January 15, 2021

AVMA member

AVMA honor roll member

Nonmember

Scott T. Becker

Dr. Becker (Illinois ’10), 40, Manhattan, Illinois, died Sept. 21, 2020. He was a consulting diagnostic support veterinarian with Idexx laboratories since 2019, guiding veterinarians nationwide on diagnostic testing. Before that, Dr. Becker practiced small animal medicine at Bremen Animal Hospital in Tinley Park, Illinois. He is survived by his wife, Kate; his parents; and a brother. Dr. Becker’s father, Dr. Terry Becker (Illinois ’70), is a small animal veterinarian. Memorials, toward an animal rescue organization to be established in Dr. Becker’s memory, may be sent to Kate Becker, 24111 S. Lily Drive, Manhattan, IL 60442.

Jared C. Bremer

Dr. Bremer (Illinois ’81), 64, Newton, Wisconsin, died Oct. 8, 2020. He began his small animal career at Eau Claire Animal Hospital in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Dr. Bremer later owned Port Cities Animal Hospital in Manitowoc, Wisconsin. He was a member of the Manitowoc Noon Rotary Club and served on the board of directors of the Manitowoc Symphony. Dr. Bremer’s wife, Jodi; a daughter and a son; and a brother survive him.

Jerry O. Brumlow

Dr. Brumlow (Texas A&M ’60), 90, Floresville, Texas, died Aug. 24, 2020. He owned a mixed animal practice in Floresville for 55 years. Dr. Brumlow also ranched, raising Santa Gertrudis cattle and cross-bred Brahman and Simmental cattle. He was a member of the Texas and Bexar County VMAs and Texas Farm Bureau and was active with the South Texas State Fair. Dr. Brumlow served as charter president of the local Optimist Club and during his term helped establish the Wilson County Show Barn. He was also a past president of the Floresville Peanut Festival and was a master Mason.

During his career, Dr. Brumlow received a commendation from President Ronald Reagan for his work on a research project on tropical cattle diseases in El Salvador. He was a veteran of the Navy. Dr. Brumlow is survived by his wife, Rosalie; a daughter and a son; and five grandchildren. Memorials may be made to the Floresville Masonic Lodge #515, 1507 1st St., Floresville, TX 78114.

Winston M. Decker

Dr. Decker (Michigan State ’46), 97, Sun City Center, Florida, died Sept. 28, 2020. He was director of the AVMA Government Relations Division in Washington, D.C., prior to retirement in 1987.

Following graduation, Dr. Decker worked three years as a public health veterinarian for what is now known as the Kalamazoo County Health and Community Services Department in Kalamazoo, Michigan. He then served as assistant health commissioner with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

In 1960, Dr. Decker moved to Washington, D.C. as a U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps officer. He subsequently joined the staff of the AVMA and served as director of scientific activities and as assistant executive vice president before being named director of the AVMA GRD in 1977. During that time, Dr. Decker also served as acting executive director of the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges and was staff officer for the AVMA Political Action Committee. In 1980, Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine named him a Distinguished Alumnus.

Dr. Decker’s daughter, son, three grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren survive him. Memorials may be made to the American Veterinary Medical Foundation, 1931 N. Meacham Road, Suite 100, Schaumburg, IL 60173.

Jay A. Heezen

Dr. Heezen (Minnesota ’68), 76, Keystone, South Dakota, died Aug. 6, 2020. Following graduation, he served in the Army Veterinary Corps for two years. During that time, Dr. Heezen was stationed in Vietnam, where he cared for military working dogs, handled food inspection, and taught animal husbandry. After his military service, he established a practice in Plankinton, South Dakota, where he practiced mixed animal medicine for 35 years prior to retirement.

Dr. Heezen was a past president of the South Dakota VMA and was a member of the American Association of Bovine Practitioners, American Association of Small Ruminant Practitioners, and the Christian Veterinary Mission. Active in his community, he served on the Plankinton School Board for 20 years. Dr. Heezen was a member of the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars. He is survived by two sons, a daughter, seven grandchildren, two brothers, and two sisters. One son, Dr. Jason L. Heezen (Iowa State ’98), is a veterinarian in Plankinton.

Memorials may be made to the SDVMA Scholarship Foundation, North Campus Drive, South Dakota State University, Box 2175, Brookings, SD 57007, or Wounded Warriors in Action Foundation, P.O. Box 444, Plankinton, SD 57368.

John A. Hennessy

Dr. Hennessy (Missouri ’62), 89, Carthage, Missouri, died July 9, 2020. Following graduation and until 1988, he co-owned Hillcrest Animal Hospital, a mixed animal practice in Poplar Bluff, Missouri. Dr. Hennessy subsequently joined the Missouri Department of Agriculture in Jefferson City as assistant state veterinarian, serving as state veterinarian from 1990-93. He then returned to Poplar Bluff, where he was a district veterinarian until retirement in 1998.

A past president of the Missouri VMA, Dr. Hennessy was named Veterinarian of the Year in 1998. He was a member of the Poplar Bluff Animal Control Board and was active with the Poplar Bluff Humane Society. Dr. Hennessy served in the Air Force from 1951-55. His two sons, two daughters, eight grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren survive him. Memorials, toward the Carthage Humane Society, may be sent c/o Knell Mortuary, 308 W. Chestnut St., Carthage, MO 64836.

Mark R. Howlett

Dr. Howlett (Washington State ’98), 46, Caldwell, Idaho, died Aug. 29, 2020. A small animal veterinarian, he owned Gem Veterinary Clinic in Emmett, Idaho. Prior to that, Dr. Howlett served as an associate veterinarian at clinics in Arizona and Idaho. During his career, he also donated his services to animal shelters. Dr. Howlett was a past president of the Idaho VMA. His wife, Cathy; a daughter and a son; his mother; and three brothers and a sister survive him. Memorials may be made to the Mark R. Howlett Scholarship Fund, c/o Gem Veterinary Clinic, 703 S. Washington Ave., Emmett, ID 83617.

Rodney H. Ingraham

Dr. Ingraham (California-Davis ’52), 95, Alhambra, California, died Sept. 27, 2020. Following graduation, he began a career in large animal medicine, establishing a practice in Chowchilla, California. Dr. Ingraham later moved to Ames, Iowa, where he earned a doctorate in veterinary physiology and pharmacology in 1973 from Iowa State University before joining Louisiana State University. During his tenure at LSU, he helped establish the School of Veterinary Medicine and served as a professor of veterinary physiology, pharmacology, and toxicology and as a professor of veterinary science. Dr. Ingraham’s research on the effect of heat stress on the reproductive physiology of dairy cattle had him traveling to Mexico, Hawaii, Australia, and Saudi Arabia and sharing his research in Malaysia. He retired as a professor emeritus.

Dr. Ingraham was an Army veteran of World War II, serving in the Battle of the Bulge and the Battle of Remagen. He detailed his military experiences in his 2000 memoir, “My Memories of World War II: An Infantryman in Europe.” Dr. Ingraham’s wife, Margaret; two sons and two daughters; 16 grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren survive him. Memorials may be made to the Parkinson’s Foundation, 200 SE 1st St., Suite 800, Miami, FL 33131.

Edward T. Mallinson Jr.

Dr. Mallinson (Pennsylvania ’56), 90, Silver Spring, Maryland, died Sept. 17, 2020. He was head of the poultry health division for the state of Pennsylvania and a professor and extension poultry veterinarian at the University of Maryland prior to retirement. Dr. Mallinson was known for his expertise in the prevention of the spread of communicable diseases in poultry. In 1990, he was a co-recipient of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Superior Service Award. Dr. Mallinson is survived by a son, daughter, three grandchildren, and a great-grandchild.

Jessica C. Massengale

Dr. Massengale (Auburn ’14), 34, Kaneohe, Hawaii, died July 9, 2020. She practiced small animal medicine at Haiku Veterinary Clinic in Kaneohe. Dr. Massengale was an avid equestrian, participating in events while in high school and college. She was a member of the Hawaii VMA. Dr. Massengale is survived by her parents and a sister.

Patrick P. McCallum Jr.

Dr. McCallum (Georgia ’69), 79, Osprey, Florida, died Oct. 11, 2020. Following graduation, he joined Murphy Animal Hospital in Tampa, Florida, eventually taking over the practice. Dr. McCallum had a special interest in exotic avian medicine. He retired after practicing small animal medicine for 35 years. Dr. McCallum was a member of the Florida VMA and a veteran of the Air Force. He is survived by his wife, Eleanor; a son; four grandchildren; and two sisters and a brother. Memorials may be made to Church of the Palms Food Pantry, 3224 Bee Ridge Road, Sarasota, FL 34239.

Petro Popowycz

Dr. Popowycz, 97, Elmwood Park, Illinois, died July 30, 2020. A 1948 veterinary graduate of what was known as the Ukrainian Technical and Husbandry Institute in Munich, he moved to the United States and owned West Side Animal Hospital, a small animal practice in Chicago, for 50 years. Dr. Popowycz is survived by two daughters, a son, and eight grandchildren.