Accolades
Academia
Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine honored two alumni, one posthumously, with the Distinguished Alumnus Award at its 77th Annual Conference for Veterinarians and Veterinary Technicians, Oct. 18.
Dr. Marie Louise Martin (LSU '82) was the first veterinarian to be selected for a fellowship by Children's Hospital in Boston. She worked at the Centers for Disease Control, where she was head of the congenital birth defects section. Later, Dr. Martin moved to Nairobi, Kenya, where she was the director of the Jimmy Carter Foundation in the fight against malaria. She also became a Medivac pilot while in Africa. Dr. Martin lost her life in the terrorist bombing of the U.S. embassy in Nairobi on Aug. 7, 1998.
Dr. Debra Sellon (LSU '83) is associate dean of Washington State University's Graduate School. Dr. Sellon has been a researcher at North Carolina State University and WSU, studying immunology and immune suppression in animals. Her studies involving equine protozoal myeloencephalitis continue to provide insight into the pathogenesis of this disease. Dr. Sellon has been awarded more than $2 million in extramural funding, including awards from the National Institutes of Health.
Oklahoma State University College of Veterinary Medicine and its alumni organization recognized four alumni, one posthumously, with the Distinguished Alumni Award, Oct. 31.
Dr. George "Pat" Mayer (OKL '54) served on the Oklahoma State and University of Pennsylvania faculty. He researched dairy cattle diseases and nutrition. After developing amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Dr. Mayer continued to work and publish research. He died in 1979.
Dr. John King (OKL '55) of Ithaca, N.Y., was a professor of veterinary pathology at Cornell University. One of his accomplishments there included the creation of a Web site providing more than 20,000 photos and commentary of pathologic specimens, which are available to all at http://w3.vet.cornell.edu/nst/.
Dr. Louie Stratton (OKL '55) of Cookson, Okla., was the first director of the Oklahoma State Boren Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital when it opened in 1981. He remained in the position for eight years. Dr. Stratton also served on the college's faculty for many years.
Dr. Charles Montgomery (OKL '63) of Jay, Okla., served in the U.S. Armed Forces in several capacities, including assignments in Vietnam, at Walter Reed Medical Center, and the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Montgomery also worked extensively in laboratory animal medicine, where he is known for improving the care and quality of animals used in biologic and medical research.
Organizations
Dr. Kevin Wright (FL '88) of Mesa, Ariz., recently was acknowledged as the 2008 Exotic DVM of the Year during the Association of Reptilian and Amphibian Veterinarians annual conference Oct. 11-17.
The honor is bestowed annually to an outstanding exotic animal practitioner selected from nominations made by the readers of Exotic DVM Veterinary Magazine.
Dr. Wright is owner of Arizona Exotic Animal Hospital. Prior to then, he worked for the Phoenix and Philadelphia zoos in addition to working as a contract veterinarian for the New Jersey State Aquarium.