Obituaries

Published on
information-circle This article is more than 3 years old

AVMA member

AVMA honor roll member

Nonmember

Charles C. Capen

Dr. Capen (WSU ’60), 71, Columbus, Ohio, died March 1, 2008. He was a distinguished university professor and past chair of the Department of Veterinary Biosciences at The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine. A distinguished diplomate and past president of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists, Dr. Capen was known for his expertise in calcium metabolism and veterinary endocrine pathology, and his use of animal models to study human diseases.

As chair, he shaped the department into a link between the veterinary and human health communities. Dr. Capen’s research focused on six clinically important areas, from the identification of new hormonal factors produced by tumor cells involved in the pathogenesis of cancer-associated hypercalcemia to the targeted expression of the ret/PTCI oncogene in a transgenic animal model of thyroid cancer.

In 1992, he was elected to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences. Dr. Capen was a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Society of Toxicologic Pathologists, and the Society of Toxicology. He served on several scientific advisory committees for regulatory agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency and the Food and Drug Administration. Dr. Capen was the recipient of the AVMA Borden Award in 1975, the Ralston Purina Small Animal Research Award in 1984, and the AVMA Gaines Award in 1987. In 1995, he received the AKC Excellence in Canine Research Award. Dr. Capen was honored with the AKC Career Achievement Award in Canine Research in 1997. In 2008, he was posthumously awarded the AVMA Lifetime Excellence in Research Award.

Dr. Capen is survived by his wife, Dr. Sharron M. Capen (OSU ’59), professor emeritus of the Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences at The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine. Memorials may be made to the American Cancer Society, P.O. Box 102454, Atlanta, GA 30368; or the Department of Veterinary Biosciences, The Ohio State University, College of Veterinary Medicine, 1925 Coffey Road, Columbus, OH 43210.

Lauren A. Dunn

Dr. Dunn (MIN ’55), 83, Ellendale, N.D., died April 6, 2008. He owned Ellendale Animal Hospital for 50 years. Earlier in his career, Dr. Dunn practiced in Sydney, Mont. He was a member of the Christian Veterinary Mission. Dr. Dunn served in the Navy in 1946. His wife, Shirley; four sons; and three daughters survive him.

Brian H. Espe

Dr. Espe (OKL ’61), 71, Bella Vista, Ark., died July 23, 2008. Prior to retirement, he worked for the Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service as area veterinarian-in-charge for Oklahoma. Dr. Espe was also an adjunct professor at Oklahoma State University. He served as veterinarian for Blue Ribbons Downs racetrack for seven years and was a member of the board of directors of the Bella Vista Animal Shelter. Dr. Espe is survived by his wife, Evelyn, and four sons. Memorials may be made to the Bella Vista Animal Shelter, P.O. Box 5248, Bella Vista, AR 72714.

Paul R. Hildebrand

Dr. Hildebrand (COL ’63), 73, Canon City, Colo., died May 4, 2008. Retired since 1993, he was the founder of Canon City’s Fremont Veterinary Hospital and Canon City Small Animal Hospital. Earlier in his career, Dr. Hildebrand owned mixed animal practices in Colorado at Evergreen and Akron, and managed feedlots in Round Up, Mont., and Rocky Ford, Colo. He was a member of the Colorado and Arizona VMAs.

Dr. Hildebrand served as a 2nd lieutenant in the Army from 1956-1958. Active in civic life, he was a member of the Fremont County 4-H Club board of directors and an official of the Canon City Chamber of Commerce. Dr. Hildebrand’s two sons survive him. Memorials in his name may be made to the Orchard of Hope Foundation, 111 Orchard Ave., Canon City, CO 81212.

Roy I. Hostetler

Dr. Hostetler (WSU ’39), 91, Vancouver, Wash., died Sept. 1, 2008. From 1960 until retirement in 1978, he served as extension veterinarian at Washington State University. Following graduation, Dr. Hostetler worked for the Department of Agriculture in Oregon. He then served in the Army Veterinary Corps. From 1946-1958, Dr. Hostetler owned a practice in Goldendale, Wash. He served as Washington state veterinarian from 1958-1960.

Dr. Hostetler was a past president of the Washington State VMA. He retired from the Air Force Reserve as a lieutenant colonel in 1976. Dr. Hostetler’s wife, Vera, and two sons survive him. Memorials may be made to Hospice Southwest, Southwest Washington Medical Center, P.O. Box 1600, Vancouver, WA 98668.

Barbara L. Jones-Reitzloff

Dr. Jones-Reitzloff (VMR ’93), 50, Sykesville, Md., died March 5, 2008. She practiced at Carroll County Veterinary Clinic.

Neill L. Lund

Dr. Lund (ISU ’78), 53, Groton, S.D., died April 26, 2008. Prior to retirement in 2001, he practiced at the Groton Veterinary Clinic. Dr. Lund was active with the Kiwanis Club. He is survived by his wife, Mary, and six children.

James T. O’Connor Jr.

Dr. O’Connor (UP ’41), 89, Epping, N.H., died March 1, 2008. Past president of the American Association of Equine Practitioners, he owned a practice in Epping and practiced equine medicine throughout New England and Kentucky from 1953-1980. During his career, Dr. O’Connor also served as a state racing commission veterinarian, was an assistant professor of surgery at the University of Pennsylvania, and had appointments in research and teaching at the University of New Hampshire, Harvard Medical School, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

A past president of the Standardbred Owners and Breeders Association, he was a member of the Massachusetts and New Hampshire VMAs, New York Academy of Sciences, New England Standardbred Owners and Breeders Association, and Society of North American Racing Officials. Dr. O’Connor is survived by a son and four daughters. Memorials in his name may be made to the Adam McPhee Memorial Foundation, 174 Prescott Road, Epping, NH 03042.

Michael Radovic

Dr. Radovic (UP ’62), 75, McDonald, Pa., died March 12, 2008. He practiced at the South Sixty Animal Hospital in Crafton, Pa., for 45 years. Dr. Radovic was an honorary member of the Pennsylvania VMA. His wife, Rita; four daughters; and a son survive him. Memorials in his name may be made to the Humane Society of Western Pennsylvania, 1101 Western Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15233

Alvin F. Schwartz

Dr. Schwartz (COR ’57), 78, Rye, N.H., died June 21, 2008. Prior to retirement, he owned Exeter Veterinary Hospital in Exeter, N.H., for 35 years. Dr. Schwartz was a member of the American Animal Hospital Association and the New Hampshire VMA. He is survived by his wife, Patricia; three daughters; and a son. Memorials may be made to the American Parkinson Disease Association, 135 Parkinson Ave., Staten Island, NY 10305.