Class Notes
1970s
William H. Miller, Jr., V’76, was awarded the 2017 American College of Veterinary Dermatology Award for Excellence in Science and Education and the 2016-2017 State University of New York Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Faculty Service at the Veterinary College of Cornell University.
J. Terry McGrath, V’79, has been a performer at the Philadelphia Folk Festival for over 30 years, on over 15 instruments. McGrath noted, “New music from our eclectic folk band Auld String Theory was released this year and is available at Auldstringtheory.com.”
1980s
Louis DeTolla, V’82, was the 2016 recipient of the John M’Fadyean Medal in Comparative Pathology, presented by the President of the British Society of Veterinary Pathology on behalf of the Journal of Comparative Pathology. The award was presented at the annual joint meeting of the European Society of Veterinary Pathology (ESVP) and the European College of Veterinary Pathologists (ECVP) in Bologna, Italy. DeTolla also presented the plenary lecture entitled “Vaccine Strategies in Emerging Diseases.”
After four years in the Air Force and 30 years in the Public Health Service, Captain Ron Landy, V’82, retired from uniform service on March 1. He served in a wide range of capacities at Niagara Falls and Andrews Air Force Bases, the Food and Drug Administration Center for Veterinary Medicine, the EPA’s Office of Research and Development, the EPA Region 4 Atlanta Regional Office, and the EPA Region 3 Environmental Science Center at Fort Meade, Maryland. His international work included Air Force service in Panama and South America, exploring the impacts of vanadium on dairy herds in South Africa, assessing ecological impacts of industrialization in Slovakia, and the development of ecological risk assessment guidelines with the World Health Organization in Geneva. Prior to his retirement, he received the James H. Steele One Health Outstanding PHS Veterinary Career Award.
Amy M. Sclarsky, V’87, is happy to announce the graduation of her daughter, Rachel Sclarsky, V’17, 30 years after her graduation from Penn Vet. She is also happy to welcome Rachel as a staff veterinarian at the Garden State Animal Hospital, which she co- owns with classmate Patty (Sleppy) Fisher, V’87, in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.
2000s
Megan Andeer, V’01, and Caroline Perner, V’00, became owners of City Cat Vets in Philadelphia (previously Cat Vet of South Street). They are grateful for the guidance and support of Dr. Howard Wellens, V’78.
Maral Avetian, V’12, shared that “on February 18, 2017, my husband Michael Sheruda, V’12, and I welcomed a little girl, Amelia Sheruda. She has already spent some time in the back of our vet trucks.”
In Remembrance
Raymond Schlosser, Jr., V’52, passed away on June 23. He was a graduate of Penn State University and then received his veterinary degree from Penn Vet. He opened the first animal surgery unit at the University of Pennsylvania and proceeded to teach here before opening his own practice in Chester Springs, Pennsylvania. He was an avid horseman and participated in different equestrian events in Chester County.
David A. Meirs, V’54, of Walnridge Farm in Cream Ridge, New Jersey, passed away March 27. Meirs established Walnridge Equine Clinic in 1965. He also served as the president of the New Jersey Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners and as a member and past president of the Veterinary Medical Alumni Society of the University of Pennsylvania. He received the Alumni Award of Merit from Penn Vet in 1999.
Gerald Sanford Borman, V’56, passed away on June 8 in Norfolk, Virginia. After working for a year as a veterinarian, he obtained a master’s degree in veterinary science from the University of Wisconsin. He embarked on a career of research into animal-based viruses with applicability to human medical science, starting with a position at the National Institutes of Health, where he contributed to research using animal models to evaluate the safety of polio vaccines. He was awarded a post-doctoral fellowship in microbiology at Johns Hopkins University, followed by a series of research and teaching positions in New Jersey, Virginia, and Massachusetts. In 1976, Borman joined the Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk as Assistant Professor of Microbiology and veterinarian in charge of research animal facilities. His accomplishments included the design of a major expansion of those facilities. Borman retired from EVMS in 1991.
Sherbyn W. Ostrich, V’63, passed suddenly at the age of 79 on June 30. Ostrich was a longtime veterinarian in the Berks County and Lebanon County communities of Pennsylvania. He served as president of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and as president of the American Veterinary Medical Foundation. He also served as president of the Pennsylvania Veterinary Medical Association and was their delegate to the AVMA in 2003. Ostrich served for eight years as a Commissioner on the Pennsylvania Animal Heath and Diagnostic Commission and as Acting Executive Director in 1996-1997. In 1995, he was the first recipient of Penn Vet’s Bellwether Award for Distinguished
Leadership. In 1988, he received the University of Pennsylvania Alumni Award of Merit.
James T. Herron, V’65, of Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, passed away on April 6. He was a veterinarian in Canonsburg, practicing with his father. He was the historian for the borough of Canonsburg and served on the boards of the Jefferson College Historical Society and Oak Spring Cemetery. He was a dedicated volunteer at the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum at Arden.
William E. Condon, V’70, of Portsmouth, Rhode Island, passed away on June 6. In 1972, he and Ken Rix set up Sakonnet Veterinary Hospital in Tiverton, R.I., where he practiced for over 41 years. He was passionate about his work and the people and animals he cared for through his practice. He was an active member of the community, serving on the Portsmouth School Committee and various boards.