AVMA News

In Memory – November 21, 2024

Member status key:

AVMA member | AVMA honor roll member | Nonmember

Steven B. Colter

Dr. Colter (Colorado State ’67), 82, Fort Collins, Colorado, died July 7, 2024. During his career, he served as a professor at the Bel-Rea Institute of Animal Technology; worked at VCA Alameda East Veterinary Hospital in Denver; practiced at Pikes Peak Veterinary Hospital in Colorado Springs, Colorado; and worked at Flint Veterinary Hospital in Salt Lake City. A diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine, Dr. Colter was a past president of the Colorado VMA (CVMA) and served as Colorado’s delegate and alternate delegate to the AVMA House of Delegates. In 2002, he received the CVMA Distinguished Service Award. Dr. Colter’s wife, Kay; a son and a daughter; eight grandchildren; and two sisters survive him. Memorials, toward the Neurology and Neurosurgery Service, with the memo line of the check notated “In Memory of Dr. Colter” may be made to the CSU Foundation, P.O. Box 1870, Fort Collins, CO 80522.

Jennifer Devey

Dr. Devey (Guelph ’88), 60, Saanichton, British Columbia, died June 11, 2024. A diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care (ACVECC), she was an emergency and critical care consultant with veterinary hospitals in the United States, Canada, and other countries. During her career, Dr. Devey served as director of emergency and intensive care services at several referral practices in Canada and the United States. Active with the International Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Symposium (IVECCS), she was laboratory coordinator of the workshops for several years and organized the emergency procedures wet laboratory, recently named in her honor.

Dr. Devey served on committees of the ACVECC and the Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Society (VECCS). She was a member of several organizations, including the European Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Society, Society of Critical Care Medicine, and Canadian VMA. In 2015, she was honored with the VECCS Ira M. Zaslow Distinguished Service Award. Dr. Devey is survived by her brother.

Robert “Bobby” B. Fulton Jr.

Dr. Fulton (Georgia ’78), 78, Ann Arbor, Michigan, died September 22, 2024. Following graduation, he practiced at DoveLewis Emergency Animal Hospital in Portland, Oregon, and taught at Portland Community College and Oregon State University. In the mid-1980s, Dr. Fulton moved to Michigan, where he taught at Michigan State University. He later worked at various emergency small animal clinics in Ann Arbor. An advocate for animals, Dr. Fulton held workshops on humane euthanasia in California, Oregon, and Washington state. He retired in 2014.

Dr. Fulton was a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care. His three children and four grandchildren survive him.

Ray M. LaCour

Dr. LaCour (Texas A&M ’55), 96, Lafayette, Louisiana, died October 19, 2024. He owned a practice in Lafayette for several years prior to retirement. Dr. LaCour was a past president of the Louisiana VMA and served on the Louisiana Board of Veterinary Medicine for six years. His four daughters, six grandchildren, 11 great-grandchildren, and four siblings survive him. Memorials may be made to Acadiana Animal Aid, 142 Le Medicin Road, Carencro, LA 70520.

Henry Philmon

Dr. Philmon (Iowa State ’58), 91, Mound, Minnesota, died August 27, 2024. Following graduation, he served in the Army Veterinary Corps, attaining the rank of captain. Dr. Philmon subsequently worked in Davenport, Iowa. In 1969, he moved to Minnetonka, Minnesota, where he practiced at Minnetonka Animal Hospital. During that time, Dr. Philmon also developed curriculum for veterinary technology programs at various institutions, including the University of Minnesota, and provided spay and neuter services at the Minnesota State Fair for several years. He later established M.A.S.H., a mobile surgical practice. Dr. Philmon was a life member of the Minnesota VMA. He is survived by his son, daughter, and two grandchildren.

William S. Rowe

Dr. Rowe (Georgia ’65), 85, Mineral Bluff, Georgia, died October 29, 2024. He began his career as the resident veterinarian at Millarden Farms in Woodbury, Georgia. Dr. Rowe subsequently served a year in the Army Veterinary Corps. He later established four mixed animal practices in the San Antonio area of Texas and co-founded a veterinary emergency clinic in San Antonio. Dr. Rowe was active with the Christian Veterinary Mission. He is survived by four daughters and 11 grandchildren. Memorials, toward the Endowment Fund, may be made to the Christian Veterinary Mission, c/o Dr. Kit Flowers, 19303 Fremont Ave. N., Seattle, WA 98133.

Laura L. Wagner

Dr. Wagner (Georgia ’93), 57, Evansville, Indiana, died August 12, 2024. In 1999, she established McCutchanville Animal Hospital in Evansville, where she practiced for 25 years. Earlier in her career, Dr. Wagner worked in Gainesville, Georgia, and practiced at West Side Pet Hospital in Evansville. Memorials, toward the Laura Wagner Memorial, may be made to the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine, Division of Development & Alumni Relations, One Press Place, Athens, GA 30602.

Thomas R. Wolski

Dr. Wolski (Cornell ’71), 76, Cambridge, New York, died June 6, 2024. He was the founder of Cambridge Valley Veterinary Hospital, where he practiced for more than 30 years. Dr. Wolski served on the Cambridge School Board for a decade. He is survived by his wife, Jan; a daughter; two grandchildren; and three sisters. Memorials may be made to the Cambridge Food Pantry, P.O. Box 473, Cambridge, NY 12186.

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


Please report the death of a veterinarian promptly to the AVMA News staff via a toll-free phone call at 800-248-2862, ext. 6754; email at newsatavma [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.