In Memory – February 27, 2025

Kathy Ann Beck

Dr. Beck (Washington State ’78), 73, Portland, Oregon, died November 27, 2024. A diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Radiology, she practiced in Portland prior to retirement in 2022. Dr. Beck previously worked in Boston and Ithaca, New York. She is survived by her brother.

Sanford P. Bishop

Dr. Bishop (Cornell ’60), 88, Birmingham, Alabama, died January 4, 2025. Following graduation and after earning a master’s and a doctorate in veterinary pathology from The Ohio State University (OSU) College of Veterinary Medicine, he served on the faculty of the University of Alabama in Birmingham. During his tenure, Dr. Bishop was a professor in the Department of Pathology in the School of Medicine. He retired as a professor emeritus.

A diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine in cardiology, Dr. Bishop conducted research in comparative cardiology and served as president of the International Society for Heart Research. He was also a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists. In 1998, the OSU’s veterinary college named Dr. Bishop a Distinguished Alumnus. He is survived by his wife, Carol; two daughters and a son; five grandchildren; and a sister and a brother.

Joseph L. Blair

Dr. Blair (Texas A&M ’57), 90, Springfield, Virginia, died November 21, 2024. Following graduation, he joined the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) as a food hygiene veterinarian. During his 32-year career with FSIS, Dr. Blair served as executive assistant for inspection operations, deputy director of scientific support, and director of federal and state relations. He helped implement the 1967 Wholesome Meat Act and the 1968 Poultry Products Inspection Act in four upper-Midwest states. Dr. Blair later founded and served as senior vice president of HACCP Consulting, a food safety consulting company.

Active in organized veterinary medicine, he was a past executive vice president of what was known as the American Association of Food Hygiene Veterinarians (AAFHV)—now called the American Association of Food Safety & Public Health Veterinarians—and represented the association in the AVMA House of Delegates. Dr. Blair was also a past member of the AVMA Legislative Advisory Committee and a past chair of the United States Animal Health Association's Committee on Food. He received several honors, including the AAFHV President’s Award in 1995, AVMA Public Service Award in 2002, and Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences’ Outstanding Alumnus Award in 2003. In 2010, Dr. Blair was named AAFHV Food Hygiene Veterinarian of the Year.

He is survived by three sons, a daughter, and nine grandchildren. Memorials may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, 225 N. Michigan Ave., Floor 17, Chicago, IL 60601.

James A. Eidson

Dr. Eidson (Georgia ’60), 88, Clemson, South Carolina, died January 18, 2025. He owned Clemson Animal Hospital prior to retirement in 2003. Earlier in his career, Dr. Eidson worked in Florence, South Carolina, for several years. A past president of the South Carolina Association of Veterinarians (SCAV), he was honored with the SCAV Distinguished Veterinarian Award in 2002.

Dr. Eidson was a member of the Clemson-Calhoun Rotary Club and was a Paul Harris Fellow. His wife, Judith Kline; a son and a daughter; four grandchildren; and a sister and a brother survive him. Memorials may be made to Fort Hill Presbyterian Church, 101 Edgewood Ave., Clemson, SC 29631.

Henry M. Fortna

Dr. Fortna (Pennsylvania ’64), 84, Ephrata, Pennsylvania, died June 14, 2024. Following graduation, he served in the Army as a veterinary pathologist, retiring as a captain in 1970. Dr. Fortna subsequently established Ephrata Animal Hospital, where he practiced mixed animal medicine until retirement in 2011. His wife, Kristin, survives him. Memorials may be made to Bethany United Church of Christ, 140 E. Main St., Ephrata, PA 17522.

Hunter Lang

Dr. Lang (Michigan State ’81), 68, Prairie du Sac, Wisconsin, died January 29, 2025. A large animal veterinarian, he practiced primarily bovine medicine in Prairie du Sac for 40 years prior to retirement. Dr. Lang was active with the American Association of Bovine Practitioners (AABP), serving on the AABP Welfare Committee and AABP board of directors and as the AABP’s delegate to the AVMA House of Delegates. He was a past chair of the Wisconsin Veterinary Examining Board and served on its Credentialing and Screening committees. Dr. Lang also served as an adjunct faculty member at the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine and was a member of the Wisconsin and Southwestern Wisconsin VMAs and National Mastitis Council.

He is survived by his wife, Laura; two sons and two daughters; four grandchildren; his mother; and three sisters and a brother. Memorials may be made to the American Heart Association, P.O. Box 840692, Dallas, TX 75284, or toward the podcast “This Week in Virology,” and sent to MicrobeTV Inc., 352 Seventh Ave., Suite 703, New York, NY 10001.

Charles Edward Lotz

Dr. Lotz (Illinois ’71), 78, Macomb, Illinois, died October 26, 2024. He co-owned Animal Medical Center in Macomb. Earlier in his career, Dr. Lotz worked in Milledgeville, Illinois. His wife, Lynn; two sons and a daughter; two grandchildren; and two brothers and a sister survive him. Memorials may be made to the Alpha Gamma Rho Fraternity-Alpha Tau Chapter at Western Illinois University, 1010 N. Lafayette St., Macomb, IL 61455, or Merge at Illinois State University Wesley, 211 N. School St., Normal, IL 61761.

William J. Magee

Dr. Magee (Minnesota ’63), 86, Valley City, North Dakota, died December 4, 2024. He began his career in Duluth, Minnesota. Dr. Magee subsequently practiced in Jamestown, North Dakota, and Valley City. He retired in 2000. Dr. Magee’s wife, Marion; three daughters and a son; 12 grandchildren; 23 great-grandchildren; and two brothers and two sisters survive him.

Rose A. Nelsenador

Dr. Nelsenador (California-Davis ’99), 50, Sacramento, California, died November 1, 2024. She practiced at Midtown Animal Hospital in Sacramento until 2021. Earlier, Dr. Nelsenador worked at Yokayo Veterinary Clinic in Ukiah, California. She is survived by her husband, Matt; a daughter and a son; her parents; and two sisters.

Sheri Siegel

Dr. Siegel (Tuskegee ’89), 62, Greensboro, Georgia, died January 13, 2025. In 2001, she co-founded the New England Veterinary Oncology Group in Waltham, Massachusetts, retiring in 2017. Earlier in her career, Dr. Siegel practiced in California and worked at Angell Animal Medical Center in Boston. She also served as a veterinarian for the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in Alaska. Dr. Siegel was a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Radiology. She is survived by her parents, a brother, and a sister. Memorials may be made to Hatzolah Air, a nonprofit organization providing emergency medical air transport, and sent to 120-10 Queens Blvd., Kew Gardens, NY 11415.

James E. Wheeler

Dr. Wheeler (Minnesota ’63), 89, Bismarck, North Dakota, died January 31, 2025. From 1963 until retirement in 2002, he practiced mixed animal medicine at Midway Veterinary Clinic in Mandan, North Dakota. Dr. Wheeler also volunteered his services at the Dakota Zoo in Bismarck until 2018. He served on the North Dakota Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners and was a past president of the North Dakota VMA (NDVMA). In 2001, Dr. Wheeler was named NDVMA Veterinarian of the Year. Active in his community, he served on the board of directors of what is now known as Sanford Health for several years. Dr. Wheeler is survived by his wife, Pat; two sons and two daughters; and his grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Please report the death of a veterinarian to the AVMA 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, AVMA News must be notified within six months of the date of death.