Obituaries

AVMA member

AVMA honor roll member

Nonmember

Luther T. Albert

Dr. Albert (Auburn ’54), 92, Madison, Wisconsin, died March 8, 2016. He served as an assistant professor and directed the animal care unit of the medical center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health prior to retirement. Dr. Albert was a member of the Wisconsin VMA and was named Veterinarian of the Year in 1960. He was also a member of the Henry Vilas Park Zoological Society and Madison Elks Lodge.

Dr. Albert served in the Navy during World War II. His daughter, three grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren survive him. Memorials may be made to the Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine, Auburn, AL 36849.

Carlo P. Besio

Dr. Besio (California-Davis ’58), 86, Portola Valley, California, died April 11, 2016. He owned Portola Valley Veterinary Practice for 36 years, initially practicing mixed animal medicine, and later focusing on small animals. Dr. Besio served in the Navy during the Korean War. He is survived by his wife, Jane; three daughters and a son; and three grandchildren.

Carlos J. Cardona

Dr. Cardona (Bologna ’66), 75, Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico, died Nov. 1, 2015. A graduate of the University of Bologna in Italy, he was a small animal practitioner.

William B. Clark Jr.

Dr. Clark (Georgia ’54), 88, Richmond, Virginia, died April 6, 2016. He began his career as a captain in the Army Veterinary Corps. In 1962, Dr. Clark established Allied Animal Hospital, a small animal practice in Richmond. He went on to found Three Chopt Animal Clinic in Richmond, working there for the next 30 years. Dr. Clark served on the board of directors of the Richmond Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals for several years, helping it evolve into a no-kill organization. He also helped develop the Richmond Animal League and was a charter principal of the Veterinary Emergency & Specialty Center and Holiday Barn Pet Resorts in Richmond.

Dr. Clark’s wife, Jean, and two daughters survive him. Memorials may be made to the Richmond SPCA, 2519 Hermitage Road, Richmond, VA 23220.

Kenneth L. Crawford

Dr. Crawford (Ohio State ’50), 93, Sebastian, Florida, died March 20, 2016. Following graduation, he established a practice in Baraboo, Wisconsin, where he practiced mixed animal medicine until 1962.

In 1963, after earning a master’s in public health from the University of North Carolina, Dr. Crawford joined the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene as chief of the Veterinary Public Health Section. During his 21 years as the state public health veterinarian, he developed and implemented several zoonotic disease control programs with a special focus on preventing the transmission of rabies. In 1985, he received the AVMA Public Service Award in recognition of outstanding achievements in public health and regulatory veterinary medicine.

Dr. Crawford also helped gain legislative approval for programs involving public access for companion pets and pet facilitation therapy. He helped establish the Circus World Museum in Baraboo and was active with the Masonic Lodge. He served in the Army during World War II. Dr. Crawford’s wife, Mary Jane; a son and a daughter; and two grandchildren survive him. Memorials may be made to the First United Methodist Church, 1750 20th St., Vero Beach, FL 32960.

William W. Hawkins

Dr. Hawkins (Washington State ’57), 88, Dillon, Montana, died April 4, 2016. Following graduation, he joined Montana State University as an instructor and assistant in veterinary research. Dr. Hawkins went on to serve as a professor of veterinary science and head of the veterinary science department and veterinary research laboratory. In 1973, he left the university and established a large animal practice in Dillon.

Dr. Hawkins was a past president of the Montana and former Intermountain VMAs, a past secretary of the Montana Board of Veterinary Medicine, and a past chair of what is now known as the WVC, formerly the Western States Veterinary Conference. He was a member of the Montana Wool Growers, Montana Stock Growers Association, and Southwestern Montana Stock Growers. Dr. Hawkins was also the ram sale veterinarian for the Montana Wool Growers from 1957-2014.

He served several terms as a Dillon city councilman and was a member of the Beaverhead County Health Board and Dillon Elks. An Army veteran of World War II, Dr. Hawkins was also a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. His two sons, a daughter, and a grandchild survive him. Memorials may be made to Barrett Hospital Foundation, 600 State Highway 91 S., Dillon, MT 59725.

Victor P. LaBranche

Dr. LaBranche (Michigan State ’46), 95, Haverhill, Massachusetts, died March 15, 2016. He was Massachusetts state veterinarian for 40 years prior to retirement. Dr. LaBranche also served as head veterinarian for the Massachusetts Racing Commission for several years and farmed in Kingston, New Hampshire. He volunteered with the Topsfield Fair for more than 75 years and received a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011. Dr. LaBranche was a member of the Haverhill Board of Health until 2015.

He is survived by two sons and a stepson, six grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren. Memorials may be made to Merrimack Valley Hospice, 360 North Ave., Haverhill, MA 01830, or the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, 6 Cottage St., Haverhill, MA 01830.

Harry P. Lortz

Dr. Lortz (Iowa State ’42), 95, Dunlap, Iowa, died Nov. 25, 2015. In 1950, he moved to Coleridge, Nebraska, where he practiced until retirement in 1977. Prior to that, Dr. Lortz worked in Earlham, Iowa. His wife, Betty; a daughter and a son; three grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren survive him.

Eric J. Lovell

Dr. Lovell (Louisiana State ’91), 49, Pensacola, Florida, died Dec. 16, 2015. He co-owned Spanish Trail Veterinary Hospital, a small animal practice in Pensacola, with his wife, Dr. Kimberly G. Lovell, who later died (see obituary, this page). Dr. Lovell was a diplomate of the American College of Poultry Veterinarians. His two children survive him. Memorials may be made to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, 26 Broadway, 14th Floor, New York, NY 10004.

Kimberly G. Lovell

Dr. Lovell (Louisiana State ’91), 49, Pensacola, Florida, died Feb. 15, 2016. She and her late husband, Dr. Eric Lovell (see obituary, this page), co-owned Spanish Trail Veterinary Hospital, a small animal practice in Pensacola. Dr. Lovell is survived by her two children. Memorials may be made to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, 26 Broadway, 14th Floor, New York, NY 10004, or Covenant Hospice, 5041 N. 12th Ave., Pensacola, FL 32504.

Stuart J. Morrison

Dr. Morrison (Guelph ’59), 81, Phoenix, died March 26, 2016. He owned Morrison Animal Hospital in Garden City, Michigan, for more than 30 years prior to retirement. Earlier, Dr. Morrison worked in Detroit. His wife, Martha; four daughters and a son; and six grandchildren survive him. Memorials may be made to Guiding Eyes for the Blind, 611 Granite Springs Road, Yorktown Heights, NY 10598.

John G. Murray III

Dr. Murray (Georgia ’66), 79, Edisto Island, South Carolina, died March 6, 2016. A mixed animal veterinarian, he owned James Island Veterinary Hospital in Charleston, South Carolina, for almost 20 years. Dr. Murray also served as veterinarian for Charles Towne Landing and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Red Wolf Project, took care of the animals of Hanford Circus, and served as a veterinary consultant with the Coastal Carolina Fair. He later worked as a veterinary field diagnostician for the Clemson University Diagnostic Laboratory for several years. Early in his career, Dr. Murray practiced in Walterboro, South Carolina.

He was a past president of the South Carolina Association of Veterinarians and Low Country Cattlemen’s Association and served on the board of directors of the South Carolina Cattlemen’s Association and Academy of Veterinary Consultants. Dr. Murray was a past recipient of the South Carolina Pork Board Association Award for Outstanding Service and the SCAV Distinguished Veterinarian Award. He was a veteran of the Army.

Dr. Murray’s wife, Ora Dell; two sons and a daughter; eight grandchildren; and a great-grandchild survive him. His granddaughter Katie B. Murray is a third-year veterinary student at the University of Georgia. Memorials may be made to Presbyterian Church on Edisto Island, 2164 Highway 174, Edisto Island, SC 29438.

Jason Pearsall

Dr. Pearsall (Florida ’14), 34, Stuart, Florida, died March 14, 2016. He owned Pearsall Veterinary Services in Stuart. Dr. Pearsall is survived by his parents and a sister. Memorials may be made to the Dr. Jason Pearsall Memorial Veterinary Fund, 700 Pelican Way, North Palm Beach, FL 33408.

Warner R. Rogers

Dr. Rogers (Colorado State ’67), 81, Cheyenne, Wyoming, died Feb. 12, 2016. He owned Broadmoor East Veterinary Clinic, a small animal practice in Cheyenne, prior to retirement. Early in his career, Dr. Rogers practiced large animal medicine in Torrington, Wyoming. He was a member of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association and a veteran of the Army.

Dr. Rogers’ wife, Pam; three children; four grandchildren; and a great-grandchild survive him. Memorials may be made to Cheyenne Animal Shelter, 800 Southwest Drive, Cheyenne, WY 82007.

James J. Shannon

Dr. Shannon (Iowa State ’59), 87, Topeka, Kansas, died Nov. 21, 2015. He began his career as a federal area veterinarian. Dr. Shannon later worked in federal meat inspection for 32 years prior to retirement. He is survived by three daughters and six grandchildren. Dr. Shannon’s brother, Dr. Donald P. Shannon (Iowa State ’58), is a mixed animal veterinarian in Houghton, Iowa.