Breaking New Ground

Dr. Lester Naito, class of 1959, made his choice to become a veterinarian because he wanted a career that would allow the freedom to enjoy family life as well as conduct a successful medical practice.

Naito, who remembers a childhood surrounded by pets and other animals, studied for two years as a pre-med major at Marquette University in Milwaukee. He chose to further his education at OSU because the pre-veterinary requirements closely matched his pre-med course work.

“I needed one semester and a summer to fulfill the other courses required for successful application. Fortunately, I was accepted in that fall’s class of 1956. The administration accepted two students each from North Carolina, West Virginia, Arkansas and Texas,” he says. “Somehow they allowed an out-ofstate student from Hawaii.”

Naito and his wife, Grace, are native Hawaiians who married after the doctor returned home to develop his veterinary private.

“Veterinary medicine has been a gratifying profession because we are able to offer modern veterinary medicine and surgery for all animals,” he says. “It has provided our family with income to educate our four children, have a home, make investments and have a good quality of life.”

Naito refers to veterinary medicine as the happy profession. “Pet owners have an option whether to have a pet or not,” he says. “It is a happy occasion or choice to have a pet. Being a veterinarian has enabled me to meet many pet owners and have many wonderful experiences with pet health care. I have never regretted being in this profession.”

In 1990, Naito established the first 24-hour veterinary hospital in Hawaii and its ensuing five satellite clinics that serve as a model system for successful small animal clinics. He retired from clinical service and assumed the role of hospital administrator 10 years ago.

“I am fortunate to have had an excellent veterinary education and training at OSU. It provided a foundation that helped me start a successful group practice and continue to provide modern veterinary medical care for patients,” Naito says.

He advises today’s veterinary medicine students to develop people skills, keep up with new developments in medicine and technology and prepare for the business aspect of veterinary health care.

At the 2005 Western Veterinary Conference in Las Vegas, Naito attended the administrative practices sessions. “I have to keep up with what’s new,” he says.

“I am always learning.”