Possibly of interest to a few of you

[captainsblog]

Cornell sends me all make and manner of nonsense,  but occasionally they send something useful, or in this case sad. These names might mean something to ayrshire_of_elm and perhaps a few others who work with Teh Aminals:



Yesterday, Dr. Robert Kirk passed away at Kendal of Ithaca. Services will be held at the First Congregational Church at 309 Highland Avenue, Ithaca, NY, at 2:00 pm on Sunday, January 23. Dr. Kirk, emeritus professor of medicine, was internationally recognized and perhaps best known for his text, Current Veterinary Therapy, presently in its 13th edition. A renowned teacher, he was a member of our faculty from 1952 to 1985 and served as director of Cornell University Hospital for Animals in the late 1970s and 1980s. As explained in an article written about Dr. Kirk in 2004, he was a 1946 graduate of Cornell and had one of the most prolific careers ever seen in veterinary clinical practice, being recognized for accomplishing as much as anyone of any generation before or after to elevate the standards of small-animal practice, at Cornell and throughout the profession. He was a member of the Army Specialized Training Program during World War II and also served as a first lieutenant with the Air Force. An avid hunter, fisherman, and traveler, Dr. Kirk was predeceased by his wife. He is survived by three daughters. For more information on Dr. Kirk, please visit these web pages: http://www.vet.cornell.edu/news/cvmagazine/Spring04/ or http://veterinarylegacy.blogspot.com/2011/01/by-donald-f.html.

Dr. James H. Gillespie, professor emeritus of Microbiology and Immunology and former Chairman of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, passed away on January 10, 2011, at the age of 93. A memorial service will be held at 1 pm, Thursday, April 7, 2011, also at the First Congregational Church, 309 Highland Avenue, Ithaca, NY. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Gillespie’s many contributions to veterinary medicine are a matter of record. He was one of the first faculty members hired by Dr. James Baker at the Baker Institute for Animal Health and is credited with starting the feline program at the College, which led to the establishment of the Cornell Feline Health Center. He was the lead person in organizing the nation’s first feline symposium, held at the College in the early 1970s. Recognized as an expert virologist in the study of infectious diseases, Dr. Gillespie is also known for his work with poultry, cattle, equine, and canine. In addition to being a dedicated scholar, Dr. Gillespie was an exuberant athlete, especially partial to baseball. During World War II, he was an officer in the Veterinary Corp of the U.S. Army, serving in China.

Dr. Stephen B. Hitchner, an avian pathologist, entrepreneur and former chair of the College of Veterinary Medicine's former Department of Avian Diseases, died Jan. 1 at his home in Salisbury, Md. He was 94. The following information was shared in the Cornell Chronicle. Dr. Hitchner graduated from the University of Pennsylvania Veterinary School in 1943. After three years of Army service, he became a lecturer and research scientist at Virginia Polytechnic University and the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. In 1947 Hitchner discovered a strain of the Newcastle disease virus that resulted in a vaccine protecting poultry flocks. He described the discovery as an "accident" and later advised his grandchildren, "if they keep their eyes and ears open, and the wheels in their brain churning, they too may make an unexpected discovery purely by accident when looking for something else." Hitchner is survived by his wife, four children and eight grandchildren. For more information about Dr. Hitchner, please visit this web page: http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/Jan11/ObitHitchner.html

Two of those three memorials will be at the church across the street from my first Ithaca apartment, where I spent some of my happiest moments in the four years there. I wish them blessings in their own travels on the other side of Rainbow Bridge.

Comments

[horizonchaser.livejournal.com]

Oh, that's a terrible loss. I know of Hitchner's work through studying on my ducks and geese. If it wasn't for men like these, my vet wouldn't have the information to treat my little flock of trouble. I'm glad they lived such long and wonderful lives. There's going to be a lot of happiness to meet them on the bridge, yes.

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

My boss, the associate vet, and our current student are all from cornell, but no one mentioned this. I guess they didn't think I'd care.

[captainsblog.livejournal.com]

In fairness, I just got this right before posting it. Plus, I have an active cornell.edu mailing addy, which gets all kinds of stuff that other alums might not if they don't.

[digitalemur.livejournal.com]

Wow! Those were some great scientists.