Charles Allen Cary
Charles Allen Cary was a clever, hard-nosed veterinarian and a visionary academic leader true to the mission of an American land-grant institution. His storied success over 43 years at the helm of Auburn’s veterinary medical program speaks for itself: creator of Auburn’s College of Veterinary Medicine, crusader for public health and food safety, champion for organized veterinary medicine, and devoted public servant. His work dramatically reduced the impact of hog cholera, Texas tick fever, and tuberculosis—diseases that exerted tragic and stifling morbidity, mortality, and economic hardship on Alabamians and their neighbors. The tide turned when Cary’s scientific acumen and legislative advocacy resulted in laws requiring the use of dipping vats (which he designed and constructed) along cattle shipping routes to control ticks, when antiserum against hog cholera virus was produced in bulk on the Auburn campus as an integral part of immunization protocols, and when meat and milk inspections were implemented in Alabama under the supervision of veterinarians reporting to the state veterinarian—the same Dr. Cary.
How could a man with such an ambitious agenda find the time to engage internationally with the world’s top scientists, lead the American Veterinary Medical Association, and personally mentor his students? Dr. Cary’s fascinating life story has been exquisitely chronicled by Sam Hendrix in his new book, The Cary Legacy. The College of Veterinary Medicine owes a tremendous debt of gratitude to Sam for researching and masterfully telling Dr. Cary’s life story for all to admire and enjoy. There is no doubt that the fabric of Auburn’s College of Veterinary Medicine today has been woven from threads of Cary’s character and success. His life personified “The Auburn Creed.”
Please join your colleagues and friends in Auburn from Thursday, Oct. 18, to Sunday, Oct. 21, 2018 for Annual Conference, which will run concurrently with the 13th J.T. Vaughan Equine Conference. Now in its 111th consecutive year, Annual Conference traces back to the College’s first year and Dr. Cary’s 15th year on the Auburn campus. The weekend will include 10 class reunions, an Auburn football viewing tailgate party, and a Friday evening event closing the Because This is Auburn campaign, in which we will celebrate the generosity of donors who committed financial support to the College of Veterinary Medicine. The initial public distribution of The Cary Legacy and signing by author Sam Hendrix will be featured.
It is an honor for me to continue to advance the Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine in the tradition of excellence and innovation that Dean Charles Allen Cary established more than 126 years ago.
Thank you for your interest in Auburn veterinary medicine.
Dean Calvin Johnson '86