June 01, 2020

AVMA member

AVMA honor roll member

Nonmember

William L. Amsden

Dr. Amsden (Colorado State ’57), 100, Sunnyside, Washington, died Oct. 11, 2019. He served as a federal meat inspector prior to retirement. Early in his career, Dr. Amsden owned a practice in North Dakota. A veteran of the Army, he was a member of the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars. Dr. Amsden is survived by his sister.

Albert M. Beck

Dr. Beck (Cornell ’59), 89, Reston, Virginia, died Jan. 16, 2020. He owned County Animal Hospital, a small animal practice in New City, New York, prior to retirement in 1998. Following graduation, Dr. Beck joined the veterinary faculty of Cornell University. During that time, he served as president of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals of Tomkins County in Ithaca, New York. Dr. Beck subsequently practiced large animal medicine in Watertown, New York, for several years. After earning his master’s in veterinary cardiology from the University of Pennsylvania, he practiced on Long Island, New York, for a year, before moving to New City.

Dr. Beck was a past president of the Westchester/Rockland VMA. He was active with the Boy Scouts of America and was a member of the Rotary Club. Dr. Beck served in the Air Force during the Korean War, attaining the rank of first lieutenant. He is survived by his wife, Patricia; two sons and a daughter; seven grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. Memorials may be made to Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, Box 39, 930 Campus Road, Ithaca, NY 14853.

Laurel M. Fritzen

Dr. Fritzen (Purdue ’01), 45, Morton Grove, Illinois, died Dec. 11, 2019. She was a small animal veterinarian. Dr. Fritzen is survived by her husband, Joe, and two children. Memorials may be made to PAWS Chicago, 1997 N. Clybourn Ave., Chicago, IL 60614, or American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, P.O. Box 96929, Washington, DC 20090.

Stanley Glick

Dr. Glick (Cornell ’49), 92, Boynton Beach, Florida, died Jan. 19, 2020. Following graduation, he served as a captain in the Army Veterinary Corps during the Korean War. In 1953, Dr. Glick established a mixed animal practice in Ferndale, New York, serving New York’s Sullivan, Ulster, and Orange counties for several years. He later worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture and New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets.

Dr. Glick was active with the Liberty Rotary Club. His wife, Grete; a son and three daughters; nine grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; and a sister survive him. Memorials may be made to Trustbridge Hospice, 5300 East Ave., West Palm Beach, FL 33407, or American Heart Association, 10 Glenlake Parkway, NE South Tower, Suite 400, Atlanta, GA 30328.

Donald D. Holmes

Dr. Holmes (Oklahoma State ’54), 89, Wichita, Kansas, died Jan. 13, 2020. A diplomate of the American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine, he was chief veterinary medical officer for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in Washington, D.C., from 1986 until retirement in 1993. Following graduation, Dr. Holmes moved to Norman, Oklahoma, where he was in mixed animal practice until joining the Army as a first lieutenant. Whilst in the Army, he served as chief of the experimental animal laboratory at the former Letterman Army Medical Center, where he helped establish the surgical research unit.

From 1962-65, Dr. Holmes worked as a laboratory animal veterinarian at the Civil Aeromedical Research Institute in Oklahoma City. During that time, he earned his master’s in veterinary pathology from Oklahoma State University. Dr. Holmes went on to serve as laboratory animal veterinarian at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center and Oklahoma City Veterans Affairs Medical Center, and he consulted with the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation. From 1979-86, he directed laboratory animal resources and was a professor of veterinary pathology at the Oklahoma State University College of Veterinary Medicine, also serving as attending veterinarian.

Dr. Holmes was a member of the Oklahoma VMA, American Association for Laboratory Animal Science, Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine, and Oklahoma State University Emeriti Association. He helped establish and served as president of what was known as the Association of Veterans Administration Veterinary Medical Officers. Dr. Holmes authored the reference book “Clinical Laboratory Animal Medicine: An Introduction.” In 2016, the Oklahoma State University College of Veterinary Medicine named him an Outstanding Alumnus.

Dr. Holmes is survived by a son, daughter, and five grandchildren.

Robert H. Keith

Dr. Keith (Iowa State ’59), 89, Monroe, Wisconsin, died Feb. 12, 2020. A past president of the American Association of Bovine Practitioners, he practiced for 35 years at Monroe Veterinary Service, where he served as a partner and president. Dr. Keith also served as veterinarian for the city of Monroe for several years.

Active in organized veterinary medicine, he was a member of the AVMA Council on Veterinary Service and the Ethics Committee of the World Dairy Expo, and he was a past AABP delegate to the AVMA House of Delegates. Dr. Keith was a member of the Wisconsin VMA and Rock Valley VMA. In 1983, he was named Wisconsin VMA Veterinarian of the Year. In 1989, he was honored as AABP Bovine Practitioner of the Year. Dr. Keith received Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine’s Stange Award for Meritorious Service in Veterinary Medicine in 1992.

Dr. Keith was a veteran of the Air Force. He was a member of the Lions Club and active with the Boy Scouts of America and Girl Scouts of the USA. He is survived by his wife, Careen; two sons and two daughters; eight grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.

Robert A. Martens

Dr. Martens (Minnesota ’56), 87, Park Rapids, Minnesota, died Oct. 9, 2019. A mixed animal veterinarian, he owned practices in Minnesota at Nicollet, New Ulm, and Mankato. Dr. Martens was a past president of the Minnesota VMA and was named MVMA Veterinarian of the Year in 1981.

Active in his community, he was a past mayor of Nicollet and a past president of the Nicollet School Board and Nicollet Lions Club. Four sons, eight grandchildren, five great-grandchildren, three brothers, and three sisters survive him. Memorials may be made to Minnesota Veterinary Medical Foundation, 101 Bridgepoint Way, Suite 100, South St. Paul, MN 55075, or Hosanna Campus Ministry Fund, Hosanna Lutheran Church, 105 Hosanna Drive, Mankato, MN 56001.

Roy J. Pensenstadler

Dr. Pensenstadler (Pennsylvania ’65), 79, Ambridge, Pennsylvania, died Jan. 13, 2020. A small animal veterinarian, he owned Ambridge Area Veterinary Clinic. Dr. Pensenstadler served in the Army during the Vietnam War. He is survived by a son, a daughter, a grandchild, a brother, and two sisters. Dr. Pensenstadler’s son, Dr. Mike Pensenstadler (Pennsylvania ’94), is a small animal veterinarian in Finleyville, Pennsylvania.

Harry E. Riggs

Dr. Riggs (Ohio State ’44), 99, Mount Gilead, Ohio, died Jan. 11, 2020. He practiced mixed animal medicine in Mount Gilead for 40 years. Dr. Riggs also owned and raced Standardbred trotting horses. He was a former member of the United States Trotting Association and Ohio Harness Horsemen’s Association.

Dr. Riggs served in the Army Reserve. He is survived by a son, a daughter, two grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, and a sister. Memorials may be made to Humane Society of Morrow County, 16 S. Main St., Mount Gilead, OH 43338.

Gary P. Rupp

Dr. Rupp (Colorado ’64), 79, Oak, Nebraska, died Jan. 31, 2020. From 1988 until retirement as professor emeritus in 2010, he was director of the Great Plains Educational Center in Clay Center, Nebraska. Following graduation and after completing a residency at the University of California-Davis, Dr. Rupp practiced large animal medicine in Meeker, Colorado. In 1973, he began teaching at Colorado State University College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences. During his tenure, Dr. Rupp earned a master’s in food animal medicine in 1975, was a member of the team that created the Kimberling-Rupp spay instrument and technique, and led initial efforts to establish the John E. Rouse-Colorado State University Beef Improvement Center near Saratoga, Wyoming. From 1983-88, he taught at Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences.

Dr. Rupp was a diplomate of the American College of Theriogenologists. In 2005, the American Association of Bovine Practitioners honored him with the Excellence in Preventive Medicine Beef Award. Dr. Rupp was the recipient of the 2014 Colorado VMA Achievement of 50 Years in Veterinary Medicine Award. In 2015, he was inducted into the AABP Cattle Production Veterinarian Hall of Fame. Dr. Rupp is survived by his life partner, Ronda Jaeger; two sons; six grandchildren; 15 great-grandchildren; two sisters and a brother. Memorials may be made to Dr. Gary P. Rupp Beef Cattle Production Management Scholarship Fund, University of Nebraska Foundation, 1010 Lincoln Mall, Lincoln, NE 68508.

Ralph G. Skillen

Dr. Skillen (Pennsylvania ’54), 91, Gorman, California, died Oct. 9, 2019. A small animal veterinarian, he owned Raymond Avenue Veterinary Hospital in Pasadena, California. Dr. Skillen was a life member and a past president of the Southern California VMA. He is survived by his wife, Priscilla, and his family.

Donald J. Wade

Dr. Wade (Ohio State ’44), 98, Defiance, Ohio, died Oct. 4, 2019. A mixed animal veterinarian with a special interest in equine reproduction and nutrition, he founded Central Kentucky Stallion Station, a Thoroughbred operation in Hardinsburg, where he worked until retirement. Earlier in his career, Dr. Wade practiced in Lancaster, Ohio; served as cattle operations manger for a ranch in Hamilton, Missouri; raised hogs and bred performance Quarter Horses in Ohio; bred Charolais cattle and Quarter Horses in Virginia; and managed a cattle operation in Florida.

He was a member of the American Quarter Horse Association, Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association, Jockey Club, Kentucky VMA, and The Ohio State University Alumni Association. Dr. Wade served as a captain in the Army Veterinary Corps during the Korean War. His son, two daughters, two grandchildren, and a great-grandchild survive him. Dr. Wade’s nephew, Dr. Donald Van Vlerah (Ohio State ’66), is a veterinarian in Defiance. Memorials may be made to Christ Our Savior Lutheran Church, 301 Carter Road, Defiance, OH 43512.

Francis L. Welcome

Dr. Welcome (Michigan State ’71), 71, Ithaca, New York, died Jan. 9, 2020. A diplomate of the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners and American College of Theriogenologists, he was senior extension veterinarian for Cornell University Animal Health Diagnostic Center’s Quality Milk Production Services Program from 2000 until retirement in 2018. Earlier in his career, Dr. Welcome was a partner at Cherry Valley Veterinary Associates in Springfield Center, New York, where he practiced primarily large animal medicine.

Active in organized veterinary medicine, he twice served as president of the Catskill Mountain VMA and was a member of the New York State Veterinary Medical Society, American Association of Bovine Practitioners, and National Mastitis Council. Dr. Welcome received the Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine’s Birth of a Purebred Food Animal Practitioner Award in 1993. In 1994, he was honored with a NYSVMS Merit Award.

Dr. Welcome’s wife, Maxine; three sons; two grandchildren; and six siblings survive him. One son, Dr. Jeremy Welcome (Tufts ’03), is a veterinarian in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Memorials, notated to the Francis Welcome Future Dairy Practitioner Scholarship Fund, may be sent to the AABP Foundation, 1130 E. Main St., Suite 302, Ashland, OH 44805.

Eric A. Wolff

Dr. Wolff (Ross ’03), 44, Fairfax, Virginia, died Jan. 5, 2020. He practiced small animal medicine at Vienna Animal Hospital in Vienna, Virginia. Earlier, Dr. Wolff worked at Critter Croft Pet Clinic in Milan, Ohio. His wife, Katherine; a daughter; his parents; and a brother survive him. Memorials, toward an educational fund for Dr. Wolff’s daughter, may be made via gofundme.com/f/support-the-wolff-family, or memorials may be made to Lost Dog & Cat Rescue Foundation, 6801 Wilson Blvd., Falls Church, VA 22044.

Please report the death of a veterinarian promptly to the JAVMA News staff via a toll-free phone call at 800-248-2862, ext. 6754; email at newsavma [dot] org (news[at]avma[dot]org); or fax at 847-925-9329. For an obituary to be published, JAVMA must be notified within six months of the date of death.