Obituaries
Dr. Sherbyn W. Ostrich, the former AVMA president from Robesonia, Pennsylvania, who anticipated the veterinary profession's present economic tribulations, died June 30, 2017. He was 79.
Born Oct. 28, 1937, in Philadelphia, Dr. Ostrich would attend the University of Pennsylvania, where he earned a VMD degree in 1963. He remained in the Keystone State throughout his veterinary career, owning and operating a number of small animal practices in Berks and Lebanon counties until his retirement in 2016. He served 10 years on the Humane Society of Berks County board of directors.
In 1986, Dr. Ostrich was a member of the Advisory Committee to the Pennsylvania secretary of agriculture. Three years later, he was one of three veterinarians Gov. Robert Casey appointed to the newly established Pennsylvania Animal Health and Diagnostic Commission. Dr. Ostrich served in various capacities during the eight years he was with the commission, including as vice chair and acting executive director.
Dr. Ostrich was inspired to become a veterinarian as a youth working on his uncle's farm. He participated at the highest levels of organized veterinary medicine to promote and protect the profession he so loved. He was president of the Pennsylvania VMA (1984), District II representative on the AVMA Board of Directors (1987-92), AVMA president (1995-96), PVMA delegate and alternate delegate to the AVMA (2003-04), and a member of the American Veterinary Medical Foundation Board of Directors (2005-09).
In Dr. Ostrich's presidential address to the AVMA House of Delegates on July 8, 1995, he identified veterinary educational debt and practice profitability as the two most serious challenges facing the profession. He warned against the growing imbalance between high student loan debt and low starting veterinary salaries, describing it as "a house of cards, which will come falling down upon us" unless veterinary leaders act.
The AVMA hosted its first veterinary economics forum in April 1996 at Dr. Ostrich's urging. That led to an in-depth economic analysis titled "The Current and Future Market for Veterinarians and Veterinary Medical Services in the United States" and the subsequent formation of the National Commission on Veterinary Economic Issues, of which Dr. Ostrich was a charter member.
"Dr. Ostrich was one of the deepest thinkers I have encountered in my 52 years as a veterinarian. He was a hero to the profession and to the animals we serve," recalled Dr. Bruce Little, AVMA executive vice president from 1996-2007.
"He would stand his ground in any debate concerning the issues facing the AVMA and the veterinary profession," Dr. Little continued. "However, he was always willing to listen to the opinions of the other side of the debate. If he became convinced that others had a better idea, he was the first to graciously join in their point of view and champion the will of the majority."
Dr. Ostrich was named a National Academies of Practice Distinguished Practitioner in 1993 and received the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine's first Bellwether Award for Distinguished Leadership in 1995. He was the Pennsylvania VMA's Veterinarian of the Year in 1986 and also received top honors from the American Animal Hospital Association.
Dr. Ostrich is survived by his wife, Dianne, and their four children: Sheryl L. Hanlon, Janelle L. Jander, Ann Marie V. Pietrobono, and Michael J. Ostrich. He is also survived by 10 grandchildren and two great-grandsons. Their foster son James Gladfelter, one of many children the Ostriches fostered, predeceased him.
Donations may be made in Dr. Ostrich's memory to the AVMF, Department 20-1122, P.O. Box 5940, Carol Stream, IL 60197-5940, or the Pennsylvania Veterinary Medical Association, 8574 Paxton St., Hummelstown, Pennsylvania 17036.
AVMA member
AVMA honor roll member
Nonmember
Burton E. Anderson
Dr. Anderson (Minnesota '58), 83, Raleigh, North Carolina, died Jan. 10, 2017. Following graduation, he joined the Air Force, attaining the rank of captain. Dr. Anderson then established a practice in Largo, Florida, where he initially practiced mixed animal medicine, later focusing on small animals. In 1977, he moved to Menomonie, Wisconsin, serving as a relief veterinarian in the area. In 1982, Dr. Anderson shifted to Raleigh, where he founded Armadale Animal Hospital and co-founded Armadale Farm Kennel. He was a member of the North Carolina VMA and a past president of the Rotary Club of North Raleigh.
Dr. Anderson's wife, Lynette; two sons; and five grandchildren survive him. Memorials may be made to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals of Wake County, 200 Petfinder Lane, Raleigh, NC 27603.
William T. Burke
Dr. Burke (Minnesota '61), 89, Rochester, Minnesota, died April 14, 2017. He worked for the United States Department of Agriculture in Washington, D.C., for several years. Dr. Burke was a veteran of the Coast Guard. His wife, Bonnie; two sons and three stepchildren; three grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren survive him. Memorials may be made to the Alzheimer's Association, P.O. Box 96011, Washington, DC 20090.
John S. Evans
Dr. Evans (Pennsylvania '59), 85, Vanport, Pennsylvania, died April 18, 2017. He practiced small animal medicine in Pennsylvania at Five Points and New Brighton prior to retirement. Dr. Evans also provided his services at the Beaver County Humane Society. He was an Army veteran of the Korean War. Dr. Evans is survived by his wife, Estelle; four sons, a daughter, and two stepdaughters; and seven grandchildren. Memorials may be made to the Beaver County Humane Society, 3394 Brodhead Road, Aliquippa, PA 15001.
Gary D. Frakes
Dr. Frakes (Minnesota '74), 69, Magnolia, Texas, died May 2, 2017. An equine practitioner, he worked at racetracks in Houston and Dallas for the past 16 years, and earlier, at racetracks nationwide, sometimes as a state veterinarian and other times as a private practitioner. In retirement, he bred, raised, and raced Thoroughbreds. Dr. Frakes was a member of the Texas Racing Commission. His endowment to the Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, the Gary D. Frakes Endowment for Equine Programs, supports programs that advance the health, welfare, and compassionate care of horses. Dr. Frakes is survived by his mother and brother.
Elbert R. Hinshaw
Dr. Hinshaw (Colorado State '48), 93, Prescott, Arizona, died Jan. 1, 2017. He was an Arizona state veterinarian prior to retirement in 1992. Earlier in his career, Dr. Hinshaw owned a large animal practice in Buckeye, Arizona, and served as a veterinarian for the horse and Greyhound racing industries in Arizona, Nebraska, Colorado, and Nevada. In 1992, the Arizona VMA honored him with the Distinguished Service Award. Dr. Hinshaw was a member of the National Cowboy Hall of Fame and the Arizona and Yavapai Cattle Growers' associations. He served in the Army from 1943-1944 and in the Navy from 1944-1946. Dr. Hinshaw's two sons, a daughter, eight grandchildren, 11 great-grandchildren, and a great great-grandchild survive him. His brother, the late Dr. William R. Hinshaw (Colorado State '52), was a veterinarian with the Arizona State Racing Commission.
Memorials may be made to Westside Christian Church, 5860 Williamson Valley Road, Prescott, AZ 86305, or Good Samaritan Hospice, 1065 Ruth St., Prescott, AZ 86301.
Stanley C. Kadlub
Dr. Kadlub (Illinois '57), 85, Delray Beach, Florida, died June 22, 2017. In 1969, he moved to Florida, where he owned a small animal practice in Broward County. Earlier, Dr. Kadlub owned a practice in Chicago. His brother and three sisters survive him.
Peter P. Kintzer
Dr. Kintzer (Cornell '85), 55, Sutton, Massachusetts, died March 2, 2017. A diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine, he most recently worked as a field medical specialist for Idexx Laboratories and served on the medical review board for the Pet Health Network. Earlier, Dr. Kintzer was a staff member at Tufts University and served 15 years as an internist at specialty referral practices in New England. His wife, Katey, and a son and a daughter survive him. Memorials, notated to the Dr. Peter Kintzer '85 Memorial Scholarship, may be made to Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, Ithaca, NY 14853.
Howard H. Mishkin
Dr. Mishkin (Philippines-Diliman '51), 92, Deerfield Beach, Florida, died June 3, 2017. In 1961, he established a small animal practice in Brooklyn Park, Maryland, where he worked for 30 years prior to retirement. Earlier in his career, Dr. Mishkin practiced mixed animal medicine in southwest Virginia for several years and worked as a meat inspector for the United States Department of Agriculture in Chicago. His wife, Shirley; a son and a daughter; and two grandchildren survive him.
Robert B. Morrison
Dr. Morrison (Saskatchewan '79), 64, Roseville, Minnesota, died May 2, 2017. He was a professor in the Department of Veterinary Population Medicine at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Morrison was known for his expertise in swine herd health and recently launched the Swine Health Monitoring Project, providing weekly reports on the health status of more than 50 percent of the country's sow herds. He also coordinated the Allen D. Leman Swine Conference in St. Paul, Minnesota, and the Leman China Swine Conference in Nanjing, China. Earlier in his career, Dr. Morrison worked for the United Nations on a beef development project in South America.
A past president of the American Association of Swine Veterinarians and a past executive editor of the Journal of Swine Health and Production, he received the AASV Meritorious Award in 1995. In 2016, National Hog Farmer honored Dr. Morrison with the Master of the Pork Industry Award.
He is survived by his wife, Jeanie; a daughter and two sons; and a grandchild. Memorials toward the University of Minnesota Foundation SquashScholars Scholarship may be made to the University of Minnesota Foundation, P.O. Box 860266, Minneapolis, MN 55486, or Global Health Ministries (Project #79 AL-P0001), 7831 Hickory St. NE, Fridley, MN 55432.
James A. Robberson
Dr. Robberson (Missouri '64), 80, Springfield, Missouri, died Feb. 2, 2017. Following graduation, he moved to Springfield, where he established a mixed animal practice. Dr. Robberson subsequently founded the Equine Clinic in Springfield. He retired after more than 35 years of practice in Springfield. Dr. Robberson was a veteran of the Air Force, serving as a lieutenant. His wife, Eleanor; two daughters; and four grandchildren survive him. Memorials, with the memo line of the check notated to 4H-Robberson Family, may be made to Greene County Extension, 2400 S. Scenic Ave., Springfield, MO 65807, or to the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine, Attn: Office of Advancement, W210 Veterinary Medicine Building, Columbia, MO 65211, with the memo line of the check notated to the Dr. James Robberson Equine Memorial Fund.
Richard D. Royse
Dr. Royse (Kansas State '59), 87, Salina, Kansas, died Jan. 25, 2017. A small animal veterinarian, he owned Crestview Animal Clinic in Wichita, Kansas, from 1964 until retirement in 1997. Prior to that, Dr. Royse owned Gump Animal Clinic in Wichita. From 1980-1991, he co-authored the section on Gun Dogs in Field & Stream magazine. A past president of the Wichita VMA, Dr. Royse was a member of the American Animal Hospital Association and Kansas VMA. He served as an adviser to the Sedgwick County Health Department from 1969-1975. Dr. Royse was a Navy veteran of the Korean War.
He is survived by his son, daughter, and grandson. Memorials may be made to the Salina Animal Shelter, 329 N. 2nd St., Salina, KS 67401.
Charles O. Thoen
Dr. Thoen (Minnesota '61), 80, Ames, Iowa, died May 8, 2017. A diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Microbiologists, he was a professor of veterinary microbiology and preventive medicine at the Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine. Following graduation and after earning his doctorate in microbiology from the University of Minnesota's Mayo Graduate School of Medicine, Dr. Thoen served as head of the mycobacteria and brucella section at the National Veterinary Services Laboratories of the Department of Agriculture. In 1978, he joined Iowa State's veterinary college as a professor, chairing the Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Preventive Medicine from 1997-2001. An expert in zoonotic tuberculosis and pathogenic mycobacteria, Dr. Thoen was a past chair of the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease's zoonotic tuberculosis subsection and the World Health Organization's Committee on Animal Tuberculosis. He was a past president of the American Veterinary Epidemiology Society and consulted with the Smithsonian Institution, National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Pan American Health Organization, and ministries of agriculture worldwide. In the mid-1990s, Dr. Thoen worked with the USDA and a national association of elephant owners to develop guidelines for the testing, treating, and monitoring of tuberculosis in elephants. He served as associate editor of the International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease and co-edited the third edition of "Zoonotic Tuberculosis: Mycobacterium bovis and Other Pathogenic Mycobacteria." An advocate for the One Health Initiative, he authored a monograph for its educational portal. In 2009, he received the AVES Karl F. Meyer–James H. Steele Gold Headed Cane Award, and, in 2014, the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine's Distinguished Research Alumnus Award. Dr. Thoen's son, daughter, and eight grandchildren survive him.