Doris Sell Emerson, V'54
Doris Sell Emerson, V’54, passed away on January 19, 2023. She was 96.
She received her undergraduate degree from Temple University, and her veterinary degree from the University of Pennsylvania, where she graduated first in her class, summa cum laude, and one of two women in the Class of 1954.
Doris and her husband, John G. Emerson, VMD, established the Buckingham Veterinary Clinic in Buckingham, PA, in February 1957, where she practiced for 30 years before retirement. After retiring from veterinary medicine she worked as a bank teller and as a successful realtor.
Emerson’s surviving family includes her husband, John; daughters Linda Emerson, Holly Emerson Wohlers, and Mardi Emerson Rumin.
Memorial gifts can be made to the University of Pennsylvania Veterinary Student Scholarship Fund at https://www.vet.upenn.edu/giving.
Herbert Moelis
Herbert Moelis, W’53, a past member of both the Penn Vet Board of Advisors and Penn Libraries Board of Advisors, died on October 6, 2022, after a battle with Parkinson’s disease. He was 91.
Born in Brooklyn, New York, he graduated from the Wharton School at Penn in 1953 and went on to earn a law degree from New York University in 1956, along with his LLM degree specializing in tax law. He was also a certified public accountant.
Moelis started his business career on Wall Street and became an entrepreneur and CEO of several companies, one of which was Equity Leasing Corp., which he took public. He embarked upon a second career with his wife, Ellen, in 1986 when they purchased a farm in Delaware and started a Thoroughbred horse breeding and racing operation, calling it Candyland Farm.
In 1990, Moelis founded the Thoroughbred Charities of America (TCA) with his wife and with American sportswoman Allaire du Pont. It was one of the first and most successful fundraising charities supporting nonprofit Thoroughbred horse rescue groups throughout the country, working toward ending the slaughter of Thoroughbreds in the United States and supporting backstretch employees who work with horses.
At Penn, Moelis served six years on the Penn Libraries Board of Advisors, as well as ten years on the Penn Vet Board of Advisors. He was the recipient of the Alumni Award of Merit in 2010. He sponsored Penn scholarships for four students in perpetuity.
In 2017, in honor of his 85th birthday, his family created the Moelis Family Grand Reading Room in the Van Pelt-Dietrich Library Center, named for both Ellen and Herbert Moelis.
Moelis was vice president of the board at Delaware Park Racing and president of the Board of Directors of TCA for over twenty years. He also founded and served as chair of the Board of Trustees of Thoroughbred Education and Research Foundation (TERF), supporting medical research for horses and providing scholarships to veterinary students.
He is survived by his wife, Ellen; sons, Ron, C’78, W’78 (Kerry); Ken, W’80, WG’81, a Penn Trustee (Julie, W’81); daughter, Cindy, W’82 (Bob); grandchildren Jordan, W’09, WG’10 (Jordan); Andrew, C’10 (Rosa), Cory, W’11, WG’18, Maddy, W’12 (Kevin), Stephanie (Joel), Adam, W’14, Kate, C’16, Claire, Paige, W’19, and Alexander; great-grandchildren Milo and Henry; brother, Jay (Barbara); and sisters-in-law Marilyn Moelis, Ann Mac Dougall, and Ida Farriella (Nick); and many nieces and nephews.
Dr. Barbara Grandstaff
Grandstaff, pictured with then Class President Noah Shulman, V'21, was awarded the
Class of 2021 Laboratory Teaching Award.
Dr. Barbara Grandstaff passed away on Monday, February 6, 2023. She served as the organizer of Penn Vet's Gross Anatomy course for more than 20 years.
Grandstaff was awarded her PhD from the University of Pennsylvania, and her MS in geological and geophysical sciences from Princeton University; where she was among the first female cohorts to attend Princeton, in the early 1970s. She had a venerable and passionate enthusiasm for paleontology, and her love of dinosaurs and fossils dated back to her childhood.
The New York Times profiled Grandstaff’s curatorial role developing the exhibit “New Jersey and the Great Ice Age” at the New Jersey State Museum in 1999. Two decades later, a central New Jersey newspaper interviewed Grandstaff for her 1986 role excavating a New Jersey cretaceous era fossil site. “The site is incredibly interesting,” she said at the time. “I cried hurray because I found a mammal’s tooth. It was the first time anyone found a mammal’s tooth from the cretaceous period.”
Grandstaff was an esteemed member of the Penn Vet family. Her death is a monumental loss not only for the School, but also for her former colleagues who knew her well.
“I could always count on Barbara for advice on the teaching of Anatomy. She knew the material to a depth that was outstanding,” said Director of Veterinary Gross Anatomy Paul Orsini, DVM, DACVS, who worked with Grandstaff for 34 years. “Barbara was one of the most devoted teachers I have ever worked with. Her dedication to teaching our students was unbelievable, always being available to students at any time of day.”
“Barbara was authentic, witty, and passionate about her work. Deeply caring about her students, she regularly put in a tremendous amount of time and heart into her teaching, said Clinical Associate Professor Elizabeth Woodward, PhD. “In addition to her dedication to her work at Penn Vet, she was devoted to her husband David, daughter Cathy, and her cats. Her absence leaves a painful void that is only comforted by our many fond memories of her.”
“She touched every student in the School,” recalled Emeritus Professor of Anatomy Peter Dodson, PhD. “And she did so for decades since the mid-1980s.”
“Barbara was always an advocate for the students. She had a generous spirit, although she did not suffer fools gladly,” recollected longtime member of the Anatomy lab team Adelaide Paul. “There is a huge hole in the consciousness and soul of our little anatomy group.”
“I never expected to be a part of history,” Grandstaff told a newspaper reporter in 2020. “I’ve been very lucky at being at the right place at the right time.”
Grandstaff’s surviving family includes her husband, David E. Grandstaff, PhD; daughter Catherine; mother Esther Smith; brother Bruce Smith; and sister Cheryl Stahersk.