May 15, 2021

AVMA member

AVMA honor roll member

Nonmember

Ronald C. Anders

Dr. Anders (Ohio State ’82), 65, Coldwater, Ohio, died Sept. 23, 2020. He owned County Animal Clinic, a mixed animal practice in Coldwater. Dr. Anders had a special interest in holistic medicine and veterinary chiropractic care and was a certified canine rehabilitation practitioner and veterinary acupuncturist. He is survived by his wife, Beverly; a son and a daughter; two grandchildren; and two sisters. Memorials may be made to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Donor Services, P.O. Box 98018, Washington, DC 20090, or to The Cancer Association of Mercer County, P.O. Box 624, Celina, OH 45822.

Louis Blesch Jr.

Dr. Blesch (Michigan State ’59), 88, Sturgis, Michigan, died Dec. 22, 2020. He owned Sturgis Veterinary Hospital for 25 years. Dr. Blesch also farmed for most of his life. He was a past president of the Sturgis Kennel Club and was treasurer of the club at the time of his death. Dr. Blesch served two terms as a St. Joseph County commissioner. He was an Army veteran of the Korean War, attaining the rank of first lieutenant. Dr. Blesch’s wife, Karen; a daughter, three sons, and two stepsons; 25 grandchildren; 22 great-grandchildren; and two sisters and two brothers survive him. Memorials may be made to Paws with a Cause, 4646 Division Ave. S., Wayland, MI 49348, or to America’s VetDogs, 371 E. Jericho Turnpike, Smithtown, NY 11787.

Walter M. Conley

Dr. Conley (Texas A&M ’74), 69, Quanah, Texas, died Dec. 8, 2020. He co-owned Main Street Veterinary Clinic, a mixed animal practice in Vernon, Texas, with his son, Dr. Robert Conley (Texas A&M ’06). Following graduation and until 2015, Dr. Conley owned Quanah Veterinary Clinic. He was a member of the Texas VMA. Dr. Conley is survived by his wife, Billie; two sons; three grandchildren; and a brother. Memorials may be made to Northwest Texas A&M Club, c/o Jamie Chapman, P.O. Box 1754, Vernon, TX 76384.

Jane P. Elliott

Dr. Elliott (California-Davis ’84), 67, Santa Rosa, California, died Oct. 27, 2020. She was a small animal veterinarian. Dr. Elliott is survived by her husband, Perry Lynch, and her family.

Frederick E. Hall

Dr. Hall (Pennsylvania ’65), 81, Orlando, Florida, died Oct. 12, 2020. He owned Powers Drive Animal Hospital, a small animal practice in Orlando, prior to retirement. Dr. Hall is survived by his wife, Sandy; a daughter; and two grandchildren.

Charles Kelsey

Dr. Kelsey (Texas A&M ’45), 96, Lawton, Oklahoma, died Dec. 3, 2020. Following graduation, he founded Kelsey Veterinary Clinic in Lawton. In 1982, Dr. Kelsey served on a team of veterinarians who traveled to China as part of a cultural exchange program. After his retirement in 1995, he farmed and raised cattle. Dr. Kelsey was a past president of the Oklahoma VMA. He was also a past president of the Lawton Kiwanis Club and a past governor of the Kiwanis Texas-Oklahoma District. Dr. Kelsey served as chair of the board of directors of the Comanche County Industrial Development Authority, working with various companies to bring jobs to the community. He is survived by his wife, Sidonia; six daughters and a son; 23 grandchildren; and 53 great-grandchildren.

Jeffrey L. Laraway

Dr. Laraway (Florida ’90), 58, Keystone Heights, Florida, died Nov. 9, 2020. He served as chief of staff at Shelton Veterinary Clinic in Interlachen, Florida. Dr. Laraway had a special interest in wildlife and small ruminant medicine. His wife, Susan; four daughters; and a brother survive him. Memorials may be made to Safe Animal Shelter, 2913 County Road 220, Middleburg, FL 32068.

David L. Madden

Dr. Madden (Kansas State ’58), 88, Sykesville, Maryland, died Feb. 13, 2021. Following graduation and after earning his doctorate in veterinary microbiology and pathology in 1963 from Purdue University, he joined the U.S. Public Health Service. During his career with the USPHS, Dr. Madden worked at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, except for four years when he served as a science attache at the American embassy in New Delhi, India, from 1988-92. He retired with the rank of captain in 1993. Dr. Madden subsequently served as a professor of veterinary microbiology at Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine. He was a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Microbiologists.

Dr. Madden was a veteran of the Air Force, National Guard, and Army Reserves. He volunteered with the American Red Cross and was active with scouting, serving in various capacities, including scoutmaster, for troops in the U.S. and in India. Dr. Madden is survived by his wife, Nancy; a son, a daughter, and two stepsons; six grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; and a brother and a sister. Memorials may be made to Murray Hill United Methodist Church, 4101 College St., Jacksonville, FL 32205, or St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, 7538 Main St., Sykesville, MD 21784.

Hugh C. Maycumber

Dr. Maycumber (Washington State ’56), 96, Republic, Washington, died Sept. 19, 2020. He practiced mixed animal medicine in Tonasket, Washington, for more than 40 years. Dr. Maycumber served on the Washington State Veterinary Board of Governors for several years. He was a Navy veteran of World War II and the Korean War. Dr. Maycumber was a member of the American Legion for 70 years and served in the honor guard at veterans’ funerals in Washington state’s Okanogan and Ferry counties. He was active with the U.S. Armed Forces Legacy Project in Tonasket, honoring living and deceased veterans with plaques.

Dr. Maycumber is survived by two sons, two grandchildren, a great-grandchild, and a brother. Memorials may be made to Holy Rosary Catholic Church, 103 N. Whitcomb Ave., Tonasket, WA 98855, or to the U.S. Armed Forces Legacy Project, P.O. Box 854, Tonasket, WA 98855.

Lloyd A. Miller

Dr. Miller (Guelph ’62), 84, Chatsworth, Ontario, died Dec. 30, 2020. He began his career practicing in Markdale, Ontario. In 1965, Dr. Miller moved to La Plata, Maryland, where he worked in animal health at the University of Maryland. In 1968, he returned to Canada and established a practice on a farm near Chatsworth, serving the area for 33 years until retirement. Dr. Miller’s wife, Marian; two daughters and a son; two grandchildren; and a brother survive him. Memorials may be made to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, 200 Vesey St., 28th Floor, New York, NY 10281.

Fon E. Owings

Dr. Owings (Missouri ’55), 91, Unionville, Missouri, died Feb. 3, 2021. He owned Unionville Veterinary Clinic, where he practiced mixed animal medicine for more than 60 years. Dr. Owings also served as veterinarian-in-charge for the Putnam County Feeder Calf Sale from 1960-90, for the Unionville Livestock Market and Unionville Sale Barn for a total of 55 years between the two, and for the Centerville Livestock Market in Centerville, Iowa, for 30 years. He was a lifetime member of the Missouri VMA, serving on several of its committees.

Active in his community, Dr. Owings was a member of the Unionville City Council, serving as mayor of Unionville for two terms in the 1970s. He also served as Putnam County 4-H Beef Project leader and supported the Putnam County Junior Livestock Sale. Dr. Owings received several honors, including being named Putnam County Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Month and grand marshal of the Putnam County R-1 Homecoming Parade for the Putnam County R-1 School District. He also received the Putnam County R-1 Elementary Character Education Award.

Dr. Owings is survived by a daughter, three sons, 12 grandchildren, and 18 great-grandchildren. Memorials, with the memo of the checks notated to Baby Bottle Show, may be made to Putnam County Fair and sent c/o Playle & Collins Family Funeral Home, 709 S. 27th, Unionville, MO 63565.

Edwin I. Pilchard Jr.

Dr. Pilchard (Michigan State ’47), 95, Silver Spring, Maryland, died Dec. 23, 2020. He began his career practicing in Springfield, Illinois. Dr. Pilchard subsequently served in the Air Force during the Korean War. He later worked for local practices in Illinois at Mason City and Kewanee, before establishing his own mixed animal practice in Kewanee. Dr. Pilchard then joined the University of Illinois as a pathologist. He went on to direct the university’s veterinary diagnostic laboratory. After earning a master’s and a doctorate in viral immunology, he became a professor of veterinary science at the university. Dr. Pilchard later oversaw the newly established Center for Zoonoses Research at the university.

In 1969, he joined the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Washington, D.C. Dr. Pilchard traveled to universities and land-grant colleges nationwide to inspect, evaluate, and assist with their research activities. He later served as a senior staff veterinarian with the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. Dr. Pilchard retired in 1992. During his career with the USDA, he took a year’s sabbatical to Cornell University, where he audited graduate courses, conducted research, and established a regional research project on bovine immunology.

Dr. Pilchard was a past president of the District of Columbia VMA and an inductee of Sigma Xi, the scientific research honor society. He is survived by a daughter, a son, and a sister. Memorials may be made to Days End Farm Horse Rescue, 1372 Woodbine Road, Woodbine, MD 21797, or to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, P.O. Box 96929, Washington, DC 20090.

James N. Ross Jr.

Dr. Ross (Ohio State ’65), 80, Marco Island, Florida, died Feb. 25, 2021. Known as a founding father of the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, he retired as a distinguished professor emeritus in 2006.

Following graduation, Dr. Ross continued his education at The Ohio State’s veterinary college, receiving his master’s in veterinary physiology and pharmacology in 1967. He then joined the faculty at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, with joint appointments in the physiology and surgery departments. In 1972, Dr. Ross earned his doctorate in cardiovascular physiology from Baylor. He remained at the medical college until 1974, working and conducting research with cardiothoracic surgeons in the artificial heart program, focusing on veterinary cardiology. Dr. Ross then joined what is now known as the University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences in Toledo, Ohio, serving as an associate professor of physiology and as head of the canine cardiac clinic.

In 1981, he was named a professor in the Department of Clinical Sciences and chair of the Department of Medicine at the newly established School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University. During his tenure, Dr. Ross served as a veterinary cardiologist, was chair of internal medicine, and directed the Henry and Lois Foster Hospital for Small Animals at the Cummings Veterinary Medical Center. He also established a feral cat project on Virgin Gorda in the Caribbean. Dr. Ross was instrumental in the shaping of the small animal medical curriculum at Tufts; helped acquire Tufts Veterinary Emergency Treatment & Specialties, a community-based teaching hospital in Walpole, Massachusetts; and was an advocate for veterinary education and for training and mentorship. Following his retirement from Tufts, he served as a cardiologist and was director of emergency and critical care at Cape Cod Veterinary Specialists in Buzzard Bay, Massachusetts, for a few years.

Dr. Ross was a charter diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care and a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine in cardiology. He served on the AVMA Council on Education from 1989-95, representing veterinary medical research. Dr. Ross was a past president of the American Association of Veterinary Clinicians, Academy of Veterinary Cardiology, Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Society, and Massachusetts VMA, and he served as executive secretary and treasurer of the ACVECC from its inception until 2005. He was active with the American Society for Artificial Internal Organs, American College of Veterinary Anesthesia and Analgesia, American Heart Association, American Association for Laboratory Animal Science, Texas Academy of Veterinary Practice, and the Texas, Ohio, and Harris County VMAs.

In 1997, Dr. Ross received the AAVC Faculty Achievement Award. In 1998, the Massachusetts VMA honored him with a Distinguished Service Award for his contributions to cardiology and to the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Ross was named a Distinguished Alumnus in 2000 by The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine.

He is survived by his wife, Tanya; three daughters; and five grandchildren. Memorials may be made to the Veterinary Scholarship Trust of New England, P.O. Box 3221, North Attleboro, MA 02761, or to the Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Foundation, 6335 Camp Bullis Road #12, San Antonio, TX 78257.

James D. Smith

Dr. Smith (Kansas State ’58), 86, Lexington, Kentucky, died Dec. 28, 2020. An equine veterinarian, he worked for Hagyard Equine Medical Institute in Lexington for more than 40 years, serving during that time as a senior partner.

Dr. Smith was a past president of the Kentucky Association of Equine Practitioners and was a past secretary and treasurer of the American Association of Equine Practitioners. He was active with the Kentucky Equine Drug Research Council, Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, and Association of Racing Commissioners International’s Quality Assurance Program Committee. Dr. Smith served on the AVMA Committee on Environmental Issues from 1998-2001.

In 1990, the ARCI honored him with the Joan F. Pew Award for his work as a racing commissioner. Dr. Smith was the recipient of the Kansas State University Veterinary Medical Alumni Association’s E.R. Frank Award in 1992. In 2003, Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine and the Veterinary Medical Alumni Association honored him with the Distinguished Alumni Award. Dr. Smith was also commissioned a Kentucky Colonel by the commonwealth of Kentucky.

He was a member of the Rotary Club, served on the Fayette County Board of Education, and was a member of the board of directors of the Kentucky Equine Adoption Center. Dr. Smith was active with Birthright of Lexington, a nonprofit pregnancy resource center, receiving its Louise Summerhill Award in 2017.

Dr. Smith is survived by his wife, Judy; 10 children; nine grandchildren; and two siblings. Memorials may be made to the Kentucky Equine Adoption Center, P.O. Box 910124, Lexington, KY 40591, or to St. Paul Catholic Church, 425 W. Short St., Lexington, KY 40507.