Obituaries
Arthur Freeman
1925-2018
Dr. Arthur Freeman found his life's work in a 30-year career with the AVMA. He was one of only four veterinarians to serve as both editor-in-chief and CEO. Dr. Freeman died in Indianapolis on March 7 at the age of 93.
A native of Youngstown, Ohio, he earned his DVM degree from The Ohio State University in 1955. He was an AVMA honor roll member and received the OSU Distinguished Alumnus Award in 1976.
As editor-in-chief from 1972-85, Dr. Freeman introduced many innovations, from creating features such as "Legal Brief" and the ongoing "ECG of the Month" to adopting a larger, 8-by-11-inch journal format and publishing artwork on the JAVMA cover. The new format, together with his hiring of an ad sales representative, led to a doubling of ad income within two years.
Joining the AVMA staff in 1959 as assistant editor, he initially reviewed the scientific articles himself, but as more manuscripts involved commercial products and technical subjects, he helped institute a system for submitting manuscripts to outside reviewers. He was promoted to editor in 1969 and editor-in-chief in 1972.
While editor-in-chief, he coordinated the scientific program committee for the convention and became assistant executive vice president in 1977.
During his 25 years in the Publications Division, JAVMA circulation rose over 60 percent, from 27,000 to 44,000, and scientific articles submitted to the AVMA journals doubled. The publications budget tripled, advertising income nearly quadrupled, and subscription income increased 75 percent.
In 1984, he began the second phase of his work following his election as executive vice president, also serving as secretary of the American Veterinary Medical Foundation and the AVMA Judicial Council.
Dr. Bruce Little, AVMA assistant executive vice president from 1986-89 and later CEO, said, "Dr. Arthur Freeman was a kind, gentle man. He was the perfect gentleman, whether doing his work or in a social setting. Art gave us a warm, comfortable feeling in his interactions."
Dr. William McEniry said, "I was treasurer when we hired him as executive officer. He was a prince of a guy. He helped AVMA move forward and had good ideas and leadership. We improved our convention and also the budget process, bringing the whole Executive Board in for two to three days to put the budget together."
Dr. Freeman hired the Association's first marketing director. Karyn Gavzer, now a practice management consultant, said, "Because of him, I've been privileged to work in veterinary medicine, a profession I love, with intelligent, caring wonderful people. Some of his lessons will stay with me forever. Like the importance of letting people know you care about them. He always gave others credit and downplayed his own accomplishments."
Before beginning veterinary college, Dr. Freeman served in the Army Air Force as a B-17 bombardier from 1943-46, followed by five seasons in Alaska with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in maritime patrol and salmon fisheries. Working with wildlife biologists inspired him to pursue a biomedical career.
His first position after veterinary college was in a general practice in Bellingham, Washington. He flew to islands in Puget Sound to call on clients there. In 1957, he joined Jensen-Salsbery Laboratories in Kansas City, Missouri, as director of professional relations, also developing a simplified rapid plate serologic test for leptospirosis.
Dr. Freeman was the only veterinarian elected president of what is now the Council of Science Editors, serving in 1985-86. While editor of the OSU veterinary student publication, The Speculum, he received a dean's award, and as editor of the Jen-Sal Journal, he won an award of excellence from the International Council of Industrial Editors, competing with more than 900 other publications.
On retiring in 1989, Dr. Freeman relocated to the Indianapolis area and continued to contribute. He was an adjunct veterinary professor at Purdue University for 10 years, chaired the Indiana VMA Peer Review and Insurance committees, and was named Indiana Veterinarian of the Year in 1995. He served on the AVMA Member Services Committee from 2006-09. He became a youth counselor and a leader in the Executive Service Corps of Indianapolis.
In a JAVMA interview before he retired, Dr. Freeman said his fondest memory was working with veterinarians in volunteer leadership positions at the AVMA, which often led to lasting friendships.
One such friend and beneficiary of Dr. Freeman's counsel was Dr. Arnold Hentschl while Dr. Hentschl was Board chair. He said, "I'm an owner of steam tractors, and Art was fascinated by this. After his retirement, I received a call from him that he wished to visit and see my ‘iron.' He flew his plane to the airport at (a) county seat here in Michigan. … His gift to me was a model steam engine that he had made in shop class while in high school!"
Dr. Everett Fleming, Dr. Freeman's classmate at OSU and a friend for 66 years, said, "When he retired, he came to Indy, and we continued our friendship. He was a great conversationalist and humble, modest individual despite his accomplishments. He reminded me of Thomas Jefferson with so many interests and (wanting to know) how (something) worked and its effect on civilization. Once he became involved, that brought a new sea of friendships. Putting paintings on JAVMA covers broadened his knowledge of painting."
He was an amateur artist, leaving behind a gallery of original paintings. Two of them were featured on JAVMA covers: "Northern Cattle" (July 1, 1986) and "First Call for Dinner" (March 15, 1992). In retirement, Dr. Freeman presented illustrated lectures on animal art. A clarinetist, he was a docent for the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra.
Colleague Dr. Bert Mitchell said his friend was the first to welcome him to the (now-dissolved) American Association of Retired Veterinarians, encouraging him to foster learning opportunities and social settings for senior veterinarians and ways to support the roles of the AVMA. He said, "Dr. Freeman wrote precisely and concisely. He was inquisitive and at ease in inspecting or observing. He loved to travel, explore, and learn. He was a humanitarian and befriended many."
Dr. Freeman was preceded in death by his wife of 27 years, Marilyn Werner Freeman, and brothers Harold and Arnold. He is survived by his dear friend, Maxiene Rogers; son, Joel; daughter, Mary Lucas; and grandchildren Daisha Lucas, Stratton Lucas, Julia Freeman, and Audrey Freeman.
Memorial donations may be made to the American Veterinary Medical Foundation, 1931 N. Meacham Road, Suite 100, Schaumburg, IL 60173, www.avmf.org.
By Susan C. Kahler
AVMA member
AVMA honor roll member
Nonmember
Roger L. Bohling
Dr. Bohling (Colorado State '69), 72, Fort Morgan, Colorado, died March 9, 2018. A mixed animal veterinarian, he practiced at Fort Morgan Veterinary Clinic prior to retirement in 2008. Dr. Bohling also taught at Morgan Community College from 1988-92. Early in his career, he worked at Price Animal Hospital in Fort Morgan. Dr. Bohling is survived by his wife, Ona; a son and a daughter; five grandchildren; and two brothers and two sisters. Memorials may be made to Morgan County Alumni Association Scholarship Fund, c/o Tim Amen, 13913 Road 18, Fort Morgan, CO 80701, or TRU Community Care, 2594 Trailridge Drive E., Lafayette, CO 80026.
Lewis I. Case
Dr. Case (Guelph '40), 101, Newton, Massachusetts, died Feb. 18, 2018. Prior to retirement in 1982, he owned a practice in Wethersfield, Connecticut, where he initially practiced mixed animal medicine, focusing later on small animals.
Following graduation, Dr. Case established his practice in Wethersfield. He then served in the Army Veterinary Corps during World War II, attaining the rank of captain. In 1947, Dr. Case resumed his practice in Wethersfield. He was a past president of the Connecticut VMA and served on the Connecticut State Board of Veterinary Medicine.
Dr. Case is survived by two sons, four grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren. Memorials may be made to Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals–Angell Animal Medical Center, 350 S. Huntington Ave., Boston, MA 02130.
Edgar H. Eckermann
Dr. Eckermann (Texas A&M '52), 89, Greenville, North Carolina, died Jan. 20, 2018. A diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine, he served 30 years in the Army Veterinary Corps, following graduation. During that time, Dr. Eckermann earned a master's degree in public health from the University of North Carolina; worked at the Fort Sam Houston Academy of Health Sciences; was posted in Vietnam; served at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research in Washington, D.C.; and worked at the Office of the Army Surgeon General and Defense Logistics Agency. For his military service, he received the Bronze Star, Legion of Merit, Meritorious Service Medal, and Defense Meritorious Service Medal.
After retiring as a colonel, Dr. Eckermann joined the North Carolina division of the Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service. He was a member of the Greenville Golden Kiwanis.
Dr. Eckermann is survived by his wife, Ginger; a son and a daughter; and a brother. Memorials may be made to Friends of Greenville Greenways, P.O. Box 2544, Greenville, NC 27836, www.froggs.org.
Raymond L. Grefe
Dr. Grefe (Minnesota '54), 90, Walnut Grove, Minnesota, died Feb. 22, 2018. He owned a mixed animal practice in Walnut Grove for more than 40 years. Dr. Grefe was a past mayor of Walnut Grove, served on the Redwood County Park Board, and was a founding member of the Walnut Grove Lions Club. He served in the Navy during World War II. Dr. Grefe's two sons, three grandchildren, and a sister survive him.
Robert M. Hyman
Dr. Hyman (Araneta '81), 65, Ventura, California, died Feb. 7, 2018. A graduate of De La Salle Araneta University in Malabon, the Philippines, he co-owned Newbury Park Veterinary Clinic, a small animal practice in Newbury Park, California. Dr. Hyman is survived by his wife, Sally; a son; and his two brothers. Memorials may be made to the Abandoned Terrier Rescue Association, Somis Road, Somis, CA 93066, www.atrarescue.com.
Cecil W. Ingmire
Dr. Ingmire (Kansas State '47), 92, Orland Park, Illinois, died March 10, 2018. Following graduation, he practiced mixed animal medicine in Akron, Ohio. In 1948, Dr. Ingmire moved to Joliet, Illinois, where he established Ingmire Large Animal Clinic, focusing on food animal and equine medicine. During his 50-year career, he also served as chief veterinarian for the Chicago-Joliet Livestock Center and was animal control administrator for Illinois' Will County. Dr. Ingmire served as a captain in the Army Veterinary Corps from 1954-56.
A past president of the Illinois State VMA, he served on the advisory boards that helped create veterinary technology programs at Parkland College in Champaign, Illinois, and Joliet Junior College. Dr. Ingmire was a member of the American Association of Equine Practitioners, American Association of Bovine Practitioners, and Kankakee Valley VMA, and was active with the Will County Farm Bureau, University of Illinois Extension Service, and 4-H Club. In 1990, Dr. Ingmire received the ISVMA Service Award, and, in 2007, the Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine and Veterinary Medicine Alumni Association honored him with the Distinguished Alumnus Award.
He is survived by his wife, Mary; a son and three daughters; seven grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; and two brothers and a sister. Dr. Ingmire's son, Dr. Wayne Ingmire (Kansas State '75), is a retired small animal veterinarian, serving currently as an adjunct faculty member at the Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine. Memorials, toward the Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine Ingmire Family Scholarship, may be made to KSU Foundation (fund M47195), 1800 Kimball Ave., Suite 200, Manhattan, KS 66502, or Will County 4-H Youth Foundation, 100 Manhattan Road, Joliet, IL 60433.
Keith L. Kraner
Dr. Kraner (Ohio State '56), 89, Marietta, Ohio, died Feb. 26, 2018. From 1976 until retirement in 1995, he served as a scientific review administrator for the surgery, anesthesiology, and trauma study section of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, as a commissioned officer of the U.S. Public Health Service.
Following graduation, Dr. Kraner worked a year as a veterinary pathologist at the state diagnostic laboratory in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He then joined the Air Force, assigned first to the Aerospace Medical Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio, where he served as director of the vivarium, and, later, to the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology in Washington, D.C., where he served as chief of both the surgery and radiology, and laboratory animal branches. During that time, Dr. Kraner pioneered survival surgical techniques in fetal animals and conducted cosmic ray studies that enabled manned spaceflight. He was honored with the Air Force Commendation Medal, Army Commendation Medal, and two Public Health Service Commendation medals, and attained the rank of captain with both the Air Force and the USPHS.
From 1966-76, Dr. Kraner was a professor of veterinary medicine and surgery at the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine and director of the Department of Laboratory Animal Medicine at the university's School of Medicine. During his tenure, he helped establish a postdoctoral program in laboratory animal medicine and served as acting vice president for academic affairs for a year.
A diplomate of the American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine, Dr. Kraner was a past president of the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science and District of Columbia VMA, and he represented the DCVMA in the AVMA House of Delegates from 1994-2001. He was a member of the American Society for Laboratory Animal Practitioners and a life member of the Association of Military Surgeons of the United States. In 1997, The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine named Dr. Kraner a Distinguished Alumnus.
He is survived by two daughters, two grandchildren, a sister, a half-sister, and three half-brothers. Dr. Kraner's nephew, Dr. David Hunter (Ohio State '77), is a retired veterinarian in Denver.
Robert D. Lewis
Dr. Lewis (Kansas State '57), 84, Omaha, Nebraska, died Feb. 21, 2018. Following graduation, he worked for the Department of Agriculture in Humboldt, South Dakota, for two years. Dr. Lewis then served in the Army Veterinary Corps before establishing Ralston Veterinary Clinic, a mixed animal practice in Ralston, Nebraska, in 1961. In 1983, he founded All Creatures Veterinary Clinic in Omaha, retiring in 1998. Dr. Lewis' wife, Shirley; a daughter and a son; four grandchildren; and a sister survive him. His son, Dr. Douglas Lewis (Iowa State '89), is a veterinarian in Cameroon, Central Africa, where he practices predominantly large animal medicine.
James W. McDonald Jr.
Dr. McDonald (Purdue '94), 47, Hardinsburg, Indiana, died Jan. 29, 2018. A mixed animal veterinarian, he owned McDonald Veterinary Clinic in Hardinsburg and served as a partner at McDonald Farms, a family operation. Dr. McDonald was a member of the Indiana VMA. A past president of the Paoli School Board, he was active with the Orange County 4-H Club.
Dr. McDonald is survived by his wife, Lindsay; two sons and a daughter; his parents; and two brothers and a sister. Memorials may be made to the Orange County Humane Society, 856 N. Greenbriar Drive, Paoli, IN 47454, or Paoli FFA Barn Project, c/o Paoli High School, Paoli FFA, 501 Elm St., Paoli, IN 47454.
Robert E. Nicks
Dr. Nicks (Colorado State '52), 94, Elkin, North Carolina, died Dec. 27, 2017. He practiced small animal medicine at Nicks Veterinary Clinic in Elkin from 1952 until retirement in 1992. Dr. Nicks was a member of the Winston-Salem Dog Training Club. Active in his community, he served as an Elkin town and airport commissioner. Dr. Nicks was an Army Air Corps veteran of World War II, attaining the rank of 1st lieutenant.
He is survived by two daughters, six grandchildren, a great-grandchild, and a brother. One daughter, Dr. Barbara L. Nicks (Oklahoma State '78), is a small animal veterinarian in Blacksburg, South Carolina. Dr. Nicks' brother, Dr. Eugene Nicks (Georgia '55), is a retired veterinarian in Diamondhead, Mississippi. Memorials may be made to Elkin Public Library, 111 N. Front St., Elkin, NC 28621; Mountain Valley Hospice, 401 Technology Lane, Mount Airy, NC 27030; or Feed the Elderly Program, c/o Charles Mathis, P.O. Box 125, Elkin, NC 28621.
Calvin M. Poole
Dr. Poole (Oklahoma State '57), 90, Stillwater, Oklahoma, died Feb. 25, 2018. He owned a small animal practice in Lemont, Illinois, prior to retirement in 1991. Following graduation, Dr. Poole worked in Indiana for a few years. From 1963-84, he served as a veterinarian at the Argonne National Laboratory near Lemont. He then established his Lemont practice. Dr. Poole was a veteran of the Army, attaining the rank of captain.
His wife, Nina; two daughters and a son; 10 grandchildren; and 13 great-grandchildren survive him. Memorials toward the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation may be made c/o Dighton-Marler Funeral Home, 5106 N. Washington St., Stillwater, OK 74075.
Henry W. Taylor
Dr. Taylor (Auburn '67), 74, Dothan, Alabama, died Feb. 5, 2018. Following graduation and after earning a doctorate in comparative pathology from the University of Missouri in 1972, he joined the inaugural faculty at the Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine, where he served as a professor of pathology until retirement in 2005.
Dr. Taylor was a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists. He is survived by his wife, Gail; son, Dr. Brett J. Taylor (Louisiana State '01), a lieutenant colonel in the Army; a grandson; and two sisters. Memorials may be made to Wiregrass Humane Society, P.O. Box 1045, Dothan, AL 36302.
Richard F. Taylor
Dr. Taylor (Missouri '62), 81, Fayette, Missouri, died Feb. 4, 2018. Following graduation, he established Howard County Veterinary Service in Fayette, where he practiced mixed animal medicine until retirement in 2012. Dr. Taylor served on the former AVMA Council on Communications from 2000-06. He was a past chair of the Missouri Veterinary Medical Board, a past president of the Missouri VMA and Missouri Veterinary Medical Academy, and a charter member of the American Association of Swine Veterinarians and Missouri Veterinary Medical Foundation Board. Dr. Taylor was named AASV Swine Practitioner of the Year in 1987 and Missouri Veterinarian of the Year in 1990. He was a past president of the Fayette R-3 Board of Education and was active with the 4-H Club, National FFA Organization, and Lions Club.
Dr. Taylor is survived by his wife, Joyce, a past president of the AVMA Auxiliary; two daughters and a son; six grandchildren; and a sister. His brother-in-law, Dr. John Perry (Missouri '59), is a retired veterinarian in Brookfield, Missouri. Memorials toward the First Baptist Church of Fayette, 4-H Foundation, or MU College of Veterinary Medicine may be made c/o Friemonth-Freese Funeral Service, 174 Highway 5 & 240 N., Fayette, MO 65248.