Wilson Bell '39, Connecting Cornell to Virginia-Tech University

By Donald F. Smith, Cornell University

Cornell’s veterinary class of 1939 was distinctive. Thirty-six men and three women arrived in Ithaca, New York in the depths of the Depression and would form the nucleus of the most diverse classes in the history of veterinary medicine, as well as one of the most cohesive?(1)

I became interested in this class several years ago and interviewed as many of the surviving alumni as possible though they were all well into their 90s at the time.(2)  For those who were deceased, I tried to find out as much about them as possible through second- and third-hand sources.  One of my greatest challenges was to learn of Dr. Wilson Bell, a Virginia native, who had died in 1992.  All I could find out from the Cornell records is that he had entered the class as a freshman in 1935 and graduated on schedule four years later.

Little was remembered about this man by the members of Class of 1939 whom I interviewed, though one recalled that he had worked at Virginia-Tech University. Not surprising, I thought, because he had been from Virginia.. This was corroborated by a letter written to his classmates at the time of their 30^th reunion in 1969 that had “director of development” on its Virginia-Tech masthead.

I made several calls to the Blacksburg Virginia-Tech campus at the time, but neither library personnel nor various administrative offices was able to confirm any more than Dr. Bell had worked at the university. One person told me that he had been an administrator in the College of Agriculture.

I did not pursue Dr. Bell’s history any more until a couple of months ago, while reading the centennial book’s history of the Virginia Veterinary Medical Association,(3) I stumbled upon several references to him written by Mr. Jeff Douglas who had spent many years working on the Blacksburg campus. I learned that Dr. Bell had been dean of Agriculture for many years, then had moved into central administration in the late 1960s where he was the inaugural development officer for the university.

Dr. Bell’s pre-Cornell history was also intriguing. He had received his undergraduate education in biology from Virginia Tech, followed by a masters in microbiology. He then moved to Ithaca where he accepted an assistantship in bacteriology and pathology.  One of the fringe benefits of being a Cornell faculty member at the time was to take courses at the university, so he enrolled in the DVM program of the veterinary college. Perhaps one of the reasons he was never well known by his classmates is that he was heavily engaged in teaching at the time. He also was the most educated person in the class, as only one year of undergraduate education was required at the time.

Following graduation, Dr. Bell was employed by the University of California until he entered military service in World War II. After the war, he returned to Virginia Tech where he eventually became dean of agriculture and, in 1968, director of development.

Cornell has connections with many of the veterinary colleges that arose in the 1960s and 1970s, and the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine is no exception.(4)  However, it is unusual that the shared history goes as far back as the 1930s.  

The author acknowledges the assistance of Mr. Jeff Douglas, contributing author of the centennial history, in preparing this story.

(1) In addition to the three women (the most of any veterinary class to that time), two foreigners (a Canadian and a man from China), an African-American from Tennessee (Cornell’s only Black veterinary graduate of the 1930s), and eight Jewish students were members of the Class of 1939.

(2) www.vet.cornell.edu/legacy

(3) Sanford, S. Mason. A Century of Science. The Virginia Veterinary Medical Association. 1894-1994. Gurtner Printing, Salem, Virginia 1994.

(4) One of the founders of the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine was Dr. Kent Roberts ‘51, a prominent Virginia veterinarian. The third dean of the college, Dr. Gerhardt Schurig received his PhD from Cornell in 1977.

(5) Douglas, Jeffrey S. Senior, Communications Consultant, Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges.

(6) Sanford, S. Mason. Ibid

Cornell's Student Chapter of the Women's Veterinary Leadership Development Initiative Wins Prestigious Cook Award for 2015

By Donald F. Smith DVM, Cornell University

In the company of the university provost, several vice presidents  and deans (including veterinary college dean, Dr. Michael Kotlikoff), President David Skorton presented the Alice H. Cook & Constance E. Cook Award to a distinguished group of ten faculty and students “who have made significant contributions to changing the climate for women at Cornell University.” 

Included in this group were the first veterinary students ever to receive the Cook Award in its 19-year history. On March 11, 2015, the four officers of the Cornell Student Chapter of the Women's Veterinary Leadership Development Initiative (WVLDI) received one of Cornell's most prestigious awards.  

"It was an honor to be recognized for our efforts in promoting diverse leadership in the veterinary field and opening up a forum for students to discuss gender-specific issues," Yuan Kang '17 commented after the award ceremony.

Cornell President David Skorton (left) presents the Cook Award to Yuan Kang, Anastasia Handwerk, Rebecca Donnelly and Michelle Forella, as Dr. Antonia Jameson-Jordan, one of three faculty advisors (1) gives the citation 
All photos by the author 

The WVLDI is a national organization that started following the summer 2013 meeting of the American Veterinary Medical Association. Among the founding directors was Julie Kumble of the Women's Fund of Western Massachusetts who joined me in co-presenting an all-day workshop on women's veterinary leadership for Cornell students in March 2014. (2)

Yuan, Michelle and Anastasia enjoying the celebratory lunch

Michelle Forella '17, current president of the chapter describes her involvement,

My classmates and I were inspired during a Women's Leadership Seminar (March 2014) to continue to promote the advancement of women with the College of Veterinary Medicine student body. Together, we formed the first student chapter of WVLDI. Our goals mirror that of the national organization, which are to support women in seeking and achieving leadership, policy, and decision-making positions within all areas of professional veterinary activity. We are helping further these goals across the county by serving as a model for new student chapters at other veterinary colleges.

Yuan (chapter treasurer) continues,

One year ago, we established the first ever student WVLDI chapter in order to carry on important conversations from a daylong class on women’s leadership and help our peers hone career development skills. Despite establishing ourselves fairly late in the school year and missing out on campus funding for student organizations, we secured grants to hold two well-attended lectures. 

Anastasia Handwerk '17 also accepted one of the officer positions, in her case that of secretary.

I am known to be a behind-the-scene person, quietly accomplishing my tasks and seeing what I can do to help others and advocate for them. My pattern has been to soak up all the different opinions, but not necessarily participating in the debates before deciding what I believe to be true.  But WVLDI forced me out of that comfort zone, encouraging me to speak my mind in our small group discussions and TED talks. I have come to realize, along with some of the other student members, just how present gender-inequality is in today's society, affecting mindset and paycheck alike. I have also come to realize that it will take both women and their male counterparts to work for change. While our organization is still new, we have managed to hold some extremely meaningful events and I believe we are truly changing the mindset of our female and male colleagues in our Cornell Vet Med community. 

Programs for this academic year started up again early in the 2014 fall semester with a lecture and discussion by WVLDI founder and president, Dr. Karen Bradley. Other programs have continued through the year, and will culminate in April with a class on Cheryl Sandberg's popular book, "Lean In", presented by the president of the North American Veterinary Community, Dr. Charlotte Lacroix.

WVLDI began as an impulsive, spur-of-the moment project and has turned into one of my most meaningful extracurricular activities", said Yuan. 

I took on the role of Treasurer to challenge myself with an unfamiliar job. Asking for money is not my greatest strength, and the responsibility of securing funding for this fledgling club has challenged me to be more assertive about seeking out resources. Furthermore, organizing WVLDI events has given me valuable opportunities to reach out to impressive women at Cornell and at the national level. Studies show that women are more apt to advocate for others than for themselves, though I hope my extracurricular leadership experiences will translate into a more proactive personal search for externships and jobs. 

Becky Donelly, '16 with her mother, Martha, who traveled from Buffalo to join the celebration

The impact of these four officers on Cornell as well as on other veterinary colleges across the country has been exemplary. The recognition by this extraordinary award raises the bar for veterinarians and veterinary students everywhere.  The entire veterinary college community is grateful for their efforts and proud of their impact.


(1) The other faculty advisors are Drs. Tracy Stokol and Kathy Earnest-Koons
(2) Smith, Donald F. and Julie Kumble. Women's Leadership in Veterinary Medicine: A Course for Veterinary Students. April 2, 2014

Mentoring, With Gusto

In Memorium, Farish A. Jenkins 1940-2012

Guest author: Casey Cazer, Cornell DVM Class of 2016

Editor’s Note: This invited essay acknowledges the life contribution of mentors. The author, a third-year student at Cornell’s College of Veterinary Medicine also presents it as a memorial tribute to her undergraduate advisor whom she considers to be an outstanding mentor.

Donald F. Smith

Casey Cazer, Cornell DVM Candidate 2016 

volunteering at the NY State Fair Dairy Birthing Center

(Photo provided by the author)

Education was once based on mentorship; it was about the relationship between teacher and pupil. Since Socrates and Plato, teachers and mentors were synonymous and students benefited from a combination of instruction and counseling. But as the number of people seeking secondary and higher education has increased, the mentoring relationship between teachers and students has been usurped by the need to disseminate as much knowledge as possible to as many students as possible. My favorite professor understood that mentorship is at the heart of teaching and the counseling and role-modeling that he gave to me were transformational to my career.

Dr. Farish A. Jenkins
(Photo provided by Maxbetter Vizelberg)

Farish A. Jenkins was an evolutionary biologist and paleontologist at Harvard University and was often assigned pre-vet advisees because there were no faculty veterinarians in the biology department. However, I was not discouraged by having an advisor outside of my field of study because it quickly became evident that Farish had much more to offer than a letter of recommendation for veterinary school applications.

Through sharing stories of his own work—expeditions to the Arctic, safaris in southern Africa, fitting together fossilized feet of dinosaurs—he opened my eyes to a world of discovery and inquiry. It was evident that innate curiosity was a driving factor in his work and contributed to his groundbreaking discoveries. The personal stories he shared made his work come alive, made it tangible such that I wanted to be a part of it.

An ex-Marine, Farish carried vodka and a rifle on Arctic expeditions, during which he and his collaborators would discover Tiktaalik roseae, the link between water and land vertebrates. But I knew him as a professor in an office with filing cabinets full of publications and fossils meticulously spread out on a table. For many months he had a dinosaur’s unarticulated foot on his desk. When I inquired about it, he explained that most museums were posturing the Plateosaurus incorrectly as a bipedal animal walking on its toes. Farish pointed out subtle contours of the metatarsal-phalangeal joint, demonstrating that the current posture resulted in a hyperextension of the joint. His observational finding contributed to a long-ranging debate among paleontologists and the plantigrade stance became more commonplace in museums. Over four years I heard many stories of discovery like that one, each challenging me to take on a larger role in the pursuit of new knowledge. Farish inspired me to strive to make a difference in the world, even if it is a small one.

Farish’s confidence in me surpassed my own self-assurance, which helped me to see how I could take my veterinary education above and beyond traditional veterinary careers. He always thought that I could do more, be more, than I did. With guidance and support he illuminated my full potential and it glittered at the end of a new road. Farish showed me that road and he would help me travel it.

He suggested summer research programs but also supported me in my quest for pre-veterinary experience at dairy farms and race tracks. When I wanted to study animal nutrition, Farish volunteered to help me with an independent study. But he actually knew nothing about animal nutrition, so once a week for a semester I taught him nutrition that I learned through a textbook and primary literature. I presented case studies on ketosis in dairy cows and Farish was fascinated. He said that he was thankful for my teaching and excited to have learned about a new topic, which he even used on an African safari that he led that year. His genuine enthusiasm was my reward.

This experience demonstrated to me that mentoring is a two-way relationship. The mentor cannot be expected to be the only party with something to give. A mentee’s contribution might be introducing an interest or hobby, teaching a unique topic, or sharing unique life experiences. Each mentoring relationship is unique, but the mentee must contribute more than just gratitude for the mentor’s advice and help because lasting, meaningful relationships can only be built on reciprocity.

Farish wasn't just a mentor, but also a sponsor. He connected me with opportunities both within and outside of Harvard. He used the full extent of his professional network to help me reach my goals. And he didn't stop with my admission to vet school. After I was accepted at Cornell, he reached out to friends here and helped form my early connections with Cornell's faculty.

I didn't really know what a mentor was, or could be, until I spent time with Farish. He always went above and beyond his formal responsibilities as my academic advisor. He praised my work and initiatives and demonstrated a sincere interest in my career and personal life. It was that personal connection that made our mentoring relationship meaningful--not just a "checking in" about academic progress or writing recommendation letters. Farish’s belief in me and his unwavering support continues to guide me along the road to my full potential. It is because of his unchecked enthusiasm for discovery that I found my passion for research. He also helped cultivate my aptitude for teaching. I will continue to strive for impact in everything that I do because that is what Farish would expect from me and I’m not going to let him down.

On June 4, 2012, Dr. Farish Jenkins shared this testament with students in his closing remarks at Harvard’s Great Transformations Symposium and Celebration:

“You will take joy in two things. These were the joys that have come in my life. Discovery. When discovery hits you, you’re looking at something and you don’t see it. Then all of the sudden you do see it…Those days will be days of your life’s highest elation…The other great happiness that is waiting for you as students is that you will become teachers….if you are good teachers you will convey your enthusiasm, your love, and your insight, so that all of the sudden you turn out classes of people who really appreciate the natural world of organisms... And this gives you great joy and gives them great joy and you suddenly realize that these students came to Harvard University for education and, by gosh, they didn’t get it from very many courses but they got it from you.”