In Memory – December 5, 2024

Rebecca Ann Barr

Dr. Barr (Michigan State ’78), 69, Shawano, Wisconsin, died October 19, 2024. Following graduation, she worked two years in southern Wisconsin. Dr. Barr subsequently moved to Shawano where she co-owned a practice with her husband, Dr. Andy Barr (Michigan State ’78), for more than 20 years. She then established All About Animals in Shawano, practicing there until retirement in 2020.

Dr. Barr was instrumental in founding the Shawano County Humane Society, serving as a volunteer and on the board of directors. She was also a member of the board of directors of Red River Riders, working many years as the veterinarian and as the nonprofit’s program director. Dr. Barr had a special interest in herding dogs and was active in training and competing with her dogs. She was also active in agility, with several of her dogs winning the American Kennel Club’s master agility champion title.

Dr. Barr is survived by her husband, a son and a daughter, a grandchild, and a brother and two sisters. Memorials may be made to the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America, 322 Eighth Ave., 16th Floor, New York, NY 10001, or Wisconsin Humane Society, 1830 Radisson St., Green Bay, WI 54302.

John F. Bowers

Dr. Bowers (Ohio State ’58), 94, Sylvania, Ohio, died September 21, 2024. Following graduation, he established a small animal hospital in West Toledo, Ohio, where he practiced for more than 45 years prior to retirement in 2004. A past president of the Toledo VMA, Dr. Bowers was a member of the Ohio VMA. Active in his community, he volunteered with the Boy Scouts of America and was a member of the Masonic Lodge. Dr. Bowers was a veteran of the Army. His wife, Ellen; two daughters; three grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; and a sister survive him. Memorials may be made to Sylvania United Church of Christ, 7240 Erie St., Sylvania, OH 43560.

Frederik J. Derksen

Dr. Derksen (Guelph ’76), 72, Bath, Michigan, died November 2, 2024. He served on the faculty of Michigan State University for more than 40 years. During that time, Dr. Derksen was a professor and chaired the Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences at the College of Veterinary Medicine, later chairing the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition at the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. He also served as the principal investigator on two United States Agency for International Development grants, focusing on institutional development in countries in Africa and South Asia.

Dr. Derksen was a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine. In 1993, the World Equine Veterinary Association honored him with the Schering-Plough Animal Health Award for Equine Applied Research for his work in equine respiratory diseases. Dr. Derksen is survived by his wife, Jan; two sons; and five grandchildren. Memorials may be made to West Michigan Trails, 1345 Monroe Ave. NW, Suite 244, Grand Rapids, MI 49505, or Bath Alumni Football Organization, P.O. Box 234, Bath, MI 48808.

Darrel E. Johnson

Dr. Johnson (Minnesota ’57), 92, Marshfield, Wisconsin, died October 28, 2024. Following graduation, he joined a dairy practice in Manawa, Wisconsin, eventually serving as a partner and owner. The practice subsequently expanded to Weyauwega, Wisconsin, and became Dairyland Animal Health, where Dr. Johnson worked until retirement in 1993.

Active in organized veterinary medicine, he was a past president of the American Association of Bovine Practitioners (AABP), represented the association on the AVMA House of Delegates, and served on several of its committees, including the Pharmaceutical and Biologics Committee and the former Mastitis Committee. Dr. Johnson also served on committees of the National Mastitis Council (NMC), United States Animal Health Association, and Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection, and was a past member of the NMC board of directors. Dr. Johnson served on the executive board of the Northeastern Wisconsin VMA and was a member of the Wisconsin VMA (WVMA), serving on its advisory committee to the state’s veterinary diagnostic laboratories.

In 1968, he was named WVMA Veterinarian of the Year. The University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine honored Dr. Johnson as a Distinguished Alumnus in 1979. He was recognized as AABP Bovine Practitioner of the Year in 1986 and received the AABP President’s Award in 1993. In 2017, Dr. Johnson was inducted into the AABP’s Cattle Production Veterinarian Hall of Fame (Dairy). Engaged in his community, he served on the board of education for the Weyauwega-Fremont School District, was a member of the local chamber of commerce, and served as a humane officer for Waupaca County.

Dr. Johnson is survived by two sons, two daughters, and two grandchildren. His daughter, Dr. Debra Johnson (Minnesota ’85), and son, Dr. Todd Johnson (Wisconsin ’87), are also veterinarians. Memorials, toward the food pantry program, may be made to the First Presbyterian Church, 200 S. Lincoln Ave., Marshfield, WI 54449.

David James Polzin

Dr. Polzin (Illinois ’75), 72, Minneapolis, died September 25, 2024. He served on the veterinary faculty of the University of Minnesota for more than 40 years, retiring as a professor emeritus in 2021. During his tenure, Dr. Polzin also served as head of internal medicine at the veterinary college. A diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine, he was known for his expertise in veterinary nephrology and urology. Dr. Polzin’s research focused on the diagnosis of kidney disease, dietary therapies for the mitigation and management of chronic kidney failure, glomerulopathies, acid-base balance disorders, and the treatment of urinary tract infections and autoimmune hemolytic anemia. He co-authored the manual “Nephrology and Urology of Small Animals.”

Dr. Polzin was a founding member of the International Renal Interest Society and helped establish and was an honorary member of the American College of Veterinary Nephrology and Urology. He was also a member of the American Society of Veterinary Nephrology and Urology, Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Society, American Society of Nephrology, International Society of Nephrology, and National Kidney Foundation. Dr. Polzin is survived by his wife, Brenda; three daughters and two sons; eight grandchildren; and a brother. Memorials may be made to the Minnesota Humane Society, 475 North Cleveland Ave., #100B, St. Paul, MN 55104, or The Nature Conservancy, Attn: Treasury, 4245 N. Fairfax Drive, Suite 100, Arlington, VA 22203.

Vassilios J. Theodorides

Dr. Theodorides, 93, West Chester, Pennsylvania, died November 4, 2024. A 1956 veterinary graduate of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece, he was director of toxicology at what was known as SmithKline Beecham Animal Health and an adjunct professor at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine prior to retirement in 1993. During his more than 25-year career with SmithKline, Dr. Theodorides served as a group leader of the microbiology section; was associate director of chemotherapy research; served as manager of parasitology and toxicology; and was director of human safety evaluation and antiparasitic research. He also co-invented the drug Albendazole.

Early in his career, Dr. Theodorides was a consultant in parasitology and mycology at the former Peter Bent Brigham Hospital in Boston and served as a research parasitologist with Pfizer in Terre Haute, Indiana. He is survived by his wife, Soula; three daughters; two grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. Memorials may be made to the St. George Greek Orthodox Church, 30 E. Forge Road, Media, PA 19063.

Edward L. Tillotson

Dr. Tillotson (Cornell ’70), 79, Killawog, New York, died October 27, 2024. Following graduation, he practiced in Homer, New York. In 1977, Dr. Tillotson established a mixed animal practice in Killawog, where he worked until retirement in 2020. His wife, Ruth; three children; and four grandchildren survive him.

Neal D. Tindol

Dr. Tindol (Texas A&M ’86), 69, Big Spring, Texas, died July 27, 2024. Following graduation, he practiced in San Angelo, Texas, for several years. Dr. Tindol later moved to Big Spring, where he worked at Sierra Animal Clinic, eventually taking ownership of the practice. He also served as the veterinarian for the Big Spring Cowboy Reunion and Rodeo for many years. Dr. Tindol is survived by a sister and a brother. His brother, Dr. Rogan D. Tindol (Texas A&M ’86), is also a veterinarian. Memorials may be made to West Texas Boys Ranch, 10223 Boys Ranch Road, San Angelo, TX 76904.

A version of this story appears in the February 2025 print issue of JAVMA

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