Passing the Baton

Each year the veterinary center awards the Dean Clarence McElroy Award to a senior student selected by faculty and fourth-year students based on high academic achievement, leadership and outstanding clinical proficiency. The annual award is the highest honor a veterinary student can earn at OSU.

As Dr. Michael Lorenz, dean of the veterinary center, began to announce the 2010 McElroy Award winner, this year’s recipient, Troy Herthel of Los Olivos, Calif., was merely curious to see who would be top student.

“I wasn’t thinking that I’d be considered for this award. When I heard Dr. Lorenz say that the person played quarterback in high school, I knew the list narrowed immensely, but I was still very surprised to receive the McElroy Award,” he says.

“There are a lot of very deserving students in my class, so I feel all the more fortunate and honored to have been selected.”

Veterinary medicine has always been a part of Herthel’s life since he grew up helping his father, an equine veterinarian. Even as an elementary school student, Herthel knew he would pursue medicine, and in high school, he narrowed his pursuit to veterinary medicine.

His parents are the biggest influences in his life, Herthel says.

“They taught me early on the importance of honesty, integrity and compassion, as well as having a strong work ethic and moral fiber. I was also fortunate to have been mentored by several equine veterinarians including Drs. Mark Rick, Ed Hamer, Greg Parks, and Carter Judy (all of Los Olivos) as well as Dr. Joe Carter of Washington, Okla.”

Herthel says his memories of his four years at OSU focus on the tremendous people he has met.

“Whether it was a practical joke being played on one of my classmates, an evening sitting around the barbecue with friends, or seeing patients recover against all odds and then go home to their owners, I have made many memories that I will always cherish.”

Herthel advises young people considering a career in veterinary medicine to “do whatever it takes to pursue your dream.”

Perseverance and determination will help overcome the roadblocks, he says. “I have had the great honor of working with a number of tremendous veterinarians, and for the most part, they all say veterinary medicine is not their job — it’s their passion.”

After graduation, Herthel started a yearlong internship at Weatherford Equine Medical Center in Weatherford, Texas, where he works with lameness, surgery, medicine and equine reproduction primarily on cutting horse bred quarter horses.

He plans to enter an equine surgical residency program after the internship. His ultimate goal is to become an equine surgeon and work with his father back home in California.

In a special ceremony, Patricia McElroy, right, granddaughter of the late Dean McElroy, the first dean of OSU’s College of Veterinary Medicine, presents the 2010 McElroy Award to Troy Herthel

“SHE’S THE GLUE THAT HOLDS OUR DEPARTMENT TOGETHER ... IF YOU WANT TO KNOW INFORMATION ABOUT HOW THE DEPARTMENT, COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY OPERATE, KATHY IS YOUR PERSON.”