In Memory – December 2022
Published: 25 November 2022
AVMA member | AVMA honor roll member | Nonmember
Blair H. Campbell
Dr. Campbell (Cornell ’60), 86, Rutland, Vermont, died April 22, 2022. Following graduation, he moved to Vermont, where he established Mendon Animal Clinic in Mendon and Eastwood Animal Hospital in Rutland. During his career, Dr. Campbell also served as a professor at Castleton State College in Castleton, Vermont. He is survived by his life partner, Donna Gilman; two children; four grandchildren; and a great-grandchild. Memorials may be made to the Master Gardeners Program, University of Vermont, 63 Carrigan Drive, Jeffords Hall, Room 206, Burlington, VT 05405, or the American Diabetes Association, P.O. Box 7023, Merrifield, VA 22116.
Larry A. Eld
Dr. Eld (Colorado State ’67), 83, Meridian, Idaho, died Aug. 7, 2022. Following graduation, he practiced mixed animal medicine in Emmett, Idaho. Dr. Eld subsequently moved to Boise, Idaho, where he joined Mountain View Animal Clinic. In 1977, he took over the practice, owning it until 1999. In semiretirement, Dr. Eld continued to perform surgery part time. During his career, he also served as the veterinarian for Zoo Boise and was instrumental in establishing an emergency clinic in Boise. Dr. Eld also invented and patented the Eld gastrostomy tube applicator.
Active in organized veterinary medicine, he co-founded and served as president of the Boise Academy of Veterinary Practitioners and served on the Idaho Board of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Eld was a member of the American Animal Hospital Association and the Idaho and Southwest Idaho VMAs. In 1994, he received the IVMA Veterinarian of the Year Award. Dr. Eld was also named a Distinguished Citizen by the Idaho Statesman. He is survived by two sons, his grandchildren, and three brothers. Memorials may be made to the Boise Rescue Mission, P.O. Box 1494, Boise, ID 83701.
Janette Friel
Dr. Friel (Florida ’83), 82, Eugene, Oregon, died Aug. 4, 2022. Following graduation and after completing an internship at Auburn University, she served as an associate veterinarian at Ansley Animal Clinic in Atlanta. Dr. Friel subsequently established Inman Park Animal Hospital in Atlanta, where she practiced until retirement. She is survived by her spouse, Nancy Curran. Memorials may be made to Freedom From Religion Foundation, P.O. Box 750, Madison, WI 53701; Atlanta Humane Society, 1551 Perry Blvd. NW, Atlanta, GA 30318; or Food for Lane County, 770 Bailey Hill Road, Eugene, OR 97402.
Donald H. Fritz
Dr. Fritz (Cornell ’54), 92, Peterborough, New Hampshire, died Aug. 12, 2022. Following graduation, he co-established Tenney, Fritz, and Combs Animal Hospital in Peterborough. Dr. Fritz was a past president of the New Hampshire and New England VMAs and served on the New Hampshire Board of Veterinary Medicine. He is survived by his wife, Margaret; two sons, a daughter, and stepchildren; a grandchild and stepgrandchildren; and a great-grandchild and stepgreat-grandchildren. One son, Dr. Derek Fritz (Cornell ’85), is also a veterinarian.
Robert F. Goldsboro
Dr. Goldsboro (Tuskegee ’51), 95, Medford, New Jersey, died Sept. 8, 2022. Following graduation, he served as a first lieutenant in the Air Force during the Korean War. Dr. Goldsboro subsequently earned a master’s in public health from Columbia University and joined the New Jersey Department of Health, serving as a district public health veterinarian and as state program coordinator of veterinary epidemiology. He retired after 30 years with the department. Dr. Goldsboro was a veteran of the Air Force Reserve, retiring as a lieutenant colonel after 28 years of active and reserve service. His son, daughter, and four grandchildren survive him.
John Theodore Hollister
Dr. Hollister (California-Davis ’55), 91, Pacific Grove, California, died March 29, 2022. Following graduation, he served in the Air Force. Dr. Hollister subsequently established Peninsula Animal Hospital in Pacific Grove, where he practiced small animal medicine until retirement in 1995. He later provided his services at a spay and neuter clinic in Greenfield, California. Dr. Hollister served on the board of directors of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Monterey County. His four children and a brother survive him. Memorials may be made to SPCA Monterey County, 1002 Monterey Salinas Highway, Salinas, CA 93908.
Duane E. Hughes
Dr. Hughes (Minnesota ’56), 91, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, died July 12, 2022. Following graduation, he established a large animal practice in Herreid, South Dakota. In 1966, Dr. Hughes moved near Java, South Dakota, where he ranched and worked as an inspector for the state of South Dakota. He eventually became the state veterinarian. Dr. Hughes later served as the inspecting veterinarian for the stockyards in Sioux Falls.
A member of the South Dakota VMA, he was named Veterinarian of the Year in 1981. Dr. Hughes is survived by his wife, Venoye; three daughters and two sons; 16 grandchildren; 21 great-grandchildren; and two sisters. Memorials may be made to the South Dakota VMA, P.O. Box 2175, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD 57007, or Avera Dougherty Hospice House, 4509 S. Prince of Peace Place, Sioux Falls, SD 57103.
Mark Kombert
Dr. Kombert (Louisiana State ’95), 59, White Plains, New York, died Aug. 24, 2022. He most recently practiced in New York state. Dr. Kombert is survived by two sons, his mother, and three sisters. Memorials may be made to the Jewish National Fund, National Office, 42 E. 69th St., New York, NY 10021, or International Animal Rescue, P.O. Box 137, Shrewsbury, MA 01545.
Jerrold Michaels
Dr. Michaels (Illinois ’58), 88, Crystal Lake, Illinois, died April 6, 2022. Following graduation, he practiced in Homewood, Illinois. Dr. Michaels subsequently established Fox Valley Animal Hospital in Crystal Lake, retiring in 2015. He was a member of the Illinois State VMA. Dr. Michaels served on the board of directors of the Crystal Lake Chamber of Commerce and was a member of the Kiwanis Club of Crystal Lake. He is survived by his wife, Marian; two daughters; five grandchildren; and a great-grandchild. Memorials, toward the Jerrold and Marian Michaels Veterinary Scholarship Fund, may be sent to the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine, Office of Advancement, Suite 3516, 2001 S. Lincoln Ave., Urbana, IL 61802.
Cameron B. Mikkelsen
Dr. Mikkelsen (Minnesota ’62), 90, Devils Lake, North Dakota, died April 29, 2022. During his career of more than 40 years, he owned mixed animal practices in North Dakota at Oakes, Bowman, and Beach, and he served as a relief veterinarian in the state at Jamestown and New Rockford. Following retirement in 2004, Dr. Mikkelsen worked on a farm in the area for more than 10 years.
He was a past president of the North Dakota VMA and a member of the Elks and Masonic lodges. Dr. Mikkelsen was a veteran of the Navy. He is survived by his wife, Joyce; four sons, two stepsons, and a stepdaughter; four grandchildren and 11 stepgrandchildren; nine great-grandchildren and 19 stepgreat-grandchildren; two stepgreat-great-grandchildren; and a brother and a sister.
Dewey E. Monty
Dr. Monty (Colorado State ’57), 90, Mesa, Arizona, died Sept. 9, 2022. Following graduation, he served as assistant state veterinarian of Arizona. Dr. Monty subsequently established Monty Veterinary Clinic in Flagstaff, Arizona. He later earned his master’s in comparative pathology and physiology from the University of California-Davis and his doctorate in physiology from Utah State University. Dr. Monty then began a career in academia, serving as a lecturer at the University of Nairobi in Kenya and as a professor at Arizona State University and the University of Arizona, retiring from the latter as a professor emeritus in 1994.
While in academia, he also assisted in the development of veterinary education and livestock disease control programs in developing countries, including Pakistan, Bangladesh, Kenya, Nepal, and Somalia, via the U.S. Agency for International Development, World Bank, and Asian Development Bank. In addition, Dr. Monty received a Fulbright Award to lecture at the Saints Cyril and Methodius University in the country of North Macedonia.
He was a past president of the Arizona and Central Arizona VMAs and Arizona Academy of Veterinary Practice; helped develop AVMA-accredited veterinary technology programs in Arizona; and was a life member of the Nepal Veterinary Association. Dr. Monty was named Arizona VMA Veterinarian of the Year in 1997 and 2005 and was inducted into the AzVMA Hall of Fame in 2011. His wife, Dorothy; two daughters; eight grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren survive him.
James J. Ramage
Dr. Ramage (Pennsylvania ’67), 95, Ford City, Pennsylvania, died May 25, 2022. He owned Valley Veterinary Hospital in Lower Burrell, Pennsylvania, prior to retirement. Dr. Ramage subsequently became a master gardener in Pennsylvania’s Armstrong County. He was a veteran of the Air Force. Dr. Ramage’s wife, Lynn; a son, a daughter, and a stepdaughter; and three grandchildren survive him. Memorials may be made to The Arboretum at Penn State, 302 Forest Resources Building, University Park, PA 16802; Orphans of the Storm Animal Shelter, P.O. Box 838, Kittanning, PA 16201; or Animal Protectors of Allegheny Valley, 730 Church St., New Kensington, PA 15068.
Russell M. Shoji
Dr. Shoji (Tuskegee ’91), 61, Honolulu, died June 9, 2022. He most recently practiced small animal medicine at VCA University Animal Hospital in Honolulu. Dr. Shoji was a member of the Hawaii VMA. He is survived by his wife, Laureen; a daughter; three stepchildren; and a brother and a sister.
Sharon A. Sickles
Dr. Sickles (Cornell ’99), 69, Endicott, New York, died April 13, 2022. During her career, she worked at several research laboratories in various capacities, including serving as director of clinical services and research compliance. Dr. Sickles’ two brothers survive her. Memorials may be made to Mercy House of the Southern Tier, 212 N. McKinley Ave., Endicott, NY 13760.
Lonnie Richard Smith
Dr. Smith (Auburn ’69), 77, Monroe, Tennessee, died Aug. 17, 2022. He practiced in Nashville, Tennessee, where he established Hickory Plaza Veterinary Clinic, working there for 45 years prior to retirement. Dr. Smith subsequently farmed in Tennessee’s Overton County. He was a member of the Tennessee VMA. Dr. Smith’s wife, Sue; two sons; five grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren survive him.
Friedegunde O. Wells
Dr. Wells, 88, Durant, Oklahoma, died Aug. 17, 2022. Following graduation in 1960 from the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover in Germany, she moved to the United States, practicing initially in Pennsylvania and Ohio. Dr. Wells subsequently moved to Oklahoma, where she worked in Achille. She later founded Bryan County Animal Hospital, a mixed animal practice in Durant. Dr. Wells is survived by two daughters, a son, 11 grandchildren, five great-grandchildren, and six siblings. Her son, Dr. Billy Wells (Ross ’98), is also a veterinarian. Memorials toward the Dr. Friede Wells Memorial Fund, which helps to care for stray and needy animals in the community, may be sent to Bryant County Animal Hospital, 2315 S. 9th St., Durant, OK 74701.
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 news@avma.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.
