Harry J. Fallon, Cornell DVM Class of 1938 (A Memorial Tribute)

Posted March 18, 2011
Author Dr. Donald F. Smith, dfs6@cornell.edu


This historical blog is in recognition of the 150th anniversary 
of the American Veterinary Medical Association (1863-2013).



Dr. Harry Fallon, one of the last living members of Cornell's Veterinary Class of 1938, died March 11, 2011 at age 95. I had the privilege of interviewing Dr. Fallon as he shared his life story with me in December 2007.

Dr. Harry J. Fallon (2007)
Photo by the author

The son of Jewish immigrants from Poland, Harry grew up in the Catskill Mountain area of New York State. Harry FELDMAN, as he was known during his youth, developed an interest in veterinary medicine through his frequent interaction with animals and crops that provided food for the family hotel business.

He enrolled in the College of Agriculture at Cornell and worked at a pheasant rearing facility to improve his candidacy for admission to veterinary college. He matriculated in 1934, after one year preveterinary studies.

Fearing that he may not get a job after graduation with a Jewish-sounding name, Harry changed his surname to FALLON before his final year. Ironically, the practice in Akron, OH that hired him was owned by a Catholic and a Quaker, and they often preferred to hire Jewish graduates. Regardless of his name, Dr. Harry Fallon fit right in!

Akron was a bustling community at the time, and Fallon's mentors, L.D. Barrett from Ohio State, and H.P. Noonan from Cornell, gave him a solid grounding in business and clinical medicine. Two years later, Fallon relocated to Huntington, West Virginia, where he established that city's first exclusive small animal practice. Except for his WWII service in the Veterinary Corps, he remained in Huntington throughout his career.

"A Big Frog in a Small Puddle" is how Dr. Fallon modestly described his impact in West Virginia when he compared himself to some classmates who established small animal practices in New York City. However, he cared for the pets of mayors, the State governor, and numerous community leaders. He was also president of the West Virginia Veterinary Medical Association and was twice named State Veterinarian of the Year.

A more complete biography of Dr. Fallon, and the transcipt and audio of his interview can be found at http://ecommons.library.cornell.edu/bitstream/1813/12271/1/Fallon,%20Harry%20J.%20'38%20BioInt.pdf

Dr. Smith invites comments at dfs6@cornell.edu

John D. Murray DVM, Cornell 1939: A Memorial Tribute

Posted by Donald F. Smith, DVM, Cornell University
February 25, 2011



This historical blog is in recognition of the 150th anniversary 
of the American Veterinary Medical Association (1863-2013).


Dr. John Murray, one of Cornell’s most loyal veterinary alumni, died early today. He was ninety-eight.

Born of hearty Irish stock on a farm near Addison, Pennsylvania, John spent two years at Alfred College, then applied to the veterinary college at Cornell. After waiting for several months without a response, he traveled to Ithaca one Saturday morning and had an impromptu meeting with Dean William Hagan.  

Dr. John D. Murray, 2008
Photo by the author

Three months later, his father carried a letter into the tannery where he was working. “My fingers were trembling when I opened that letter and read the opening lines, ‘We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted.’ That letter changed my life forever”, he recalled during a conversation in 2007.

Following graduation in 1939, he spent a year as Instructor in Surgery at Cornell’s large animal clinic then started a general practice in the rural community of Painted Post. He was a capable and innovative practitioner, and a good surgeon.

Dr. Murray became active in the local veterinary association and, in 1970, served as president of the New York State Veterinary Medical Society. John and his first wife, Agnes, raised three children, John, Martin (“Mickey”) and Mary Agnes, and were active in the local community until she unfortunately succumbed to Alzheimer’s.

Retiring after four decades in practice, Dr. Murray and his second wife, Marion, spent their summers in southern New York, relocating to Florida during the winter months where he enjoyed golf and fishing.

Dr. Murray served as the quintessential ambassador for Cornell, participating on the Cornell University Council. As chairman of the College of Veterinary Medicine’s fund raising committee, he never asked others to contribute more than himself. University President Frank H. T. Rhodes named him a Foremost Benefactor of the university in 1980 and the college’s John D. Murray Lecture Hall was named in his honor.

Though Dr. Murray’s later years were punctuated by sadness with the loss of Marion, he continued to serve as the Class of ’39 leader, staying in frequent touch with classmates and helping host their five-year reunions. Until a few months ago, he would even occasionally drive back to his beloved Cornell to meet friends and perhaps pop into the executive office to great the dean.

Dr. Murray recently developed heart failure and spent his remaining days in a local Hospice facility. It was there I had a wonderful visit with him two weeks ago. He regaled me with familiar stories of his early days in practice, and affirmed his love for Cornell and his classmates.

With his passing, we lose a legendary veterinarian of incredible wit and charm, and unsurpassed loyalty to the profession and to Cornell's veterinary college.  

The full text and audio of a 2007 interview with Dr. Murray, including his sidesplitting rendition of “Petey the Snake”, can be heard at http://ecommons.library.cornell.edu/bitstream/1813/12302/1/Murray,%20John%20D.%20'39%20BioInt.pdf

Dr. Smith invites comments at dfs6@cornell.edu.

The Veterinarian who Judged Best In Show at the Westminster

By Donald F. Smith, DVM, Cornell University
Posted February 13, 2011



This historical blog is in recognition of the 150th anniversary 
of the American Veterinary Medical Association (1863-2013).



In 1938, Josephine Deubler was the first woman veterinary graduate of the University of Pennsylvania. Sixty years later, she was the first veterinarian to judge Best In Show at the Westminster Kennel Club at Madison Square Garden.

Dr. Josephine Deubler
Photo from Univ Penn

A lover of animals and raised in a family of veterinarians―including her father, brother, uncle and two cousins― it was only natural that she would also seek a veterinary degree. However, it was not that simple during the 1930s as fewer than 40 women had graduated from veterinary colleges in the U.S., and none had graduated from Penn. In addition, she had a serious hearing impairment.

Dr. Deubler not only earned her V.M.D., but stayed at the University of Pennsylvania and received her PhD degree in 1944. She was the first woman on the veterinary school’s faculty and spent her entire professional career teaching and doing research.

"Jo", as she was affectionately known in the dog world, bred and raised Dandie Dinmont Terriers. Licensed as an American Kennel Club judge in 1962, she worked her way up the judging circuit reaching its acme at the Garden in February 1998. She selected a Norwich Terrier as the winner.

Though she officially retired in 1987,  Dr. Deubler remained active in veterinary and dog fancier circles until her death two years ago at age 92.

Despite the many veterinary tributes which were bestowed upon her, Dr. Deubler considers her greatest honor being selected to judge Best In Show at the Garden.

Dr. Smith invites comments at dfs6@cornell.edu

An Interview with a Japanese WW II Veterinary Officer

“We were only informed that we were heading south, and it was not disclosed how many days it would take to reach our destination.” So began the five-year war journey of a young Japanese veterinary officer in December 1941, as he disembarked from a port in occupied China with 300 horses under his care.

This afternoon, I had the privilege to interview 93-year-old Dr. Takehiko Takahashi, one of the few remaining veterans of the China-Burma-India conflict. Tall and erect, with a surprisingly facile command of the English language, this distinguished gentleman would later in life become president of the Japanese Small Animal Association. With the assistance of a young Japanese veterinary student named Junya Yasuda, Dr. Takahashi shared with me details of how he transported a boat-load of horses through the South China Sea to Thailand, and from there to the front lines in the jungles and mountains of Burma.

Dr. Takehiko Takahashi, November 7, 2010

The horses were secured in tightly-packed quarters in the ship's hold for the journey. Lack of ventilation and the tropical heat became serious health hazards as they coursed south into the tropical sea. The horses that became sick with respiratory disease were helped by treatment with anti-Strangles serum delivered to their boat while en route. Dr. Takahashi was also successful in convincing the ship’s captain to periodically hoist horses by crane onto the upper deck for fresh air and exercise.

Personal Accounts of Veterinarians Serving on Opposing Sides of the China-Burma-India Conflict During WW II

Three years ago, I interviewed my longtime friend, Dr. Kenneth Gumaer '43, who had served during World War II in the China-Burma-India theater. His responsibility was to supervise the safe transport of over 250 mules from New Orleans to Calcutta, India. Despite being torpedoed by a German U-boat and enduring rough seas that caused massive hematomas on the mules, Dr. Gumaer proudly reported that they lost just one animal during the 87-day passage. 

From the disembarking point, the mules were transported by train to Deogarh, India for training and final preparations for combat. Then Gumaer led them through almost impenetrable jungle and over treacherous mountain passes behind the Japanese lines in Burma until they finally captured the strategic airport at Myitkyina. It was a major Allied victory in the C-B-I campaign and a significant turning point in the war.

Dr. Kenneth Gumaer with a Pack Mule
in the China-India-Burma Campaign in WWII (1944)