March 15, 2021

AVMA member

AVMA honor roll member

Nonmember

Warren H. Ahnell

Dr. Ahnell (Washington State ’65), 85, Tucson, Arizona, died July 29, 2020. He practiced at Buena Pet Clinic in Tucson prior to retirement a few years ago. Earlier in his career, Dr. Ahnell practiced in eastern Washington state and Tucson. He was a member of the Arizona and Southern Arizona VMAs. Dr. Ahnell was a veteran of the Army. His wife, Janet; three sons and two stepsons; six grandchildren and four stepgrandchildren; and a sister survive him. Memorials may be made to the Wounded Warrior Project, P.O. Box 758516, Topeka, KS 66675; St. Joseph’s Indian School, P.O. Box 100, Chamberlain, SD 57325; Pima Animal Care Center, 4000 N. Silverbell Road, Tucson, AZ 85745; Hermitage House, 25493 PA-99, Cambridge Springs, PA 16403; or Arizona Game and Fish Department, 5000 W. Carefree Highway, Phoenix, AZ 85086.

David C. Ballard

Dr. Ballard (Texas A&M ’43), 98, Stamford, Texas, died Nov. 18, 2020. Following graduation, he served in the Army for four years. Dr. Ballard subsequently practiced in Stamford for 45 years. His wife, Fern; a daughter and a son; nine grandchildren; and 10 great-grandchildren survive him. Memorials may be made to Bethel Lutheran Church, c/o Tena Tankersley, P.O. Box 828, Stamford, TX 79553.

Clarence J. Bierschwal Jr.

Dr. Bierschwal (Iowa State ’50), 97, Springfield, Missouri, died Oct. 17, 2020. Following graduation, he practiced in Excelsior Springs, Missouri. Dr. Bierschwal then joined the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine as an ambulatory clinician. He went on to serve as a professor of veterinary medicine and surgery, chief of veterinary obstetrics and reproduction, and head of the theriogenology section, which he helped establish at the college. Dr. Bierschwal retired as a professor emeritus in 1986. During his tenure, he received several honors, including what is now known as the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges Distinguished Veterinary Teacher Award, Presented by Zoetis, in 1967 and 1971, an Alumni Faculty Award in 1970, a Distinguished Faculty Award in 1982, and a Distinguished Service Award in 1983.

A charter diplomate and a past president of the American College of Theriogenologists and a past president of the Society for Theriogenology, Dr. Bierschwal was a past recipient of the David E. Bartlett Lecture Award, given jointly by the ACT and the SFT. In 1985, he received the Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine’s Stange Award. Dr. Bierschwal was a member of the Missouri and East Missouri VMAs and the Society for the Study of Reproduction. He co-authored the textbook “The Technique of Fetonomy in Large Animals.” Dr. Bierschwal served in the Marine Corps during World War II and continued his military service in the Army Reserves, retiring as a colonel from the Army Veterinary Corps. He received an Army Achievement Medal, an Army Distinguished Service Medal, three Army Meritorious Service medals, and an Army Commendation Medal.

Dr. Bierschwal is survived by two daughters, seven grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. One daughter, Dr. Beverly B. Sherman (Missouri ’83), is a veterinarian in Springfield.

Joseph E. Bruce

Dr. Bruce (Oklahoma ’54), 94, Sulphur, Louisiana, died Aug. 1, 2020. He owned a mixed animal practice in Sulphur for several years. A member of the Louisiana VMA, Dr. Bruce was named Louisiana Veterinarian of the Year in 1965. He was the charter president of the Brimstone Museum in Sulphur and was a member of the Louisiana Forestry Association, Louisiana Archaeological Society, West Calcasieu Chamber of Commerce, and Rotary Club of Sulphur. Dr. Bruce served in the Navy during World War II. He is survived by his wife, Anna; three sons; six grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; and a brother.

Jay K. Childress

Dr. Childress (Colorado State ’52), 98, Austin, Colorado, died Oct. 10, 2020. Following graduation, he bought a practice in Monte Vista, Colorado, which subsequently became Childress Veterinary Hospital and is now Alpine Veterinary Hospital. Dr. Childress also established Conour Animal Shelter in Monte Vista. He served seven years on the Colorado Wildlife Commission and was an adviser to the Triple L Youth Ranch in Center, Colorado. Dr. Childress was a veteran of the Army. His two daughters, four grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren, and a sister survive him. Memorials, toward Beaver Creek Youth Camp, may be sent c/o Monte Vista United Methodist Church, 215 Washington St., Monte Vista, CO 81144.

Ralph F. Claxton Jr.

Dr. Claxton (Georgia ’91), 58, Pace, Florida, died Aug. 14, 2020. Following graduation, he practiced small animal medicine at Lehighton Animal Hospital in Lehighton, Pennsylvania. Dr. Claxton then began a career in the pharmaceutical industry, joining Fort Dodge Laboratories in Fort Dodge, Iowa. He subsequently worked for several pharmaceutical companies, most recently serving as the senior director of regulatory affairs and new product development at Pegasus Laboratories in Pensacola, Florida.

Dr. Claxton was a fellow of the American Academy of Veterinary Pharmacology and Therapeutics. His wife, Melanie; two daughters; his mother; and a sister survive him. Memorials toward the Veterinary Pharmacology Research Foundation may be sent to Dr. Dan Gingerich, Treasurer, Veterinary Pharmacology Research Foundation, 2219 Wilmington Road, Lebanon, OH 45036, dgingerichimulan [dot] com.

Richard P. Crawford Jr.

Dr. Crawford (Texas A&M ’57), 86, Paris, Texas, died Nov. 6, 2020. He retired in 1995 as a professor emeritus from the Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences.

Following graduation, Dr. Crawford joined the veterinary faculty at Auburn University. From 1965-70, he taught at the University of Iowa College of Medicine, focusing on zoonoses. He subsequently served on the veterinary faculty of Washington State University before joining the veterinary college at Texas A&M University. During his tenure there, Dr. Crawford served on the Texas A&M Faculty Senate and was a member of the veterinary college’s Selection Committee.

In retirement, he raised cattle on his family farm, invested in pivot irrigation for the cropland, and planted an orchard. Dr. Crawford was a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine. He is survived by his wife, Eleanor; a son, two daughters, and two stepdaughters; seven grandchildren; and a great-grandchild. Memorials may be made to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, Grand Central Station, P.O. Box 4777, New York, NY 10163.

James E. Creed

Dr. Creed (Missouri ’61), 87, St. George, Utah, died Nov. 8, 2020. He was a professor emeritus and a past chair of the Department of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery at the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine. During his academic career, Dr. Creed also served as assistant dean for service and directed the Veterinary Teaching Hospital at Oklahoma State University College of Veterinary Medicine.

He was a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons and served on the AVMA Convention Education Program Committee from 2000-10, chairing the committee from 2007-10. Dr. Creed was a past president of the Western Veterinary Conference. Active with Optimist International, he served the organization as a club president, as lieutenant governor and governor of the Colorado-Wyoming District, and as president in 1979. Dr. Creed was a veteran of the Air Force, serving as a lieutenant.

His wife, Jayne; four daughters; 24 grandchildren; 53 great-grandchildren; and two great-great-grandchildren survive him. Memorials may be made to the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine, 407 Reynolds Alumni Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211.

Terrence M. Curtin

Dr. Curtin (Minnesota ’54), 94, Fuquay Varina, North Carolina, died Dec. 15, 2020. He helped establish and served as the founding dean of North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine. As dean, Dr. Curtin pushed for the veterinary college to be fully funded by the state, was instrumental in hiring highly qualified individuals to fill faculty and administrative positions in the college, supported the design of facilities that prevented isolation between various departments, expanded the student body, and oversaw the development of programs and activities in the college. After his retirement as dean in 1992, he was named a professor emeritus in the Department of Molecular Biomedical Sciences.

Following graduation, Dr. Curtin practiced in South Dakota before embarking upon a career in academia. He was initially a member of the veterinary faculty at Purdue University, serving later as a professor and as chair of veterinary physiology and pharmacology at the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine. In 1973, Dr. Curtin joined North Carolina State University as head of the Veterinary Science Department at what was then the School of Agriculture and Life Sciences. He was named the first dean of the university’s new College of Veterinary Medicine in 1979.

Dr. Curtin was a past president of the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges. A member of the North Carolina VMA, he was the inaugural recipient of the association’s Martin Litwack Award in 1980, was named North Carolina Veterinarian of the Year in 1983, and received the NCVMA’s Distinguished Veterinarian of the Year Award in 1990. Dr. Curtin authored the book “The College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University: A Personal Perspective of its Founding.” He was an Army veteran of World War II.

Dr. Curtin is survived by his wife, Sharon; two sons, two daughters, and a stepdaughter; three grandchildren and two stepgrandchildren; and a sister. Memorials, toward the Terrence M. Curtin Endowed Scholarship at the North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine, may be sent to Gifts and Records Management, North Carolina State University, Campus Box 7474, Raleigh, NC 27695.

Louis L. Farr IV

Dr. Farr (Texas A&M ’67), 76, Lubbock, Texas, died Sept. 24, 2020. He owned South Plains Veterinary Clinic, a mixed animal practice in Slaton, Texas, prior to retirement in 2017. Dr. Farr also bred, raised, and raced Thoroughbreds and Quarter Horses. He was a lifetime member and served on the board of directors of the Texas Thoroughbred Association and was a member of the American Quarter Horse Association and the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association.

Dr. Farr was a veteran of the Army, attaining the rank of captain. His son, daughter, three grandchildren, and two brothers survive him. Memorials may be made to the Texas Boys Ranch, P.O. Box 665, Lubbock, TX 79408.

John W. Forsberg

Dr. Forsberg (Kansas State ’59), 90, Whitefish, Montana, died Nov. 3, 2020. He worked in food and safety inspection for the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Kalispell, Montana, prior to retirement in 2005. Following graduation, Dr. Forsberg served briefly as a veterinary medical officer with the USDA in Idaho Falls, Idaho. He subsequently began a career in mixed animal medicine, initially in St. Anthony, Idaho, and later at Yellowstone Valley Veterinary Clinic in Forsyth, Montana. Dr. Forsberg sold his practice in 1983 and rejoined the USDA.

He served in the Navy during the Korean War. Dr. Forsberg’s wife, Jane; three daughters and a son; four grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and a sister survive him. Memorials may be made to First Presbyterian Church, 301 Central Ave., Whitefish, MT 59937.

Charles W. Freudenberg

Dr. Freudenberg (Michigan State ’52), 95, Newburgh, Indiana, died Nov. 3, 2020. He practiced at Parkdale Animal Hospital in Newburgh for 20 years. In retirement, Dr. Freudenberg owned Newburgh Town and Country Farm Market and Newburgh Family Restaurant for several years. He was a past president of the Indiana VMA and served on the board of directors of the Vanderburgh Humane Society. Dr. Freudenberg was also a past president of the Newburgh Kiwanis Club and served on the Warrick County Council. He is survived by his wife, Deloris; a son and a daughter; and six grandchildren. Memorials may be made to Redeemer Lutheran Church, 1811 Lincoln Ave., Evansville, IN 47714.

Edward J. Howes

Dr. Howes (Iowa State ’62), 87, Rockford, Illinois, died July 26, 2020. Following graduation, he moved to Oregon, Illinois, where he owned Pines Meadow Veterinary Clinic until 1998. Dr. Howes later worked at Alpine Veterinary Hospital in Rockford for 21 years.

He was a member of the Illinois State VMA and Oregon Rotary Club. Dr. Howes served in the Navy during the Korean War. His wife, Shirley; two sons and three daughters; 11 grandchildren; and two brothers and two sisters survive him. Memorials may be made to the Iowa State Howes Family Scholarship, c/o Iowa State Foundation, 2505 University Blvd., Ames, IA 50010.

J.C. Marcum

Dr. Marcum (Iowa State ’53), 93, Spencer, Nebraska, died Nov. 3, 2020. He practiced mixed animal medicine in Spencer for 40 years. A member of the Nebraska VMA, Dr. Marcum served on several of its committees. In 1975, he was named NVMA Veterinarian of the Year.

Dr. Marcum was a member of the Masonic Lodge and Shriners. He served in the Navy during World War II. Dr. Marcum is survived by his wife, Mildred; a daughter and a son; and two grandchildren. Memorials may be made to Spencer United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 305, Spencer, NE 68777.

Walter H. Marsch

Dr. Marsch (Auburn ’79), 65, Philpot, Kentucky, died July 19, 2020. In 1982, he established East Side Animal Hospital in Owensboro, Kentucky. In addition to his practice, Dr. Marsch farmed and raised Black Angus cattle. Early in his career, he worked in Henderson, Kentucky, and Sullivan, Illinois.

Dr. Marsch was a past president of the Daviess County Lions Club and served on the board of directors of the Green River District Health Department. He is survived by his wife, Brenda; two sons; a grandchild; and three sisters and a brother. Memorials may be made to the Daviess County Lions Club, 6191 Highway 54, Philpot, KY 42366, or American Heart Association, 240 Whittington Parkway, Louisville, KY 40222.

Michael A. McLaughlin

Dr. McLaughlin (Illinois ’80), 65, Lucas, Texas, died Sept. 17, 2020. He owned Panther Park Animal Hospital in East Plano, Texas, where he practiced small animal medicine for 35 years. Dr. McLaughlin also co-founded the Emergency Animal Hospital of Collin County. He was a member of the Texas VMA. Dr. McLaughlin’s wife, Janean; a daughter and a son; and two sisters and two brothers survive him. Memorials may be made to the American Kidney Fund, 11921 Rockville Pike, Suite 300, Rockville, MD 20852.