Obituaries
AVMA member
AVMA honor roll member
Nonmember
Alfred L. Britt
Dr. Britt (Michigan State ’50), 90, Chesterland, Ohio, died Jan. 18, 2015. He taught and served as a veterinary pathologist at the University of Cincinnati from 1977 until retirement in 1989.
Prior to that, Dr. Britt taught at Auburn University and worked at Cornell University’s New York State Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory. Early in his career, he practiced in Montfort, Wisconsin; served as an instructor at the University of Georgia; was a county veterinarian in Illinois; practiced in Albion, Indiana; and worked for the Florida Department of Agriculture. During those years, Dr. Britt also earned his master’s in public health from the University of Michigan (1961) and obtained his doctorate in veterinary pathology from Michigan State University (1967).
He was an Army Air Corps veteran of World War II and served in the Air Force Reserve until 1953.
Dr. Britt is survived by his wife, Jean Marie; three daughters and two sons; and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren. One son, Dr. Kevin V. Britt (Ohio State ’84), is a feline practitioner in Roanoke, Virginia. Memorials may be made to Hospice of Care Corporation, 831 South St., Chardon, OH 44024.
Don A. Franco
Dr. Franco (University of Philippines ’64), 83, West Palm Beach, Florida, died Jan. 31, 2015. Prior to retirement, he was vice president of scientific services for the National Renderers Association, also serving as president of its biosecurity arm, the Animal Protein Producers Industry.
Dr. Franco began his career practicing in Trinidad. He later joined the U.S. Department of Agriculture. During his career with the USDA, Dr. Franco served as a staff officer with the Food Safety and Inspection Service and directed slaughter operations. He also helped develop continuing education programs for FSIS veterinarians. In 1990, Dr. Franco received a USDA Special Career Service Award for his work on food hygiene and public health. A diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine and a past president of the National Association of Federal Veterinarians, he was appointed to the Secretary’s Advisory Committee on Foreign Animal and Poultry Diseases in 2002.
He is survived by his wife, Jovita; three children; and nine grandchildren. Memorials may be made to The Diocese of Buea, c/o Father Wilfred Emeh, Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church, 1728 Oxmoor Road, Birmingham, AL 35209. Buea is in Cameroon.
William H. Giddens
Dr. Giddens (Auburn ’49), 88, Leesville, South Carolina, died Jan. 25, 2015. He began his career practicing large animal medicine in Washington, Georgia, and Saluda, South Carolina. Dr. Giddens later moved to Leesville and established Lake Murray Animal Hospital, transitioning to small animal practice. He retired in 1999. Dr. Giddens’ wife, Edith; five children; nine grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren survive him. Memorials may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, 3223 Sunset Blvd., Suite 100, West Columbia, SC 29169.
Jerry A. Harsch
Dr. Harsch (Washington State ’55), 83, Medford, Oregon, died Feb. 17, 2015. From 1964 until retirement in 2000, he owned Mid-Columbia Veterinary Clinic in Goldendale, Washington, where he practiced primarily equine and bovine medicine. Earlier, Dr. Harsch served in the Air Force; practiced mixed animal medicine at Follett Veterinary Clinic in Walla Walla, Washington, and Ellensburg Animal Hospital in Ellensburg, Washington; and worked as a large animal clinician and instructor at the Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine.
He served on the executive board of the Washington State VMA and was a member of the American Association of Equine Practitioners and American Association of Bovine Practitioners. Dr. Harsch also served on the Goldendale School Board. He was a past recipient of the Goldendale Boss of the Year Award and Klickitat County and Sherman County achievement awards.
Dr. Harsch is survived by his wife, Evelyn; a daughter and a son; four grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.
Thomas J. Hartman
Dr. Hartman (Ohio State ’84), 61, Toledo, Ohio, died Dec. 12, 2014. He practiced small animal medicine at Shoreland Animal Hospital in Toledo from 1996 until retirement. Earlier, Dr. Hartman was in mixed animal practice at Amanda Animal Hospital in Spencerville, Ohio, and Claremont Animal Hospital in Claremont, New Hampshire. His wife, Lynnette, and two sons survive him. Memorials may be made to the American Diabetes Association, P.O. Box 11454, Alexandria, VA 22312.
Alana Jenkins
Dr. Jenkins (Oklahoma State ’09), 30, Frisco, Texas, died Feb. 1, 2015. She practiced small animal medicine at the Animal Medical & Surgical Hospital of Frisco. Prior to that, Dr. Jenkins worked in Spiro, Oklahoma. She was a member of the Oklahoma, Texas, and Dallas County VMAs.
Dr. Jenkins’ father, Dr. Stanley Jenkins (Oklahoma State ’81), practices at Town & Country Animal Hospital in Henryetta, Oklahoma. Memorials may be made to the American Cancer Society, P.O. Box 22718, Oklahoma City, OK 73123.
Derald W. Johnson
Dr. Johnson (Minnesota ’52), 91, Plymouth, Minnesota, died Jan. 18, 2015. He co-owned Brooklyn Park Pet Hospital in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, prior to retirement in the late 1980s. Dr. Johnson also served as veterinarian for Hennepin County’s Animal Humane Society in Golden Valley, Minnesota. He was a veteran of the Navy.
Dr. Johnson’s four sons and two daughters, three grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren survive him. Memorials may be made to the Animal Humane Society, 845 Meadow Lane N., Golden Valley, MN 55422.
Louis Kasza
Dr. Kasza (Szent Istvan University ’43), 94, Budapest, Hungary, died Nov. 11, 2014. Following graduation, he served briefly as an assistant professor at Szent Istvan University and then practiced for a few years in Kethely, Hungary. In 1952, Dr. Kasza started working for the National Animal Health Institute in Budapest. He moved to the United States in 1956 and subsequently joined The Ohio State University as a technician, eventually becoming a professor and head of the research laboratory. Earning a master’s in 1960 from Ohio State and a doctorate in veterinary pathology from the Royal Veterinary College in London in 1969, Dr. Kasza later served as a pathologist for the Food and Drug Administration and Environmental Protection Agency. During his career, he also taught and conducted research at the Royal Veterinary College and participated in research projects at the Nova Southeastern University in Florida.
Known for his expertise in the pathology of cancer, Dr. Kasza developed procedures for isolating viruses and identified several new viruses, some of them registered in his name. He conducted extensive research on materials that cause cancer and served as a group leader for one of the World Health Organization’s virus characterization programs.
Dr. Kasza was a member of the Society of Pharmacological and Environmental Pathologists and the Florida VMA. In 1984, the EPA Office of Pesticides and Toxic Substances honored Dr. Kasza with the Dr. Joseph Seifter Memorial Award, and the Ohio State College of Veterinary Medicine bestowed on him a Distinguished Alumnus Award in 1990. He was also a past recipient of the American Cancer Society’s Eleanor Roosevelt Award, recognizing his efforts in cancer research.
Dr. Kasza authored the book “Hardships and Joys of an Exiled Cancer Researcher: The Life of a Political Refugee in America and England.” He is survived by his wife, Ilona.
Richard A. Klein
Dr. Klein (Pennsylvania ’65), 73, The Villages, Florida, died Jan. 23, 2015. Following graduation, he practiced briefly in Freehold, New Jersey, before serving in the Army in Fort Polk, Louisiana, for two years. Dr. Klein went on to establish a practice in Howell, New Jersey, where he focused on equine medicine. He also served as veterinarian at the Great Adventure Safari Park in Jackson, New Jersey. Dr. Klein later relocated to Florida, where he practiced small animal medicine in Satellite Beach and Orlando; served as a relief veterinarian; and owned a house call practice in the Satellite Beach and Melbourne areas prior to retirement.
He is survived by his wife, Bonnie; a son and a daughter; and three grandchildren. Memorials may be made to the Endangered Animal Rescue Sanctuary, P.O. Box 3686, Ocala, FL 34478.
Terry A. Parker
Dr. Parker (Auburn ’79), 62, Brewton, Alabama, died Aug. 22, 2014. A small animal veterinarian, he was a partner at Brewton Animal Hospital for 34 years. Dr. Parker was a member of the Brewton Rotary Club.
His wife, Susan, and three children survive him. Memorials may be made to First United Methodist Church of Brewton, Brewton, AL 36426; Comfort Care Hospice, 722 Douglas Ave., Brewton, AL 36426; or American Cancer Society Hope Lodge, P.O. Box 22718, Oklahoma City, OK 73123.
Russell F. Portman
Dr. Portman (Ohio State ’46), 91, West Lafayette, Indiana, died Jan. 9, 2015. He began his career practicing in Concord, New Hampshire. In 1948, Dr. Portman moved to Lafayette, where he established the Lafayette Veterinary Hospital. He was a past president of the Indiana, Northeast Indiana, and West Central Indiana VMAs. In 1989, Dr. Portman received the IVMA President’s Award. He served as a contributing author of the book “One Hundred Years of Veterinary Medicine in Indiana.”
Active in civic life, Dr. Portman was a past president of the Lafayette Board of School Trustees and Lafayette Kiwanis Club and a life member of the Elks Club. In 1999, Dr. Portman received the Kiwanis International Tablet of Honor Award. His wife, Ava; two sons; five grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren survive him. Memorials may be made to the Lafayette Kiwanis Foundation, West Lafayette, IN 47906.
Robert M. Schwartzman
Dr. Schwartzman (Pennsylvania ’52), 88, Winchester, Massachusetts, died Dec. 28, 2014. He was a former chief of dermatology and professor emeritus at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine since 1996.
Dr. Schwartzman began his career as an instructor in clinical medicine at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. After earning his master’s in public health and doctorate in veterinary medicine from the university in 1958 and 1959, respectively, he joined Penn Vet as an assistant professor of dermatology. Dr. Schwartzman became a professor and chief of the dermatology section in 1968. He also held a secondary appointment as a professor of dermatology at the university’s School of Medicine.
Dr. Schwartzman was a founder and a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Dermatology and a founder and a past president of the American Academy of Veterinary Dermatology. He was also a member of the American Association of Veterinary Clinicians and American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology. Dr. Schwartzman co-authored the books “Veterinary and Comparative Dermatology” and “Atlas of Small Animal Dermatoses.” In 1974, the British Small Animal Veterinary Association honored him with the Bourgelat Award, and, in 1991, he received an ACVD Award of Excellence.
Dr. Schwartzman was an Army veteran of World War II. His two sons, a daughter, and three grandchildren survive him. Memorials, with the memo line of checks notated to the Schwartzman Graduate Fund, may be made to Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania, Office of Advancement, Alumni Relations & Communication, Penn Vet School, 3800 Spruce St., Philadelphia, PA 19104; or Penn Wynne Library Association, 130 Overbrook Parkway, Wynnewood, PA 19096.
Leonard E. Spiker Jr.
Dr. Spiker (Iowa State ’85), 66, Eagle, Idaho, died Jan. 26, 2015. A small animal veterinarian, he most recently worked at a practice in Boise, Idaho. Dr. Spiker also volunteered his services to several hunting dog groups in southern Idaho, including the local chapter of the North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association. Earlier in his career, Dr. Spiker practiced in Twin Falls, Idaho. He was a veteran of the Marine Corps.
Obituary notifications
Please report the death of a veterinarian promptly to the JAVMA News staff via a toll-free phone call to 800-248-2862, ext. 6754; email to news
avma [dot] org (news[at]avma[dot]org); or fax to 847-925-9329. For an obituary to be published, JAVMA must be notified within six months of the date of death.