The Equine Sports Medicine Center at the Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine will bear the name of alumnus Donald J. McCrosky (PU DVM ’68) following action by the Purdue Board of Trustees at their meeting Friday, April 8. The board approved the naming in recognition of a $3 million gift from Dr. McCrosky that will provide research funds now and in the future to continue the center’s groundbreaking work.
“I am pleased to help students learn and to help the advancement of equine medicine,” Dr. McCrosky said. Since its opening in 1996, the center has offered comprehensive evaluations for equine patients suffering from poor performance and pioneered leading-edge equine research. As an education facility, the center continues to provide the highest level of training for future veterinarians and offers high-quality continuing education to veterinarians and the equine community.
Center Director and Professor of Large Animal Internal Medicine Laurent Couëtil, who specializes in equine respiratory health and treats asthma in horses, said this gift is a “large boost” for his team as it works to understand and treat conditions affecting the equine industry and its athletes. “Don McCrosky’s gift will advance research in equine health and performance. We anticipate benefits to thousands of horses and their owners in the coming years,” Dr. Couëtil said.
Horses have always been a part of Dr. McCrosky’s life. Growing up on a farm in Rochester, Indiana, Dr. McCrosky learned to drive his father’s team of horses when he was five years old. His grandfather, also a farmer, gave him his first horse.
Dr. McCrosky earned his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree in 1968 from Purdue and went on to open his own practice, which treated small and large animals. In 2004, he sold his small animal practice to focus solely on equine medicine, specializing in reproduction. Beyond his practice, Dr. McCrosky and his wife, Lois, own more than 50 racehorses and broodmares, which they race in Chicago and the St. Louis area.
In addition to naming the Equine Sports Medicine Center, Dr. McCrosky has named a consultation room at the Caesars Entertainment Equine Specialty Hospital, operated by the college in Shelbyville, Indiana, and also an outpatient stall in the new David and Bonnie Brunner Purdue Veterinary Medical Hospital Complex. The complex was dedicated Friday, April 8.
“Purdue was good to me,” Dr. McCrosky said of his education at the College of Veterinary Medicine. “I am fortunate to have the ability to give back. I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for Purdue.”
Purdue Veterinary Medicine Dean Willie Reed said, “Don has been a consistent advocate for the college and champion for equine medicine. We are grateful for his generosity and the example he is to future veterinarians. Don’s legacy is setting a new trajectory for equine health.”