Obituaries

AVMA member

AVMA honor roll member

Nonmember

Student

Don W. Beavers

Dr. Beavers (Oklahoma State ’67), 73, Faxon, Oklahoma, died Sept. 23, 2015. A mixed animal practitioner, he owned Beavers Animal Hospital in Lawton, Oklahoma, for more than 30 years. Dr. Beavers also farmed and raised cattle until his death. Known for his expertise in ratite medicine, he conducted seminars across the country and authored the book “Ostrich, Emu, Rhea: Reproduction, Management, Nutrition, & Health.” Dr. Beavers also served as a consultant to a company that marketed ratite rations he formulated.

He was a past president of the Oklahoma Academy of Veterinary Practice and Oklahoma and Comanche County VMAs and served on the Oklahoma State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners, Oklahoma State University College of Veterinary Medicine Admissions Committee, and Exotic Newcastle Disease Task Force. In 1998, Dr. Beavers was named Oklahoma Veterinarian of the Year. That same year, the Don Beavers day was declared in Lawton on Jan. 24. Dr. Beavers was a past president of the Lawton Kiwanis Club. He is survived by his wife, Sally; a son and two stepdaughters; seven grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. Memorials may be made to Central Baptist Church, 901 S.W. B, Lawton, OK 73501.

Jerry R. Berryman

Dr. Berryman (Texas A&M ’60), 84, Las Animas, Colorado, died Sept. 9, 2015. A large animal veterinarian, he owned Hilltop Veterinary Clinic in Las Animas from 1975-2014. Earlier, Dr. Berryman practiced in Beeville, Texas. During that time, he served a year as mayor of Beeville. Dr. Berryman was an Air Force veteran of the Korean War. His wife, Marlene; a son and a daughter; and two grandchildren survive him. Memorials may be made to Sangre De Christo Hospice, 124 W. Cranston Ave., Fowler, CO 81039.

William W. Coder

Dr. Coder (Iowa State ’61), 82, Muscatine, Iowa, died Oct. 9, 2015. A mixed animal veterinarian, he practiced at the Tillie and Coder Veterinary Hospital in Muscatine until 1995. Dr. Coder also bred, trained, and showed Hackney ponies. He later worked in Florida for several years. Dr. Coder was a Navy veteran of the Korean War. He is survived by his wife, Viola; two sons and a daughter; and four grandchildren.

R.D. Collier

Dr. Collier (Missouri ’66), 73, Bates City, Missouri, died Sept. 16, 2015. A small animal veterinarian, he owned North Arkansas Veterinary Services in Harrison, Arkansas, prior to retirement in 2012. Dr. Collier began his career as a captain in the Army Veterinary Corps. After earning his master’s in anatomic pathology at Purdue University in 1972, he went on to own South Bay Veterinary Hospital in Chula Vista, California, for 20 years. During that time, he served as president of the San Diego County VMA and chaired the California VMA House of Delegates.

Dr. Collier’s three children and three grandchildren survive him. His daughter, Dr. Kimberly C. Yeager (California-Davis ’98), is a small animal veterinarian in Newnan, Georgia.

Charles N. Gould

Dr. Gould (Cornell ’59), 80, Bridgehampton, New York, died Oct. 14, 2015. A mixed animal practitioner, he owned Old Towne Animal Hospital in Southampton, New York, from 1965 until retirement in 1999. Earlier, Dr. Gould served in the Army Veterinary Corps and practiced in Connecticut. His wife, Adele; a son; and a granddaughter survive him.

David J. Hilton

Hilton (Ohio State ’18), 26, Columbus, Ohio, died Sept. 23, 2015 (see story). He was a member of The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine student chapter of the AVMA. Hilton worked at the Norton Road Veterinary Hospital in Galloway, Ohio. Memorials may be made to the David J. Hilton Memorial Scholarship Fund #315281, c/o OSU-CVM Office of Advancement, 1900 Coffey Road, Columbus, OH 43210.

Hubert C. Johnstone

Dr. Johnstone (California-Davis ’57), 83, San Diego, died Oct. 11, 2015. He served as San Diego County veterinarian and headed the county’s veterinary diagnostic laboratory from the early 1960s until his retirement in the mid-1990s. Dr. Johnstone was known for his expertise in poultry pathology. He began his career in Puerto Rico on a government program to control bovine tuberculosis. Dr. Johnstone subsequently worked as a meat inspector in San Diego before joining the county’s veterinary diagnostic laboratory as a veterinary pathologist. His wife, Margery, and two sons survive him. Memorials may be made to the Boy Scouts of America, 1207 Upas St., San Diego, CA 92103.

Harvard E. Larson

Dr. Larson (Minnesota ’52), 86, Greeley, Colorado, died Sept. 14, 2015. Following graduation, he served in the Army Veterinary Corps for four years. Dr. Larson then began his more than 30-year career with the Denver Department of Health & Hospitals, retiring in 1988. During that time, he earned his master’s in public health from Tulane University in New Orleans. Dr. Larson was a past president of the Colorado Public Health Association and a member of the Colorado VMA and Denver Area VMS. His two daughters, four grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren survive him. Memorials toward the Wounded Warrior Project may be made c/o Stoddard Funeral Home, 3205 28th St., Greeley, CO 80634.

Max W. Lowe

Dr. Lowe (Texas A&M ’48), 89, Mooresville, Indiana, died Sept. 18, 2015. Following graduation, he practiced mixed animal medicine in Brazil, Indiana, for almost 10 years. Dr. Lowe then moved to Plainfield, Indiana, where he continued his career in animal health, working for Anchor Serum, Animal Medic, Boehringer Ingelheim, and Phillips Pharmaceuticals. During that time, he helped develop pharmaceutical products, managed a pharmaceutical production plant, and directed sales and distribution.

Dr. Lowe also bred, exhibited, judged, and sold Jersey cattle throughout the Midwest. He was a life member of the Indiana VMA and a member of the Indiana Jersey Cattle Club. The Indiana State Fair honored Dr. Lowe for his work with Jersey cattle. His wife, Carol; a son and a daughter; and two grandchildren survive him. Memorials may be made to First Baptist Church, 1012 Stafford Road, Plainfield, IN 46168, or American Cancer Society, P.O. Box 22478, Oklahoma City, OK 73123.

John A. Malark

Dr. Malark (Michigan State ’86), 56, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, died Sept. 6, 2015. An equine practitioner, he owned Edisto Equine Clinic on Yonges Island, South Carolina, since 1995. Earlier in his career, Dr. Malark was in private practice in Michigan and worked at the Belmont Racetrack in New York. A diplomate of the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners and American College of Veterinary Surgeons, he was also a member of the American Association of Equine Practitioners.

Dr. Malark is survived by his wife, Dr. Carmela Malark (Michigan State ’90), a small animal veterinarian, and a son and daughter. Memorials may be made to ACVS, 19785 Crystal Rock Drive, #305, Germantown, MD 20874, or AAEP, 4033 Iron Works Parkway, Lexington, KY 40511.

Steven Shaff

Dr. Shaff (Cornell ’59), 92, Salt Point, New York, died Oct. 23, 2015. A mixed animal veterinarian, he began his career in New York’s Rockland County, where he owned Orangetown Animal Hospital. Dr. Shaff later established Cats Exclusive in North Bergen, New Jersey, and a mobile equine practice based in Salt Point. He retired in 2010. Dr. Shaff served as a fighter pilot in the Navy during World War II in the Pacific Theater.

He is survived by his wife, Diana; two sons; and two grandchildren. Dr. Shaff’s son Dr. Michael Shaff (Pennsylvania ’79) is a small animal veterinarian in Coral Springs, Florida. His nephew, Dr. Jeffrey Hubsher, is a 1979 graduate of the University of Parma in Italy and practices mixed animal medicine in New York and Connecticut. Memorials may be made to the Wounded Warrier Project, P.O. Box 758516, Topeka, KS 66675.

A.J. Spencer

Dr. Spencer (Michigan State ’41), 98, Clayton, Michigan, died Nov. 5, 2015. He served as a veterinarian for the state of Michigan prior to retirement in 1978. Earlier in his career, Dr. Spencer practiced in Stockbridge, Michigan. He was a member of the Michigan VMA. Dr. Spencer’s son and daughter, two grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren survive him. Memorials may be made to Hospice of Lenawee, 1903 Wolf Creek Highway, Adrian, MI 49221.

Alex B. Stone

Dr. Stone (Kansas State ’46), 93, Rock Island, Illinois, died Sept. 13, 2015. He began his career practicing small animal medicine in Connecticut before moving to Illinois shortly thereafter to work for the state in animal disease control. In 1948, Dr. Stone established a large animal practice in Moline, Illinois. Two years later, he founded a small animal clinic in the city, where he worked for more than 30 years. During that time, Dr. Stone completed a one-year fellowship in comparative ophthalmology at Stanford University in Stanford, California, and incorporated the specialty into his practice.

He is survived by his daughter and granddaughter. Memorials may be made to the Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine, 101 Trotter Hall, Manhattan, KS 65506.

George M. Thomas

Dr. Thomas (Oklahoma State ’68), 74, Ninnekah, Oklahoma, died Oct. 18, 2015. A mixed animal veterinarian, he began his career practicing in Temple, Oklahoma. In 1981, Dr. Thomas moved to Ninnekah, where he farmed and owned a mobile practice. His wife, Barbara; a son and a daughter; and five grandchildren survive him. Memorials may be made to Ninnekah United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 165, Ninnekah, OK 73067.

Joel M. Woolfson

Dr. Woolfson (Michigan State ’80), 60, Weston, Massachusetts, died Sept. 15, 2015. A diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons, he practiced at Medway Animal Hospital in Medway, Massachusetts, for more than 15 years, focusing on orthopedic and soft-tissue surgery.