In Memoriam

Dr. Hewlett Moran Hendricks ’46, DVM, of Shiloh, Ga., passed Dec. 15, 2023. Following his graduation from the Auburn CVM, he opened his first practice in an old mule barn in Manchester, Ga., before later building a clinic in Talbot County, where he served the veterinary needs of the surrounding area for more than 65 years. He was also a life member of the Auburn Alumni Association. Survivors include his wife, Beverly Ann, two sons, a daughter, a stepson, a stepdaughter, 12 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

Dr. Charles W. Field ’50, DVM, of Tallahassee, Fla., passed Feb. 12, 2024. He practiced for many years in Tennessee and Florida following his CVM graduation before retiring in 1984. Survivors include his wife, Pat, two sons, a daughter, five grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.

Dr. Howard Stuckey Wilcox ’53, DVM, of Grand Cane, La., passed Jan. 6, 2024. He earned his undergraduate degree at Louisiana State University prior to completing his DVM at Auburn. Following his graduation he served in the U.S. Army Veterinary Corps before returning to the CVM to earn a master’s in veterinary science. He eventually returned to Grand Cane, where he operated a dairy business along with a mixed animal practice in DeSoto Parish for many years. Survivors include three daughters, four grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.

Dr. James A. Peters ’54, DVM, of Panama City, Fla., passed Jan. 3, 2024. After earning his Auburn DVM, he received a graduate degree in Public Health (Epidemiology) from the University of Michigan. A WW2 veteran, he served 28 years as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Public Health Service, retiring in 1992 as Associate Professor and Vice-Chairman of the Department of Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. He also served for three years as Medical Director for the National Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. A Fellow of the American College of Epidemiology and the American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine, he served as a consultant to a number of national and international organizations, including the National Academy of Sciences, the Pan-American Health Organization and the Institute of Biological Sciences. Survivors include four grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Dr. Steele Francis Mattingly ’55, DVM, of Cincinnati, Ohio, passed Sept. 7, 2023. A U.S. Army veteran, he earned his undergraduate degree at Berea (Ky.) College before attending Auburn for his DVM. Following graduation, he joined the Pitman-Moore Drug Company in Indiana, where he was part of a team working on the polio vaccine. He later joined the University of Cincinnati Medical Center where he served as Director of the Department of Laboratory Animal Medicine until his retirement in 1991. Survivors include his wife, Betty Lou, a son, a daughter and five grandchildren.

John Paul Lane ’56 of Jasper, Ga.,passed Dec. 29, 2023. Following 13 years of service in the U.S. Air Force, where he rose to the rank of Master Sergeant, he graduated from the Auburn CVM and began a career as a pharmaceutical sales representative with Parke-Davis, before eventually retiring from Pfizer. Survivors include a son, three daughters, nine grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.

Dr. Tyler Edward Riggins ’56, DVM, of Adams, Tenn., passed Feb. 11, 2024. He earned his undergraduate degree at the University of Tennessee before completing his DVM at Auburn. Following graduation he joined the USDA to test and inoculate cattle nationwide threatened by brucellosis. He later worked in private practice in Nashville briefly before rejoining the USDA to focus on disease eradication in large animals. He also became the lead inspector over zoos in Nashville, Memphis and Chattanooga as well as hospitals using animals in research and testing. Survivors include his wife, Libby, four daughters and six grandchildren.

Dr. Guy Branscome, Jr. ’57, DVM, of Grenada, Miss., passed Jan. 27, 2024. A U.S. Army veteran, he earned his undergraduate degree at Mississippi State University prior to completing his DVM at Auburn. Following graduation, he went into the cattle business as co-owner of the Grenada Livestock Exchange and owner of the Diamond B Ranch. He later served as president of the Mississippi Angus Association, the Mississippi Livestock Markets Association and the Mississippi Cattle Industry Board. Survivors include his wife, Barbara, two sons, three grandchildren and a brother.

Dr. Maurice Andrew Mixson ’57, DVM, of Enterprise, Ala., passed Dec. 24, 2023. Following his graduation from the Auburn CVM, he began a 40-year career as a large animal veterinarian with the USDA, eventually serving as the Department’s Chief Staff Veterinarian for Emergency Programs. Following his retirement from the USDA, he served as State Veterinarian for the North Carolina Department of Agriculture before retiring and moving to Hoover, Ala.  Survivors include his wife, Sara, two sons, a daughter, seven grandchildren, one great-grandchild and a sister.

Dr. Gary Beard ’59, DVM, of Lakeway, Tex., passed March 9, 2024. He earned both his undergraduate and CVM degrees from Auburn and was also a U.S. Air Force and Korean War veteran. He worked in private practice in Baton Rouge, La., for 32 years and taught as an adjunct faculty member at the Louisiana State University and Mississippi State University Colleges of Veterinary Medicine. While practicing in Louisiana, he was recognized as the LVMA’s Veterinarian of the Year in 1983 and the American Animal Hospital Association’s Gaines Award winner for the Outstanding Veterinarian of the Year in 1991. In 1992 he returned to the Auburn CVM as Assistant Dean for Outreach, retiring in 2008. He was later honored as a recipient of the Auburn CVM’s Wilford S. Bailey Distinguished Alumnus Award. Survivors include four daughters, five grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

Dr. Samuel Wayne Keyes ’58, DVM, of Jackson, Miss., passed Dec. 10, 2023. He earned his undergraduate degree from Mississippi State University before serving in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War. Following his service, he returned to school at Auburn to earn his DVM, then began practicing at Jackson Animal Hospital and Meadowbrook Hospital for Cats. He eventually became co-owner and managing partner and operated the practice for almost 30 years before selling it and joining the USDA Meat Inspection Service, where he rose to district supervisor and worked another 14 years. Survivors include a son, two daughters, five grandchildren, 14 great-grandchildren and a sister.

Dr. David Bernard Aronson ’59, DVM, of Pensacola, Fla., passed Sept. 3, 2023. He earned his undergraduate degree at the University of Florida, after which he served in the U.S. Army prior to completing his DVM at Auburn. Following graduation, he opened the Animal Health Center in Pensacola, where he practiced for 50 years before his retirement in 2009. He was also a past president of the Florida Board of Veterinary Medicine, VP and board member of the National Board of Veterinary Medicine and board member of the American Animal Hospital Association. Survivors include two sons, a daughter, six grandchildren, two great-grandchildren and a sister.

Dr. Henry F. Richter ’60, DVM, of Bradenton, Fla., passed Nov. 9, 2023. A U.S. Army and Korean War veteran, he practiced in Palmetto, Fla., for many years. Survivors include five sons, 12 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

Dr. William T. Gray ’65, DVM, of Gainesville, Fla., passed March 5, 2024. He earned both his undergraduate and CVM degrees from Auburn. Following graduation he founded Nova Animal Hospital in Davie, Fla., where he practiced until his retirement. Survivors include three daughters, six grandchildren and a brother.

Dr. Hugh Sam Williams ’65, DVM, of Smithfield, Ky., passed March 9, 2024. He earned an undergraduate degree at the University of Kentucky before completing his DVM at Auburn. He practiced at the resident veterinarian at the Bourbon Stock Yard in Louisville for 32 years, then opened a private practice in Prospect, where he worked until his retirement in 2009. Survivors include a daughter, a son and three grandchildren.

Dr. David W. Meeks, Jr. ’67, DVM, of Chiefland, Fla., passed Oct. 3, 2023. He earned his undergraduate degree at Florida State University before completing his DVM at Auburn. He then opened Meeks Animal Hospital (later renamed Suwannee Valley Veterinary Clinic) in Chiefland, where he practiced for almost 40 years. Survivors include two sons, a daughter, five grandchildren, one great-grandchild and a sister.

Dr. James “Ted” Cundiff ’68, DVM, of Lexington, Ky., passed Nov. 20, 2023. He earned his undergraduate degree at the University of Kentucky before completing his Auburn DVM. Following graduation, he practiced in central and eastern Kentucky for 54 years and was a member of the Lee County Board of Health for more than 20 years. Survivors include his wife, Judy, and two daughters.

Dr. David Neal Massie ’69, DVM, of Lexington, Ky., passed Oct. 13, 2023. He earned his undergraduate degree at Mississippi State University prior to completing his DVM at Auburn. Later, he owned and operated Town and Country Veterinary Services in Frankfort, Ky., for many years. Survivors include his wife, Sondra, two daughters and one grandchild.

Dr. James Lee Shewmaker, Jr. ’69, DVM, of La Belle, Fla., passed Oct. 8, 2023. He completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Kentucky prior to earning his Auburn DVM. Following graduation, he served in the U.S. Army before purchasing what became Shewmaker Animal Hospital, where he practiced for 50 years. Survivors include, three children (two of which also became veterinarians), three grandchildren and a sister. 

Dr. Jimmy Lee Powers ’71, DVM, of Athens, Ala., passed Jan. 30, 2024. He earned his undergraduate degree at the University of Tennessee before earning his Auburn DVM, then practiced in the Huntsville-Madison County, Ala., area for more than 40 years. Survivors include his wife, Marijke, two daughters, three step-children and four grandchildren.

Dr. William Robert Hancock ’72, DVM, of Fort Collins, Colo., passed Nov. 25, 2023. He earned his undergraduate degree at the University of Florida before completing his DVM at Auburn. Following graduation and an internship at Colorado State University, he opened Lemay Animal Hospital, a small animal practice in Fort Collins, where he practiced until his retirement in 2001. Survivors include his wife, Karen, a son, a daughter, two grandchildren and a sister.

Dr. Harry Ward ’72, DVM, of Fulton, Ky., passed Oct. 5, 2023. Following his graduation from the Auburn CVM, he purchased a mixed animal practice in Fulton, where he practiced for more than 50 years. Survivors include his wife, Sally, a son, a daughter, four grandchildren and two siblings.

Dr. Mark Clark Ingram ’73, DVM, of Columbia, Tenn., passed Jan. 27, 2024. He earned his undergraduate degree at the University of Alabama. After earning his Auburn DVM he operated Franklin Road Animal Hospital in Brentwood, Tenn., for more than 50 years. Survivors include his wife, Barbara, two sons, two daughters, six grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

Dr. Harry Edward Klauser ’74, DVM, of Tupelo, Miss., passed Jan. 5, 2024. He earned his undergraduate degree from Mississippi State University before completing his Auburn DVM. Following graduation, he went on to practice for many years in Tupelo and the surrounding area. Survivors include two grandchildren and two brothers.  

Dr. Joel Douglas Ward ’74, DVM, of Mobile, Ala., passed Oct. 21, 2023. He completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Southern Mississippi before earning his Auburn DVM. Following his graduation, he served in the U.S. Marine Corps before retiring from the U.S. Army as a lieutenant colonel. Survivors include his wife, Carol, a son, a daughter, three stepdaughters, 11 grandchildren and a brother.

Dr. H. Wayne Long ’79, DVM, of Anniston, Ala., passed Jan. 11, 2024. Following his graduation from the Auburn CVM, he opened Long Animal Clinic in Calhoun County, where he practiced for more than 40 years until his death. Survivors include his wife, Carmen, a son, two daughters, a brother and three sisters.

Dr. Don Ira “Bo” Williamson, Jr. ’81, DVM, of Pinedale, Wyo., passed Jan. 21, 2024. He earned his undergraduate degree from Centre (Ky.) College prior to completing his DVM at Auburn. Following graduation, he began practicing in Torrington, Wyo., before later moving to Pinedale. Survivors include a brother and a sister.

Dr. Wayne Allen Standifer ’82, DVM, of Birmingham, Ala., passed Dec. 14, 2023. He earned his undergraduate and DVM degrees at Auburn before returning to Birmingham to join the family business at Standifer’s Animal Clinic, where he practiced until retiring in 2019. Survivors include his wife, Carol, a son, a daughter, two grandchildren and a sister. 

Dr. Meda Lide Doffermyre ’84, DVM, of Wilmington, N.C., passed Jan. 8, 2024. She earned her undergraduate degree at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill before completing her DVM at Auburn. She began practicing in Wilmington, where over the next 30 years she owned and operated three different clinics, including Azalea Coast Animal Care, Holistic Animal Healthcare and Pets at Peace. Survivors include her husband, Art, a son, a daughter and several brothers.