Obituaries

AVMA member

AVMA honor roll member

Nonmember

William L. Abbott

Dr. Abbott (OSU ’43), 93, Salisbury, N.C., died Jan. 21, 2009. From 1967 until retirement in 1981, he served as assistant administrator of the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture’s meat inspection division. Prior to that, Dr. Abbott worked as assistant state supervisor for the North Carolina Department of Agriculture’s meat and poultry inspection program. Early in his career, he served in the Army Veterinary Corps, retiring as lieutenant colonel in 1961. Dr. Abbott was a member of the Wisconsin VMA, Military Officers Association of America, and Veterans of Foreign Wars. His four daughters survive him. Memorials may be made to Lutheran Home at Trinity Oaks, Alzheimer’s Unit, 820 Klumac Road, Salisbury, NC 28144.

Randy L. Abelson

Dr. Abelson (UP ’77), 58, Woodbury, N.J., died Oct. 26, 2008. She was the founder of Gloucester County Animal Hospital in Sewell, N.J. Dr. Abelson volunteered her services in Louisiana in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Her husband, Richard Oldreik, and a son survive her. Memorials may be made to the Cedar Run Wildlife Refuge, 4 Sawmill Road, Medford, NJ 08055.

Robert L. Cator

Dr. Cator (TEX ’66), 69, Mission, Texas, died Feb. 5, 2009. He owned Banfield the Pet Hospital in McAllen, Texas. Dr. Cator is survived by his wife, Glee; three sons; and a daughter. Memorials may be made to the Texas A&M Foundation, College of Veterinary Medicine, Office of the Dean, 4461 TAMU, College Station, TX 77843.

Paul J. Kleman

Dr. Kleman (OSU ’71), 62, Van Wert, Ohio, died March 8, 2009. He owned Van Wert Veterinary Clinic. Dr. Kleman was a member of the Ohio VMA. His wife, Emily; two sons; and three daughters survive him. Memorials may be made to St. Mary of the Assumption, School Endowment Fund, 611 Jennings Road, Van Wert, OH 45891.

Leslie E. McDonald

Dr. McDonald (MSU ’49), 85, Oklahoma City, died Oct. 25, 2008. Prior to retirement in the early 1980s, he was a professor of physiology and pharmacology at the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. McDonald began his career practicing in Wisconsin. In 1952, he joined the veterinary faculty of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Dr. McDonald assumed the position of chairman of the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology at Oklahoma State University in 1954.

In 1969, he became a member of the faculty at the University of Georgia. Dr. McDonald was named dean of The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 1971. After serving in that capacity for a year, he returned to the University of Georgia, where he subsequently served as associate director of the Institute of Comparative Medicine and as associate and acting dean of the veterinary college.

Dr. McDonald was a consultant to the National Academy of Sciences, the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, and the U.S. Department of Commerce. He served on the AVMA Council on Research from 1974-1984, chairing the council in 1976. Dr. McDonald authored the textbook “Veterinary Endocrinology and Reproduction” and co-authored the textbook “Veterinary Pharmacology and Therapeutics.” He was a member of the American Physiological Society, American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Society of Veterinary Physiologists and Pharmacologists, and Georgia VMA.

Dr. McDonald received several honors, including the Outstanding Teacher Award from Oklahoma State University in 1967 and the Distinguished Alumnus Award from Michigan State University in 1991. He is survived by his wife, Evelyn; a daughter; and two sons.

John A. Pallaoro

Dr. Pallaoro (COL ’50), 83, Morrison, Colo., died March 5, 2009. He retired in 2007 from Golden Animal Hospital, a practice he founded in Morrison. Dr. Pallaoro took care of Denver’s bison herd for more than 30 years and helped in the efforts against West Nile virus in Colorado in 2002. In 1980, he received a 50-year Service Award from the Colorado VMA. Dr. Pallaoro is survived by two sons and a daughter. Memorials may be made to Alzheimer’s Association, Colorado Chapter, 455 Sherman St., Suite 500, Denver, CO 80203.

Leon Z. Saunders

Dr. Saunders (ONT ’43), 89, Wynnewood, Pa., died March 4, 2009. A diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists and American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists, he retired in 1990 from SmithKline Beecham in Philadelphia. Following graduation, Dr. Saunders served as a veterinary officer in the Royal Canadian Artillery. From 1946-1948, he was a member of the faculty at Iowa State University. Dr. Saunders subsequently worked as a pathologist at the Army Chemical Center in Edgewood, Md., and Brookhaven National Laboratory on Long Island, N.Y.

In 1958, he became head of pathology and toxicology for Smith Kline & French Laboratories. That same year, Dr. Saunders began work as an adjunct professor at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine. During his tenure with SK&F, which eventually became SmithKline, he also served as vice president for safety evaluation. Known for his research in neuro and ophthalmic pathology, Dr. Saunders was the first editor of the journal “Veterinary Pathology,” serving in that capacity for 25 years. He was a past president of the World Federation of Veterinary Pathologists and the ACVP.

Dr. Saunders received honorary doctoral degrees from the University of Vienna, Austria, and University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada, and was elected to the American Osler Society, an organization bringing together members of the medical and allied professions. In 1980, he was named Veterinarian of the Year by what is now known as the American Association of Corporate and Public Practice Veterinarians. Dr. Saunders received the Theodor Kitt Medal from the University of Munich, Germany, in 1982, and, in 1984, he was awarded the Centennial Medal by the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine. In 2000, he was the recipient of the American Veterinary Medical History Society’s Lifetime Achievement Commendation, for his promotion of the history of veterinary pathology in North America.

Dr. Saunders is survived by his wife, Marliese, and a daughter. Memorials may be made to the Dr. Leon Z. Saunders PhD Class of 1951 Memorial Scholarship Fund, Office of Alumni Affairs and Development, Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, Box 39, Ithaca, NY 14853.

Troy Van Norman

Dr. Van Norman (COL ’04), 33, Tuscarora, Nev., died Dec. 19, 2008. He practiced mixed animal medicine in Elko, Nev., and worked on the family ranch. Dr. Van Norman’s wife, Amanda, survives him. Memorials may be made to Rodeo Bible Camps of Idaho, P.O. Box 315, Cambridge, ID 83610; or the Troy Van Norman Medical Benefit, c/o Amanda Van Norman, 22564 River Road, Grand View, ID 83624.