In Memory – February 2023
Published: 24 January 2023
AVMA member | AVMA honor roll member | Nonmember
Raymond E. Applegate
Dr. Applegate (Ohio State ’64), 84, Mansfield, Ohio, died Oct. 14, 2022. Following graduation, he joined the Army as a first lieutenant, serving a year in Vietnam. Dr. Applegate earned several honors, including the Air Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, and Army Commendation Medal. Dr. Applegate subsequently co-established a practice in Mansfield. In 1980, he founded a mixed animal practice in Lexington, Ohio. Dr. Applegate went on to practice primarily small animal medicine in Mansfield, retiring in 2002.
His military service spanned more than 30 years, including assignments with the Army Reserve and the Ohio Army National Guard. During that time, Dr. Applegate was involved with food sanitation inspection at military facilities, provided veterinary services at Air Force bases, and served as a veterinary staff officer with the 112th Medical Brigade. He attained the rank of colonel.
Dr. Applegate was a member of the Ohio VMA. Having earned private and commercial pilot certification, he was a member of the Civil Air Patrol for more than 30 years and served as commander of the Mansfield Composite Squadron. Dr. Applegate’s wife, Virginia; two sons; two grandchildren; and a brother survive him.
Memorials may be made to The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine Class of 1964 Scholarship Fund, The Ohio State University Foundation, University Square North, 14 E. 15th Ave., Columbus, OH 43201, or made to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, a nonprofit organization honoring members of the military and first responders, and sent to 2361 Hylan Blvd., Staten Island, NY 10306.
James R. Collins
Dr. Collins (Texas A&M ’56), 89, Crossville, Tennessee, died June 18, 2022. Following graduation, he served as a federal meat inspector in Fort Worth, Texas. Dr. Collins subsequently established a practice in Houston, where he worked until retirement. During his career, he was also an on-call veterinarian for the Houston Zoo.
Dr. Collins served on the Texas A&M University School of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences’ Development Council and initiated an endowed scholarship program at the veterinary school. He is survived by a daughter and a sister. Memorials may be made to West Houston Bible Church, 1500 W. Sam Houston Parkway N., Suite 104, Houston, TX 77043.
Eli C. Dodson
Dr. Dodson (Texas A&M ’03), 45, Stephenville, Texas, died Oct. 11, 2022. Following graduation, he joined North Bryan Veterinary Clinic in Bryan, Texas, owning the practice from 2006-16. Dr. Dodson subsequently worked three years in the Bryan, College Station, and Hempstead areas of Texas. In 2019, he began practicing mixed animal medicine at Ark Veterinary Clinic in Stephenville. Dr. Dodson’s wife, Cyndy; two daughters and a son; a grandchild; his parents; and a sister survive him.
Mark L. Engelbreth
Dr. Engelbreth (Minnesota ’69), 78, Appleton, Wisconsin, died June 21, 2022. He owned Appanasha Pet Clinic in Menasha, Wisconsin, where he practiced for 40 years until retirement. Dr. Engelbreth’s wife, Barbara; four children; and 11 grandchildren survive him. Memorials may be made to the Boys’ and Girls’ Brigade, an organization dedicated to developing the positive potential of youth, and sent to 109 W. Columbian Ave., Neenah, WI 54956.
Gordon R. Esbeck
Dr. Esbeck (Iowa State ’53), 93, Tipton, Iowa, died July 15, 2022. Following graduation, he served as a first lieutenant in the Army during the Korean War. Dr. Esbeck subsequently worked in Gilman, Iowa. He later served as a partner in a mixed animal practice in Tipton. Dr. Esbeck was a past president of the Eastern Iowa Veterinary Association.
Active in his community, he served as mayor of Tipton, was a member of the Tipton School Board, served on the board of directors of the Iowa Valley Habitat for Humanity, and was a past president of the Gilman Lions Club and Tipton Rotary Club. He was also a member of the American Legion. Dr. Esbeck is survived by his wife, Janice; two sons; eight grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.
H. Rodney Ferguson
Dr. Ferguson (Ohio State ’67), 78, Rittman, Ohio, died Sept. 20, 2022. He was a co-founder of Akron Veterinary Referral and Emergency Center in Akron, Ohio. Dr. Ferguson also owned Chippewa Valley Angus Farms. Earlier in his career, he taught at Colorado State University College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences and Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine, also serving as head of small animal surgery at Kansas State. In 1984, while at Kansas State, Dr. Ferguson received what is now known as the Zoetis Distinguished Veterinary Teacher Award. He retired in 2019.
Dr. Ferguson was a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons. He was a member of the American Angus Association, Ohio Angus Association, Ohio Cattlemen’s Association, and National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. In 2014, the Ohio Cattlemen’s Association named Chippewa Valley Angus Farm as the Ohio Seed Stock Producer of the Year.
Dr. Ferguson is survived by his wife, Laurie; two sons and a daughter; eight grandchildren; and three sisters and a brother. Memorials may be made to the American College of Veterinary Surgeons, 19785 Crystal Rock Drive, Suite 305, Germantown, MD 20874, or Youth Scholarship Fund, Ohio Angus Association, c/o Dan Wells, 12620 Westfall Road, Frankfort, OH 45628.
Roger W. Finkenbine
Dr. Finkenbine (Ohio State ’74), 75, Tucson, Arizona, died Sept. 20, 2022. Following graduation and until 2003, he owned Feline Ltd. Cat Clinic in Tucson. Dr. Finkenbine later worked at what is now known as ABC Animal Clinic in Tucson, where he provided vaccination services for more than 12 years. He is survived by his wife, Sharon, and two sisters and a brother. Memorials toward the memorial garden at Mount Zion Lutheran Church may be sent to 4520 W. Ajo Way, Tucson, AZ 85746.
Thomas D. Kuhn
Dr. Kuhn (Purdue ’66), 80, Shelbyville, Indiana, died Sept. 30, 2022. Following graduation, he began his career in Waldron, Indiana. In 1972, Dr. Kuhn established a mixed animal practice in Shelbyville. Beginning in 1984, he focused on bovine embryo transfers and in vitro fertilization. Dr. Kuhn was a member of the American Association of Bovine Practitioners and an honorary member of the Indiana Holstein Association. His wife, Marcia; three children; five grandchildren; and a sister survive him. Memorials may be made to the Shelby County Cancer Association, P.O. Box 844, Shelbyville, IN 46176.
John T. LaCroix
Dr. LaCroix (Texas A&M ’58), 88, Biloxi, Mississippi, died Oct. 5, 2022. He owned Big Ridge Veterinary Hospital in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, for 20 years prior to retirement in 1998. Earlier, Dr. LaCroix served in the Air Force for two decades. During that time, while stationed in Ethiopia, he studied tropical diseases in animals and their potential to be contagious to humans. Dr. LaCroix was also stationed in England and at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi. He attained the rank of major.
Dr. LaCroix was a diplomate of the American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine. He is survived by his wife, Ester; two sons and two daughters; and five grandchildren. Memorials may be made to the St. Vincent de Paul Society, 10446 Lemoyne Blvd., D'Iberville, MS 39540.
Glen F. Lehr
Dr. Lehr (Illinois ’63), 87, Harvard, Illinois, died Aug. 1, 2022. A large animal veterinarian, he owned a practice in Harvard. Dr. Lehr was an Army veteran of the Korean War. His wife, Virgie; a son and a daughter; four grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren survive him.
William H. Maher
Dr. Maher (Iowa State ’62), 86, Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, died Sept. 21, 2022. Following graduation, he completed an internship at Angell Animal Medical Center in Boston. Dr. Maher later co-owned Brooklyn Park Pet Hospital and owned Camden Pet Hospital in Minneapolis.
During his career, he received several awards, including a Minnesota VMA Distinguished Service Award and Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine’s Stange Award. Dr. Maher traveled on several missionary trips to Cuba and was awarded an honorary veterinary degree from Cuba and was honored by the former Association Scientific Veterinary Council of Cuba for his service to Cuban veterinarians.
A veteran of the Army, he was a member of the American Legion. Dr. Maher was also a member of the Lions Club. He is survived by his wife, Jacquelyn; two daughters and three sons; two grandchildren; and two sisters. Memorials may be made to Second Harvest Heartland, a hunger relief agency, and sent to 7101 Winnetka Ave. N., Brooklyn Park, MN 55428.
Jack A. Meister
Dr. Meister (Michigan State ’57), 91, Hampton, Connecticut, died Nov. 2, 2022. He was the Connecticut state veterinarian and an epidemiologist prior to retirement in 1997. Following graduation, Dr. Meister owned a practice in Meriden, Connecticut, before moving in 1971 to Hampton, where he established another clinic. In 1987, he sold the practice and served as the veterinarian for the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in Alaska. Dr. Meister subsequently worked as a livestock superintendent at the University of Connecticut before serving as state veterinarian.
His wife, Dawn; two sons; four grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren survive him.
Michael E. Metroka
Dr. Metroka (Ohio State ’85), 63, Sandusky, Ohio, died Oct. 20, 2022. He owned Metroka Animal Hospital in Sandusky for more than 35 years. Dr. Metroka also served as vice president of the board of trustees for the Humane Society of Erie County. His wife, Ying Wang; two daughters and a son; and four grandchildren survive him. Memorials may be made to the Humane Society of Erie County, 1911 Superior St., Sandusky, OH 44870.
Ram C. Purohit
Dr. Purohit, 83, Auburn, Alabama, died June 5, 2022. A 1962 graduate of Rajasthan University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences in India, he was a professor emeritus in the Department of Clinical Sciences at Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine. During his tenure of more than 30 years at the veterinary college, Dr. Purohit taught large animal clinical medicine, focusing on equine and food animal anesthesia, and conducted research on thermal imaging, neurovascular thermography, and thermology of skin dermatomes. He also served as an alumni professor for five years and was a member of several postgraduate and doctoral committees.
Dr. Purohit was a diplomate of the American College of Theriogenology. In 2001, he was awarded certification by the American Board of Thermology and the American Academy of Thermology. Dr. Purohit’s wife, Cynthia; a daughter and two sons; seven grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; and two sisters survive him. Memorials may be made to the Alabama VMA, P.O. Box 803, Fayetteville, TN 37334, or Community Foundation of East Alabama, P.O. Box 165, Opelika, AL 36803.
Robert D. Simmons
Dr. Simmons (Louisiana State ’77), 70, Simpsonville, South Carolina, died Sept. 5, 2022. Following graduation, he practiced mixed animal medicine at Bossier Animal Hospital in Bossier City, Louisiana, for two years. Dr. Simmons then began his career in industrial veterinary medicine at what was known as Beecham Pharmaceuticals in Bristol, Tennessee. In 1989, he joined what is now known as Merck in New Jersey, retiring in 2014 as vice president of global pharmaceutical development.
Dr. Simmons was a member of the American Association of Equine Practitioners and American Association of Bovine Practitioners and a fellow of the American Academy of Veterinary Pharmacology and Therapeutics. He established The Belle Fund for Vector-Borne Disease Research and the Dr. Robert and Julia Simmons Professorship in Pathobiological Sciences, both at Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine. In 2007, the veterinary college honored Dr. Simmons with a Distinguished Alumnus Award.
Dr. Simmons served as a scoutmaster and volunteered with the American Red Cross. His wife, Julia; two sons; five grandchildren; and a sister survive him. Memorials may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105.
John W. Whiteley
Dr. Whiteley (Colorado State ’57), 94, Salt Lake City, died June 3, 2022. He was the founder of Alta Veterinary Hospital in Sandy, Utah, where he practiced until retirement in 2008. During his career, Dr. Whiteley also provided veterinary services to the Salt Lake County K-9 unit and assisted with wildlife rehabilitation. Prior to establishing his practice, he was Utah state veterinarian. Dr. Whiteley served in the Marines during the Korean War. He is survived by six children, 17 grandchildren, and 38 great-grandchildren.
Kenneth T. Wright
Dr. Wright (Illinois ’62), 83, Blandinsville, Illinois, died Sept. 29, 2022. Following graduation, he became a partner at a practice in Blandinsville, focusing on food animal medicine. In 1972, Dr. Wright took over the practice, newly named the Blandinsville Veterinary Clinic. In later years, he co-owned swine units, operating sow farms and boar studs in Missouri and Illinois.
Dr. Wright served on the board of directors of the American Association of Swine Veterinarians, representing the association as its alternate delegate to the AVMA House of Delegates. In 1991, he was the inaugural recipient of the AASV Meritorious Service Award. Active in his community, Dr. Wright was a member of the Blandinsville Village Board, serving as a trustee and as village president. An avid supporter of higher education, he established endowed scholarships at Western Illinois University and the University of Illinois.
Dr. Wright is survived by his wife, Betty. Memorials may be made to the Blandinsville United Methodist Church, 220 W. Adams St., Blandinsville, IL 61420.
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