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LSU
Veterinary School Honors Two Alumnae with
Distinguished
Alumnus Award
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The LSU School
of Veterinary Medicine recognized the
accomplishments and contributions to the
community made by Dr. Mary Louise ("Weezie")
Martin-Klaucke (Class of 1982) with a posthumous
Distinguished Alumnus award. Dean Peter Haynes
(right) presents the plaque to Martha and Jim
Bob Ourso, Mary Louise's sister and
brother-in-law. |
The LSU
School of Veterinary Medicine honored two alumni at its
77th Annual Conference for Veterinarians and Veterinary
Technicians with the Distinguished Alumnus Award. The
recipients are Dr. Mary Louise Martin (LSU 1982) and Dr.
Debra Sellon (LSU 1983).
Dr. Martin
was a graduate of St. Joseph’s Academy in Baton Rouge.
She received her DVM from the LSU SVM in 1982, and
followed with an MS in genetics from LSU. She studied at
the Woods Hole Institute and did an internship at the
University of Pennsylvania, where she specialized in
cardiology.
Dr. Martin
was the first veterinarian to be selected for a
fellowship by Children’s Hospital in Boston. In 1985,
she went to work at the Centers for Disease Control,
where she was head of the congenital birth defects
section. Dr. Martin sang with the Metropolitan Opera
Chorus while living in Atlanta. She was president of the
Junior League of DeKalb County and was a lobbyist for
the Junior League in Washington.
In 1995,
Dr. Klaucke, Dr. Martin’s husband, was assigned to Kenya
to work in a polio immunization program for the World
Health Organization. Dr. Martin left her job at the CDC,
and the family moved to Nairobi, Kenya. In Nairobi, Dr.
Martin was working as the director of the Jimmy Carter
Foundation in the fight against malaria. She was a pilot
and became a Medivac pilot while in Africa. Dr. Martin
lost her life in the terrorist bombing of the U.S.
embassy in Nairobi on August 7, 1998.
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Dr. Debra
Sellon (Class of 1983) was also awarded a 2008
Distinguished Alumnus award for her
accomplishments in veterinary medicine and
contributions to the community.
Dr. Becky McConnico accepts the plaque on
Debra's behalf from Dean Haynes. |
Dr. Sellon
is an outstanding educator, as evidenced by numerous
teaching awards. In addition to her lectures, labs and
clinical duties at Washington State University, where
she is associate dean of the Graduate School, she
mentors interns, ACVIM resident candidates, and doctoral
students.
Dr. Sellon
has excelled in several areas of research beginning with
studies in Equine Infectious Anemia at North Carolina
State University and going on to research concentrations
at WSU in immunology and immune suppression in animals.
She has developed an international reputation. Her
studies involving Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis are
cutting edge and continue to provide greater insights
into the pathogenesis of this crippling disease in
horses. She is a successful grantsman with over $2
million in extramural funding, including awards from the
NIH.
Dr. Sellon
has published over 55 manuscripts in peer reviewed
journals, contributed to many publications and book
chapters, and is currently co-editor of the textbook
Equine Internal Medicine. These scholarly contributions
to the literature are further examples of her dedication
to academics.
Dr. Sellon
holds awards for leadership, excelling on both local and
national levels with her service on committees at WSU,
North Carolina State University, the American
Association of Equine Practitioners, the American
College of Veterinary Internal Medicine, and the
American Veterinary Medical Association. She has always
been a passionate champion for her alma mater and the
profession.
The
Distinguished Alumnus Award is a means to recognize
alumni of the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine for
outstanding professional and personal achievements. The
award is presented at the Annual Conference each year.
Any veterinarian who received the Doctor of Veterinary
Medicine degree from Louisiana State University before
1998 is eligible for the award. Candidates will be
recognized for their accomplishments in veterinary
medicine and/or contributions to the community through
public service. Previous winners include Dr. Robert
Lewis (LSU 1977), Elgin, Texas, 1990 recipient; Drs.
Larry McCaskill (LSU 1981), Oscar, La., Mark Mikelonis
(LSU 1988), Covington, La., and Jim Floyd (LSU 1987),
Pittsboro, N.C., 1991 recipients; Dr. Allen J. Roussel
(LSU 1977), College Station, Texas, 1992 recipient; Dr.
Mike Strain (LSU 1983), Covington, La., 2003 recipient;
Dr. Alfred Stevens (LSU 1979), Baton Rouge, La., 2004
recipient; Dr. Gregory Rich (LSU 1985), Kenner, La.,
2005 recipient; Dr. Mary Boudreaux (LSU 1979), Auburn,
Ala., 2006 recipient; and Dr. Robert D. Simmons (LSU
1977), 2007 recipient. |
