Observations of the Professional Galaxy Through a Humble Telescope

Occasionally, AAVMC recognizes an individual, devoted to veterinary medical education, whose career is distinguished by extraordinary leadership and achievements that have profoundly changed our profession. In 2008, the association recognized Dr. John Thomas Vaughan as epitomizing this pinnacle of achievement. Dr. Vaughan started his distinguished career by earning the DVM from Auburn University with Highest Honor in 1955. He trained at the side of giants of the profession of that era, such as Drs. Walter J. Gibbons, Benjamin F. Hoerlein, James E. Greene, and Wilford S. Bailey. He was immediately pressed into service by the Auburn faculty as an Instructor of Large Animal Surgery and Medicine. In this period before tranquilizers, Instructor Vaughan awed his students by deftly ‘‘casting’’ a 16-hand, 1,000-lb mule to lateral recumbency without assistance or injury to the bewildered beast. His intellect and strength of character equaled his steel grip. Over the next 15 years he advanced to Associate Professor, earned the MS degree, became a member of the American Association of Equine Practitioners, and was appointed diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons. In 1970 he was enticed to the northernmost limits of his range to become Professor of Surgery and Hospital Director at Cornell. Four years later, with his young family, he headed south to become Professor and Head of the Auburn Large Animal Surgery and Medicine. In 1977 he was selected to be only the fifth permanent Dean of Auburn’s 85-year-old College of Veterinary Medicine. During the next 18 years Dean Vaughan led the college through explosive growth, expansion of faculty, the creation of the Scott-Ritchey Research Center, and other growth of the research base. To say that his imprint on Auburn is indelible is to underestimate the depth and breadth of his influence. Shortly after becoming Dean, I was introduced to a prestigious group as ‘‘Tom Boosinger,’’ and meetings at my office were scheduled for ‘‘Tom’s office.’’ It is difficult to succinctly summarize Dr. Vaughan’s national influence except by listing highlights: President of the American Association of Equine Practitioners; Member of the Board of Regents and President of the College of Veterinary Surgeons; Chair-elect, Council of Deans, AAVMC; Chair of the Commission on Veterinary Medicine of the National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges and member of the Commission on Food, Environment and Renewable Resources. Dr. Vaughan’s long list of honors culminated in 2003 with the Auburn’s state-of-the-art large-animal teaching hospital being named the John Thomas Vaughan Large Animal Teaching Hospital. It is a pleasure and an honor to introduce my good friend and esteemed colleague, Tom Vaughan, as recipient of the 2008 AAVMC Recognition Lecturer Award. —Timothy R. Boosinger, President, AAVMC

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