In Memory: Alumni

Dr. Archibald Ferguson Alexander, who was the first graduate of the College of Veterinary Medicine in 1951, died at his home in Fort Collins, Colorado, of lung cancer on Sept. 16, 2005. After graduation, Dr. Alexander enlisted in the Army, serving in the Veterinary Corps in Utah from 1951 to 1956. He then accepted a position at the veterinary school at Colorado A&M, now Colorado State University. He completed a doctoral degree in pathology in 1962. In 1966, he was appointed chair of the Department of Pathology, a post he held until 1980, when he became director of the Diagnostic Laboratory. He retired from Colorado State in 1987. "Arch" had broad interests and participated in many programs to improve veterinary medicine and animal health in less developed countries, including Kenya, Chile, Mexico, and Ethiopia. In 1972, he received a distinguished alumni award from the University of Minnesota in recognition of his accomplishments. He is survived by his four children and their spouses and children.

Dr. Wesley Anderson, class of 1951, of Arvada, Colorado, died peacefully on Oct. 2, 2001. After 12 years in private practice, he returned to the University of Minnesota to earn his Ph.D. He went on to become head of the Veterinary Anatomy Department at the University of Saskatoon in Canada and then The Ohio State University.

Dr. Donald Barnes, class of 1955, died in January 2000. A diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists, Barnes retired from the College in 1992, when his attention focused on raising registered Jersey cattle.

Dr. Bertram Berg, class of 1966, died of a heart attack on Sept. 13, 2001, at his home in Hettinger, North Dakota.

Dr. Keith Breyer, class of 1958, died in March 2000. Dr. Breyer was from Hortonville, Wisconsin. He ran one of the largest practices in Wisconsin with his wife, Marlys, who attended nursing school at the University of Minnesota.

Dr. Leslie Butman, class of 1952, died in December 1999 after more than 45 years of practice in Austin and Glen Lake, Minn. Butman was Minnesota Veterinary Medical Association Veterinarian of the Year in 1998.

Dr. Robert J. Caldwell, class of 1956, died peacefully at his home in Shoreview, Minnesota, on Aug. 2, 2005. He played jazz guitar professionally throughout his career as a small-animal veterinarian. He wound down his veterinary practice in the late 1990s, officially retiring in about 2000.

Dr. Melanie Freeman, class of 1989, died in December 2002 of a brain hemorrhage. Founder of Veterinary Speciality Consultants, an Apple Valley, Minnesota, internal medicine referral service, Freeman was known for her compassion and expertise in working wit animals with complex medical conditions. She was a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine.

Dr. Jerry Hilgren, class of 1962, died on June 26, 2002, due to complications from a stroke. He was an associate professor at the College and cofounder of the Apache Animal Hospital.

Dr. James B. Johnson died on June 16, 2004. After graduating from the College in 1965, Johnson started his own consulting business working with turkey growers in the upper Midwest. In recognition of his work with the turkey industry, he received the Ranelius Award from the Minnesota Turkey Growers Association in 2004.

Dr. John McCallum, class of 1957, passed away on Nov. 25, 2001.

Dr. Tom Mehlhoff, class of 1967, died on April 11, 2002.

Dr. David Duane Olson, class of 1983, died of a heart attack on April 27, 2006. He was living in Eleva, Wisconsin.

Dr. Ben Pomeroy, professor emeritus at the College, died January 16, 2004, at the age of 92. Pomeroy retired in 1981 after serving the university for 47 years. A board-certified microbiologist, he published more than 450 articles on avian disease and advised 36 master's degree and 31 Ph.D. candidates. His research laid the foundation for the control and eradication of several diseases of turkeys. He received more than 30 awards and honors during his career, including the Siehl Prize for Excellence in Agriculture in 1999 and a Doctor of Science honorary degree, the highest award conferred by the University of Minnesota, in 2001. In 2005, the Minnesota Legislature passed a bonding request to renovate an old dairy barn on the University of Minnesota St. Paul campus in Pomeroy's honor. It will be named the Pomeroy Student Alumni Learning Center.

Dr. John Prouty, class of 1955, passed away on Jan. 29, 2002.

Dr. Joseph Quigley died May 15, 2005. He graduated from the University of Minnesota and Iowa State with his D.V.M. He was a cofounder of CENSHARE, an organization dedicated to studying and improving human-animal relationships and environments. He also received his master's degree in public health from the University of Minnesota and participated in the College's teaching programs in the human-animal bond and veterinary public health for more than 10 years.

Dr. Patrick Rooney, class of 1969, died on May 2, 2002, in Daytona Beach, Florida. He was associated with Rawls' Veterinary Hospital in Daytona Beach.

Dr. Jay Sautter died on April 20, 2002, after complications from a heart attack. Sautter spent 40 years teaching veterinary pathology at the College, retiring in 1983.

Dr. Mary K. Schlangen, class of 1998, died Aug. 10, 2007,  in Brook Park, Minn., as a result of injuries sustained in a car accident. Mary was a resident of Two Harbors, Minn., and had a husband and two small children. Memorials may be sent to the Mary Schlangen Family Trust Fund, Wells Fargo Bank, 622 1st Avenue, Two Harbors, MN 55616.

Dr. John Schlotthauer, class of 1954, died May 6, 1991, after a long fight with multiple myeloma. After receiving his D.V.M. degree from the College, he practiced veterinary medicine in Rochester, Minn., for a year before serving three years in the U.S. Air Force. He joined the faculty after earning a Ph.D. from the College in 1965. He was acting chair of the Departmentof Veterinary Biology from 1974 to 1975. As a veterinary parasitologist and professor in the College's Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, his special research interest was heartworm diseases and the epidemiology of ruminant parasites and their effects on the production and reproduction of beef cattle.

Dr. Verlon Vallery, class of 1965, died in February 2001. Primarily a large-animal practitioner, he had clinics in DeSmet and Arlington, South Dakota.

Dr. Lloyd Van Pelt, class of 1959, died in May 2001. A diplomate of the American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine, Van Pelt served as chief of veterinarian services with Harbor-UCLA Medical Center and director of the Center for Experimental Animal Resources at Northwestern University.

Dr. Robert J. Velure, class of 1968, passed away Sept. 2, 1995. Velure was the state veterinarian for North Dakota until his retirement in May 1995. During Velure's tenure, North Dakota had one of the best livestock health records in the nation, according to the Fargo-Moorhead Forum.

Dr. Karl Healy Wall, class of 1989, died unexpectedly Nov. 19, 2005. Born and raised in Fridley, Minn., he is survived by his wife, Jill, and daughters Jessica, Gabrielle, Jenni, and Tana.

Dr. Robert Westlake, class of 1954, passed away on Dec. 24, 2005. A resident of Detroit Lakes, Minn., Dr. Westlake was a long-time member of the Minnesota Turkey Growers Association and a past recipient of the Ranelius Award.