Grand Isle Chapter, P.O. Box 1375, St. Albans, VT 05478; or Shriners Hospital, c/o Mount Sinai Shriners, P.O. Box 742, Montpelier, VT 05601.

Hiram N. Lasher

Dr. Lasher (COR ’42), 92, Millsboro, Del., died Oct. 7, 2012. He founded, and, until recently, served as president of Lasher Consulting Inc., providing technical advice and support to vaccine producers in the United States and abroad since 1982. Earlier in his career, Dr. Lasher owned two poultry vaccine manufacturing companies in Millsboro. Known for his expertise in avian vaccine development, he was instrumental in developing a program to eradicate pullorum and conducted research that led to the development of numerous, innovative vaccines.

Dr. Lasher was an honorary diplomate of the American College of Poultry Veterinarians and a member of the American Association of Avian Pathologists, New York Academy of Sciences, and Poultry Science Association. In 1994, he received the AAAP’s C.A. Bottorff Award, and, in 2004, was inducted into the American Poultry Historical Society Hall of Fame.

Active in civic life, Dr. Lasher was a founding board member of the Delaware Technical Community College and served 12 years on the Delaware State Board of Education. He was active with the Boy Scouts of America and received the Silver Beaver Award for his service. Dr. Lasher is survived by his wife, Bertha; three sons; and three daughters. Memorials may be made to the B.V. Rao Poultry Scholarship Fund, Office of Gifts Processing, University of Delaware, 83 E. Main St., Newark, DE 19716.

Angus MacDonald

Dr. MacDonald (TEX ’68), 80, Flower Mound, Texas, died Oct. 10, 2012. A small animal veterinarian, he owned a practice in Dallas, also operating a house call practice. Dr. MacDonald served as a captain in the Army. His wife, Winnie, and four children survive him. Memorials may be made to Animal Trustees of Austin, 5129 Cameron Road, Austin, TX 78723.

Lester M. Schwab

Dr. Schwab (OSU ’63), 84, Alamo, Calif., died June 16, 2012. A small animal practitioner, he founded Valley Veterinary Hospital in Walnut Creek, Calif., and an outpatient clinic in Danville, Calif. His wife, Olivette; two daughters; and a son survive him.

Andrew N. Vedros

Dr. Vedros (KSU ’50), 87, Overland Park, Kan., died June 27, 2012. He practiced small animal medicine in Kansas’ Johnson County prior to retirement in the late 1980s. Dr. Vedros was an Army Air Force veteran of World War II. He is survived by three daughters. Memorials may be made to St. Dionysios Greek Orthodox Church, 8100 W. 95th St., Overland Park, KS 66212.

William C. Wagner

Dr. Wagner (COR ’56), 80, Reston, Va., died Dec. 10, 2012. He was dean of the St. Matthew’s University School of Veterinary Medicine on Grand Cayman prior to retirement in 2011.

Following graduation, Dr. Wagner worked in a general practice in Interlaken, N.Y. He then served as a research associate in veterinary pathology and earned his doctorate in physiology from Cornell University. In 1968, Dr. Wagner joined the faculty of the Veterinary Medical Research Institute at Iowa State University as an assistant professor, becoming a professor in 1976. The following year, he moved to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to head the Department of Veterinary Biosciences and, in 1990, was named associate dean of research and graduate studies. During that time, Dr. Wagner also served as a program manager for competitive grants in animal reproduction at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service, and was a member of the Study Section on Fetal Development at the National Institutes of Health.

From 1990-1993, he was involved in the development of the competitive grants program in animal health at the USDA CSREES. In 1993, Dr. Wagner left the university to head the CSREES’ section on animal systems and serve as national program leader for veterinary microbiology and pathology in plant and animal systems. He continued in these positions until 2002 when he began serving as a visiting professor at The Ohio State University. There, he worked on strategic planning and research funding and the development of the National Animal Health Laboratory Network.

In 2007, Dr. Wagner became dean of the St. Matthews veterinary school.

He was a charter diplomate and a past president of the American College of Theriogenologists and represented the college on what is now the American Board of Veterinary Specialties from 1971-1979. Dr. Wagner served on the AVMA Council on Education from 1987-1993, chairing it in 1991. He was also a past chair of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Morris Animal Foundation and a past president of the Conference of Research Workers in Animal Diseases, International Congress on Animal Reproduction, and the national society of Phi Zeta. Dr. Wagner was a charter member of the Society for the Study of Reproduction and a member of the Society for the Study of Fertility, American Society of Animal Science, American Physiological Society, and American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians.

He received several honors, including the David Bartlett Award from the American College of Theriogenologists in 1995 and induction as a Distinguished Practitioner Member into the National Academies of Practice in Veterinary Medicine in 1996. In 1999, Dr. Wagner received the William P. Switzer Award from Iowa State University and, in 2012, the annual meeting of the CRWAD was dedicated to him.

He is survived by his wife, Victoria; a son; three daughters; and a stepson. Memorials may be made to Christ the King Lutheran Church, 10550 Georgetown Pike, Great Falls, VA 22066.

Kenneth L. White

Dr. White (CAL ’70), 69, Reno, Nev., died July 17, 2012.


Obituary notifications

Please report the death of a veterinarian promptly to the JAVMA News staff via a toll-free phone call at (800) 248-2862, Ext. 6754; email at newsatavma [dot] org (news[at]avma[dot]org); or fax at (847) 925-9329.

For an obituary to be published, JAVMA must be notified within six months of the date of death.