In Memory – January 16, 2025

Rebecca R. Benes

Dr. Benes (Cornell ’16), 34, Jericho, Vermont, died November 27, 2024. She practiced small animal medicine at Malletts Bay Veterinary Hospital in Colchester, Vermont. Dr. Benes previously worked as a mixed animal veterinarian in central Wisconsin. She is survived by her husband, Joshua; two sons; her parents; and a sister and a brother.

Tommy J. Byrd

Dr. Byrd (Oklahoma State ’58), 90, Tyler, Texas, died September 14, 2024. During his 35-year career, he co-owned Summer Grove Animal Hospital and Towne South Animal Hospital in Shreveport, Louisiana. Dr. Byrd’s wife, Marjorie; two sons; four grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; and a sister survive him.

James W. Ebert

Dr. Ebert (Pennsylvania ’64), 86, Sierra Vista, Arizona, died October 9, 2024. Following graduation, he practiced in West Grove, Pennsylvania. Dr. Ebert subsequently served 31 years in the U.S. Public Health Service. During that time, he conducted research on blastomycosis, was part of the team that helped develop the hepatitis B vaccine for humans, and contributed to xenotransplantation guidelines.

Dr. Ebert volunteered his services to the Primate Foundation of Arizona for several years. He is survived by his wife, Dr. Deborah D. Ebert (Pennsylvania ’66), also a veterinarian; three sons and a daughter; and 11 grandchildren.

Jeffrey Joseph Hubbell

Dr. Hubbell (Colorado State ’71), 82, Columbia, South Carolina, died November 30, 2024. He served as a veterinary pathologist at Clemson University prior to retirement. Earlier in his career, Dr. Hubbell practiced in Los Angeles. Active in organized veterinary medicine, he served on the AVMA Council on Education and on the executive board of the Greater Columbia Association of Veterinarians. Dr. Hubbell was a veteran of the Navy. He is survived by his wife, Toni; three sons; six grandchildren; and a sister.

Katie Deanna Huntzinger

Huntzinger (Texas A&M ’26), 26, College Station, Texas, died September 30, 2024. She was a third-year student at Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. Huntzinger’s interests in veterinary medicine ranged from equine medicine to shelter medicine. Passionate about horses, she qualified for the American Quarter Horse Youth Association’s World Show in the working cow horse class in 2016. Huntzinger is survived by her parents.

Hal L. Jenkins

Dr. Jenkins (Missouri ’62), 93, Tempe, Arizona, died September 12, 2024. Following graduation, he established a large animal practice in Tempe. Dr. Jenkins subsequently founded Baseline Animal Clinic in Tempe where he practiced small animal medicine until retirement in 2011. Dr. Jenkins was a past president of the Arizona VMA and Western Veterinary Conference and served as Arizona’s delegate to the AVMA House of Delegates. He also served on the AVMA Judicial Council and on the Arizona State Veterinary Medical Examining Board.

In 1978, Dr. Jenkins was named Arizona Veterinarian of the Year. In 2012, he was inducted into the Arizona VMA Hall of Fame. Dr. Jenkins was a member of the Kiwanis and Boy Scouts of America. He was a veteran of the Air Force. Dr. Jenkins is survived by his wife, Carolyn, and two sons. One son, Dr. Jeffrey V. Jenkins (Kansas State ’98), is also a veterinarian.

Jeff A. Jones

Dr. Jones (Texas A&M ’87), 65, Temple, Texas, died November 4, 2024. A Fear Free and PennHip certified veterinarian, he owned Pet Medical Center in Harker Heights, Texas, until 2020. Dr. Jones later worked part time at the practice. Earlier in his career, he practiced mixed animal medicine in Dalhart, Texas. Dr. Jones’s wife, Deborah; a daughter and a son; three grandchildren; a great-grandchild; and his mother survive him. Memorials may be made to St. Mary’s Catholic School, 1019 South Seventh St., Temple, TX 76504; St. Luke Catholic Church, 2807 Oakdale Drive, Temple, TX 76502; or Holy Trinity Catholic High School, 6608 W. Adams Ave., Temple, TX 76502.

George Gartly Moore

Dr. Moore (Auburn ’65), 85, Louisville, Kentucky, died October 1, 2024. Following graduation, he worked in Glasgow, Kentucky, and Goldsboro, North Carolina. Dr. Moore went on to own Somerset Animal Hospital in Somerset, Kentucky, where he practiced mixed animal medicine for 45 years. He also raised beef cattle on the family farm. Dr. Moore was a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve. He is survived by his wife, Alice; three sons; six grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; and a sister. Memorials may be made to the American Red Cross, Hurricane Relief Fund, P.O. Box 37839, Boone, IA 50037, or The Gideons International, P.O. Box 97251, Washington, DC 20090.

Frederick Allen Palmer

Dr. Palmer (Texas A&M ’69), 87, Godley, Texas, died October 11, 2024. In 1973, he established Brown Trail Animal Clinic in Bedford, Texas, where he practiced small animal medicine until 1994. Dr. Palmer later appraised veterinary practices for Simmons & Associates and founded Northgate Whitetails, a deer operation on his ranch. Early in his career, Dr. Palmer worked in Texas at Richardson and Arlington.

Active in organized veterinary medicine, he was a past president of the Texas and Tarrant County VMAs and was a past chair of the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences president’s advisory and development councils. Dr. Palmer was a veteran of the Army. His wife, Vola; a son; two grandchildren; and a brother survive him. Memorials may be made to Acton Baptist Church, 3500 Fall Creek Highway, Granbury, Texas 76049, or toward the Dr. Fred A. and Vola N. Palmer Chair in Comparative Oncology, with checks made to the Texas A&M Foundation and notated to Dr. Fred Palmer ’59 #32263, and sent to 401 George Bush Drive, College Station, TX 77840.

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

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