Oregon State University Carlson College of Veterinary Medicine

Gwendolyn is a spunky, young cat. She likes to spend her days outside, hiding in tall grass, stalking critters (mostly dragonflies and the neighborhood cats). “She runs the house and likes to boss people and our other pets around,” says her owner Sara Bryant.

The human immune system serves to detect and destroy abnormal cells in our bodies. Modern medicine uses that system to prevent diseases, like influenza and measles, by injecting vaccines that alert the immune system to be on the lookout for those cells.

It might seem hard to pinpoint a favorite moment from 36 years of veterinary practice. But for Dr. Mike Bellinghausen (D.V.M. ’84), there’s no contest. “It came after 35 years of private practice in November of 2019,” he said. Bellinghausen was standing outside a temporary clinic in an old auditorium in Cuzco, Peru having just finished a week with the World Vets organization, which provides veterinary care to underserved regions around the globe. His daughter Stephanie (B.S. Biology ’16) was by his side.

Lorie Kennerly first walked through the doors of Magruder Hall as an Oregon State University employee in Dec. 1982 – six months before the first class of the Carlson College of Veterinary Medicine received their veterinary degrees.

Kennerly, an information technology consultant, spent most of her career in IT, but “my position pre-dated the age of IT,” she said. In the early days, computers were barely used. “Early on, my job was to teach old veterinarians how to use a mouse,” she said. “What a hoot!”

Diane Ostergaard sews and donates kennel blankets to the CCVM teaching hospital.

Mason, Saucy, Sid, Patty, Wolf and Carbon. Two dogs, four cats. Diane Ostergaard, 72 and a retired school librarian, lives in Salem, Oregon with her husband Terry. Each animal has been a companion through the seasons of their joined life.

Mason, a Saint Bernard, was Terry’s dog before they tied the knot. “That’s almost why I married him,” Ostergaard said with a chuckle.

New ODA State Veterinarian Ryan Scholz graduated from CCVM in 2011.