Alabama VMA

Event: Annual meeting, May 30-June 3, Destin, Fla.
Awards: Distinguished Service Award: Dr. Fred Hoerr, Auburn, for his dedication to the association and his achievements and contributions to the advancement of the veterinary profession. A 1976 graduate of Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Hoerr owns Veterinary Diagnostic Pathology, focusing on poultry diseases. From 1987 until March 2012, he served as director of the Alabama State Diagnostic Laboratory. Under his directorship, the laboratory received accreditation from the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians. Dr. Hoerr is a diplomate of the American College of Poultry Veterinarians and American College of Veterinary Pathologists. Service Award: Dr. Thomas Dawkins, Birmingham, for his dedicated service. A 1978 graduate of Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Dawkins owns Center Point Animal Clinic and Total Pet Care Hospital. He served as commissioner of the Birmingham Racing Commission from 2002-2007 and was a veterinary adviser to the North American Pari-Mutuel Regulators Association. Dr. Dawkins is a founding member and vice president of the Alabama Thoroughbred Association and a past president of the Jefferson County VMA. Lay Person of the Year: Dwight Sloan, Birmingham, for his dedication as an animal cruelty investigator. Sloan joined the patrol division of the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office in 1986 and became an animal cruelty investigator in 2004. He works with the veterinary community to assist animals that are victims of abuse and to educate the public about the value of veterinary medicine.
Officials: Drs. William M. Allen, Gardendale, president; William G. Bledsoe, Camden, president-elect; John Hammons, Athens, vice president; T.C. Branch, Birmingham, member-at-large; H. Winston Pirtle Sr., Montgomery, treasurer; and William K. Holland, Dothan, immediate past president