{"id":6926,"date":"2019-12-13T15:08:43","date_gmt":"2019-12-13T20:08:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/qa.vet.purdue.edu\/news\/?p=6926"},"modified":"2024-11-21T11:34:17","modified_gmt":"2024-11-21T16:34:17","slug":"pvr19-sixty-150-equals-a-landmark-year-for-purdue-veterinary-medicine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vet.purdue.edu\/news\/pvr19-sixty-150-equals-a-landmark-year-for-purdue-veterinary-medicine.php","title":{"rendered":"Sixty + 150 Equals a Landmark Year for Purdue Veterinary Medicine"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Purdue University photo\/Rebecca Wilcox<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Years that end in the number nine hold special meaning for Purdue University and the College of Veterinary Medicine, especially the year 2019, when Purdue commemorated its 150th Anniversary and Purdue Veterinary Medicine celebrated its 60th Anniversary. The occasions were marked by an abundance of special events and activities, which provided opportunities to reflect on historical milestones, spotlight points of excellence and look to the future in engaging and thought-provoking ways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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PVM’s 60th Anniversary celebration included an official birthday party with an appearance by Purdue Pete on September 9, the first day of classes 60 years ago. <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Purdue Veterinary Medicine kicked-off its 60th Anniversary celebrations with a special event Friday, March 1, at the Indiana Veterinary Medical Association (IVMA<\/a>) annual meeting in Indianapolis. The 60th Anniversary Kick-off Luncheon included a performance by the Purdue Musical Organization\u2019s a cappella group called the \u201cVoiceovers,\u201d which led the audience in singing \u201cHappy Birthday\u201d while a 60th Anniversary cake was rolled into the center of the room to mark the milestone. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dean Willie Reed began the event by commenting on the excellent longstanding relationship the College has enjoyed with the IVMA, and noting that the IVMA\u2019s annual meeting provided the perfect venue for launching PVM\u2019s 60th Anniversary celebration. Dean Reed also marvelled at how 60 years have passed since the College opened its doors to the first class of veterinary students in 1959. \u201cI\u2019m sure that when our College\u2019s founding faculty members started teaching that first class, the year 2019 would have seemed light-years away,\u201d Dean Reed commented. \u201cYet, here we are, 60 years later, with much to be thankful for and proud of as we look to the past, and much to be excited about in the future as we peer ahead at the years to come.\u201d The event concluded with a keynote speech by Purdue Veterinary Medicine alumna Karen Cornell, who earned both her DVM and PhD degrees at Purdue and now serves as the associate dean for professional programs at the Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another anniversary highlight involved an eight-day continuing education (CE) course in April in Belize and Guatemala with the Belize Rehabilitation Clinic\/Wildlife Institute. Five veterinarians and four veterinary nurses from across the U.S. and Canada joined PVM\u2019s Director of Global Engagement<\/a> William Smith and Director of Lifelong Learning Andrea Brown on the adventure. The program focused on multiple aspects of wildlife medicine and rehabilitation, and provided participants extensive hands-on experiences with a variety of wildlife species.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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As part of PVM\u2019s 60th Anniversary, special events included a day at the Indianapolis Zoo with a chance to get a close look at some of the animals.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Attendees walk down memory lane at the \u201cPVM Through the Decades\u201d event.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Additional special events were planned during the summer and fall, including PVM Family Days at Fair Oaks Farms and the Indianapolis Zoo, and an official birthday party at Lynn Hall on September 9, commemorating the first day of classes 60 years ago when members of the first class, the Class of 1963, started their veterinary education. The celebration included an appearance by Purdue Pete who joined in photographs at the 60th Anniversary photo booth. Attendees also had the opportunity to write notes to future veterinary students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Purdue Veterinary Medicine DVM Class of 1994 celebrated their 25th Anniversary at the \u201cPVM Through the Decades\u201d event.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The 60th Anniversary celebrations reached their climax during the 2019 Purdue Veterinary Conference<\/a>, which featured a special event focused on the theme, \u201cPVM Through the Decades.\u201d Held September 19, the reception incorporated displays of photos and memorabilia for each of the College\u2019s six decades of history. Attendees also tested their historical knowledge with a quiz showing familiar faces from years gone by. A time capsule that will be integrated into the planned new Veterinary Teaching Hospital also was on display with its contents, including current photos, letters from current students, modern journals, and an iPhone containing pictures. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The program continued with class reunion recognition as Dean Willie Reed announced the class anniversary years while the Purdue Musical Organizations performing group called the \u201cFlashbacks\u201d performed songs from corresponding decades. Special tribute was given to the 25th and 50th reunion classes. Dr. Jeff Harker, of the DVM Class of 1994, spoke on behalf of his classmates. Then, Director of Alumni Relations Susan Xioufaridou introduced members of the 50th Anniversary Class, the Class of 1969, as they received special 50th Anniversary Class medallions from the Purdue Veterinary Alumni Association<\/a>. Then, as the Golden Anniversary Class stood on stage, class member Allan Baker shared reflections on behalf of his classmates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Members of the Class of 1969, the Golden Anniversary Class, donned white coats for a nostalgic tour of Lynn Hall.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The Class of 1969 is the College\u2019s seventh Golden Anniversary Class, and class members gathered September 20 at the John Purdue Room in Purdue\u2019s Marriott Hall for their class reunion dinner. The event included a musical performance and an opportunity for class members to share memories of their days at Purdue and their life experiences since graduation. Earlier in the day, the classmates had a chance to tour the Purdue campus and athletic facilities by bus before gathering in Lynn Hall to don white coats for nostalgia\u2019s sake, enjoy a lunch and a report on the College by Dean Reed, and take a tour led by representatives of the DVM Class of 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Professional photos of the 50th Anniversary class reunion are available at lauschphotography.com<\/a>. Visit the 2019 Purdue DVM<\/a> client gallery. At the login page, use the password \u201c2019PurdueDVM\u201d. The photos are available in the 2019 Purdue University DVM Anniversary Dinner gallery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Author and New York Times reporter Gina Kolata gave a talk hosted by Purdue Veterinary Medicine as part of Purdue\u2019s Ideas Festival on the topic, \u201cWhat IF the Next Pandemic is Inevitable?\u201d based on her book \u201cFlu: The Story of the Great Influenza Pandemic of 1918.\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Purdue Veterinary Medicine\u2019s 60th Anniversary dovetailed with Purdue University\u2019s Sesquicentennial celebration, which marked the 150th Anniversary of the University\u2019s founding in 1869. The campus-wide commemoration focused on the concept of \u201ctaking giant leaps,\u201d a theme inspired by the monumental achievement of alumnus Neil Armstrong, who, as the first man to walk on the moon, uttered the immortal words, \u201cOne giant leap for mankind.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The University characterized the Sesquicentennial as a time to redefine the scope of land-grant universities and challenge global leaders to take GIANT LEAPS in solving worldwide problems. The centerpiece of the Giant Leaps Sesquicentennial campaign was an Ideas Festival that connected world-renowned speakers and Purdue expertise in a conversation on the most critical problems and opportunities facing the world. Cross-disciplinary discussions and events aligned with four Giant Leaps themes ran the course of the entire year, from Homecoming 2018 to Homecoming 2019:<\/p>\n\n\n\n