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College of Veterinary Medicine Advance Newsletter

The Longest Donors: Giving Back for 45 Years

In 1966 when Norm Rantanen (’67 DVM, ’71 M.S.) was in his third year of veterinary school, he signed up for the early commissioning program with the U.S. Air Force. When the time came for him and his wife Marlene to be stationed for his first assignment with the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology at the Walter Reed Army post in Washington, D.C., the young couple found they needed a little financial help to make the move. They applied for the WSU College of Veterinary Medicine student loan fund and received $300. “It meant a lot to us at the time to get that money,” says Marlene. “We paid it back at $10 a month and just never quit.” With 45 years and counting, the Rantanens are the longest consecutive donors to the WSU College of Veterinary Medicine. » More ...

Supporting Equine Veterinary Students for 52 Years

Haley Primley standing near a fence outside the veterinary teaching hospital
In 1968, the very first Washington Thoroughbred Breeders and Owners Association Scholarship was awarded to veterinary student Arthur “Rocky” Crate (’69 DVM) in the amount of $200. He wrote, “I feel very proud, and very humble, to be so highly honored. No other scholarship would have given me the pleasure and the satisfaction that yours has given me, not only because of my love for horses, but because I hold your association, and the work which you are doing, in very high regard.” » More ...

WSU and Veterinary Clinics Working to End One of the Deadliest Diseases on the Planet

Standing in the Allen School lobby.
Every time a dog comes in for a rabies vaccination at the Lien Animal Clinic in West Seattle, Washington, the clinic donates $1 to the WSU Canine Rabies Vaccination Program to help end rabies around the globe. “Many people don’t know much about rabies because it is not a big problem in the United States,” says clinic co-owner and WSU alumna, Dr. Beth Fritzler (’91 DVM). “But it is a serious disease.” Each year an estimated 60,000 people die from rabies worldwide. Almost all deaths are in Africa and Asia. One-half of deaths are children under the age of 16. » More ...

WSU alumni Don and Dori Ferrel Helping to Improve the Health of Animals and People

As you read in this issue, researchers in the WSU Paul G. Allen School for Global Animal Health are doing exciting research to help ensure that no one dies from canine rabies. This important work that will save thousands of lives each year could not be done without the generous support from donors like WSU alumni Don and Dori Ferrel. For more than two decades, Don (’69 BS Physics) and Dori (’69 BA Education) have been committed to improving the health of animals and people through their donations to Washington State University. » More ...