The Purdue Veterinary Medicine community is saddened to learn that a distinguished alumna, Dr. Mary Anna Thrall, of Barnesville, Colorado, passed away Sunday, July 14, 2024. She was 80 years old.
Born in Montreal, Canada, Dr. Thrall was raised in Patoka, Indiana, and knew as early as age six that she wanted to be a veterinarian. She obtained her undergraduate degree from the University of Evansville and then enrolled in the Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine where she earned her DVM degree in 1970.
Dr. Thrall served as a small animal practitioner for four years before completing a residency in clinical pathology at Colorado State University. She then joined the Department of Pathology faculty in the CSU College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences and served there for 32 years, helping to train more than 40 veterinary clinical pathologists.
Then, in 2010, Dr. Thrall accepted a full-time position as professor of veterinary clinical pathology at the Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine on St. Kitts and continued actively teaching until just a few weeks ago. She also served as head of the Department of Biomedical Sciences at Ross University for three years. She is remembered for her passion for teaching and the way she cared for her students.
During her long career, Dr. Thrall also was involved in continuing education for veterinarians and pathologists and provided more than 300 scientific presentations and continuing education programs. She authored or co-authored numerous scientific publications, abstracts, proceedings, and book chapters, and was the primary author of the clinical pathology textbook, “Veterinary Hematology and Clinical Chemistry.”
A diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists (ACVP) in Clinical Pathology, Dr. Thrall served as president of both the ACVP and the American Society for Veterinary Clinical Pathology (ASVCP). In 2008, she received the ASVCP Lifetime Achievement Award. Dr. Thrall also was presented with the National Pfizer (Zoetis) AAVMC Distinguished Teaching Award in 2013, and in 2005 was honored as a Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine Distinguished Alumna. Additionally she was a recipient of the Association for Women Veterinarians Distinguished Service Award and was named a “Pillar of Pathology” by the ACVP.
At one point, Dr. Thall married a fellow Purdue Veterinary Medicine graduate, Dr. Donald Thrall, who was a year ahead of her in veterinary school and earned his DVM degree in 1969. Though they divorced in the 70s, they rekindled their love over the past few years, and Dr. Donald Thrall was there for her until the very end.
Dr. Mary Anna Thrall also enjoyed the companionship of multiple pets, including four dogs and two cats. Her favorite activity was gardening and she maintained two beautiful gardens – one in Barnesville, and the other in St Kitts.
A private burial and Celebration of Life in Barnesville is planned August 3. Dr. Thrall will be remembered as a wonderful mother and teacher who taught people to be the best version of themselves, to think critically, to have fun, and to not be held back by anything or anyone who gets in the way of their dreams and goals.