In Memory – July 7, 2022

AVMA member

AVMA honor roll member

Lester M. Crawford

Dr. Crawford (Auburn ’63), 83, Athens, Georgia, died Dec. 23, 2021. He was a former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, the first veterinarian to serve in this capacity.

Following graduation, Dr. Crawford practiced in Birmingham, Alabama. He subsequently worked as a research and development veterinarian for American Cyanamid Co. Dr. Crawford went on to join the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine, where he earned his doctorate in pharmacology, chaired the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, and was associate dean of the veterinary college. Between 1978 and 1985, he twice directed the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine.

Dr. Crawford later worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, serving as administrator for four years. After that, he was executive vice president for scientific affairs at the National Food Processors Association in Washington, D.C. Dr. Crawford then served as executive director of the American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges before directing the Center for Food and Nutrition Policy, which was at Georgetown University and then moved to Virginia Tech. He later served again as executive director of the AAVMC. In 2002, Dr. Crawford rejoined the FDA, where he was deputy commissioner, acting commissioner, and commissioner. He resigned in 2005.

A past president of the American Veterinary Epidemiology Society and the American Veterinary Medical History Society, Dr. Crawford was an honorary diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine and a fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine and the International Academy of Food Science and Technology. He was inducted into the French Academy of Veterinary Medicine and received an honorary doctorate from Budapest University. In 2003, Dr. Crawford was elected to the National Academy of Medicine. He served as an adviser to the World Health Organization and the Singapore Health Sciences Authority, and he was a member of the board of directors of the former National Commission on Veterinary Economic Issues.

Dr. Crawford is survived by his wife, Cathy; two daughters; four grandchildren; and a sister and a brother. His nephew, Dr. Casey Ray (Auburn ’04), is a mobile veterinarian in Bessemer, Alabama. Memorials may be made to the Lewy Body Dementia Association, 912 Killian Hill Road SW, Lilburn, GA 30047, or First Presbyterian Church of Athens, 185 E. Hancock Ave., Athens, GA 30601.

Robert E. Jones

Dr. Jones (Cornell ’61), 88, LeRoy, New York, died Jan. 8, 2022. He practiced mixed animal medicine in the Genesee Valley area of New York state for more than 35 years. Dr. Jones was a member of the New York State Veterinary Medical Society, Genesee Valley VMA, and Buffalo Academy of Veterinary Medicine.

He was a past president of the LeRoy Rotary Club, served on the LeRoy Central School Board, and was a member of the LeRoy Jaycees. Dr. Jones was also active via several official positions with the Jupiter-Tequesta Rotary Club during his retirement years in Florida. He served on the board of directors of the Guatemalan Tomorrow Fund, helping raise funds for the needy in Guatemala.

Dr. Jones was a Marine Corps veteran of the Korean War. He is survived by a daughter, two sons, a stepson, 12 grandchildren, several great-grandchildren, and a brother.

Paul H. Langner

Dr. Langner (Pennsylvania ’66), 84, Alamogordo, New Mexico, died March 29, 2022. Following graduation, he served as an ambulatory clinician at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine’s New Bolton Center. Dr. Langner subsequently joined the Army Veterinary Corps, during which time he spent a year in Vietnam, where he helped establish a veterinary clinic at Quang Tri Combat Base. He went on to practice small animal and equine medicine and worked as a senior research veterinarian for American Cyanamid Co.

Dr. Langner later completed a fellowship in laboratory animal medicine at Hershey Medical Center in Hershey, Pennsylvania. He served as director of the Division of Laboratory Animal Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and director of laboratory animal care at the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine. He then worked at Holloman Air Force Base in Alamogordo.

Dr. Langner is survived by a daughter, two grandchildren, and a brother.

Edgar L. Loy

Dr. Loy (Pennsylvania ’53), 95, Wayne, Pennsylvania, died May 6, 2022. Following graduation, he practiced large animal medicine in the Newville area of Pennsylvania. Dr. Loy subsequently owned West Shore Animal Hospital in New Cumberland, Pennsylvania, and Lower Allen Veterinary Clinic in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania. He retired in 2013.

Dr. Loy was a Navy veteran of World War II. He later served in the Army Reserves. Dr. Loy’s wife, Dorothy; two daughters and three sons; 14 grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren survive him. Memorials may be made to the Wounded Warrior Project, P.O. Box 758516, Topeka, KS 66675.

Paul W. Pennock

Dr. Pennock (Guelph ’58), 91, Guelph, Ontario, died June 10, 2022. He was a professor emeritus in the Department of Clinical Studies at the University of Guelph Ontario Veterinary College. A diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Radiology, Dr. Pennock also served as a veterinary radiologist during his tenure. Active in his community, he was a member of the Guelph Rotary Club. Dr. Pennock’s wife, Anne; a son and a daughter; and four grandchildren survive him. Memorials may be made to the Guelph Humane Society, 190 Hanlon Creek Blvd., Guelph, ON N1C 0A1, Canada.

Robert H. Rainier

Dr. Rainier (Ohio State ’63), 84, Carmel, Indiana, died June 11, 2022. He worked in veterinary product research and development for Pfizer in Terre Haute, Indiana, and Groton, Connecticut, for more than 30 years. Earlier in his career, Dr. Rainier served briefly as a clinician at Gurley Small Animal Hospital in Durham, North Carolina, and was assistant director at the Bio-Toxicological Research Association in Spencerville, Ohio.

His wife, Nell; a son and a daughter; four grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and a sister survive him. Memorials may be made to the Robert H. Rainier Endowed Chair in Industrial Veterinary Medicine and Research, The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine, 1900 Coffey Road, Columbus, OH 43210.

Tyson W. Wallis

Dr. Wallis (Texas A&M ’04), 42, Pilot Point, Texas, died March 25, 2022. Following graduation, he completed an internship at Oakridge Equine Hospital in Edmond, Oklahoma, and a combined master’s and surgical residency program at Colorado State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital. Dr. Wallis subsequently became a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons and worked in Tennessee and South Carolina. In 2012, he co-founded Equine Athlete Veterinary Services in Pilot Point, focusing on sports medicine and lameness. Dr. Wallis also served as a staff surgeon for Michigan Equine Surgical Associates in Bridgeport.

A member of the American Association of Equine Practitioners, he was an Arabian Show Horse delegate for the AAEP Performance Horse Task Force. Dr. Wallis was also a member of the Arabian Horse Association and the Arabian Professional and Amateur Horseman’s Association. His wife, Kristen; a daughter; and his parents survive him. Memorials may be made to the Friends of Vail Foundation, 720 Venture Farm Road, Pilot Point, Texas 76258.