Dr. D: Thanking Legend
In 2016, a dedicated and generous group of Cornell Vet alumni established a scholarship named in honour of Dr. D, the man who has influenced generations of veterinarians, thereby improving the health of countless animals. For this, we thank you, Dr. D.
And for those who supported the crowdfunding project, In the Key of (Dr.) D, Cornell thanks you. Sharna Alt Geraldine Aviza Donna Baird-Horne Georgina Barone Jerold & Candice Bell Stacey Benton Jerry Bilinski Stephen Bistner Glenn & Lia Belanger Book Lori Brockman Laurie Buche Ashley Budd Linda Byer Christopher Byers Melissa Carlson Katelyn Romeo Carney Jean and Gene Ceglowski Eric Chafetz Pui Chi Chang Laura Cihocki Kimberly Cleland Margaret Coffey Pamela Corey Etienne Cote Leigh Cutler Marie-Josee Desbarats Elizabeth Dole Nancy Dreschel Janet Durso
Joseph Eagleson Kathy Edmondson Oliver Elbert Donald Eno Pat Erickson Luke Fallon Anne Fessler Anthony Fischetti Carolyn Fisher David Frantz Robert Garman Michael H Gilman Brenda Godlewski Gary Goldberg Ferris Gorra Alan Green Craig Griffin Nicholas Haley Caryl Handelman Nina Harff Dana Hatfield John Hermanson Florence Higgins Karyl Hurley Gregory Jamrosz Christine Johnston Lawrence Kahn Erin Koster Gibson Daniel Lauridia Sue Ann Lesser
Louis Licari Kelly Lyboldt Elizabeth Lynch James MacDonald Ed MacKillop Nina Malik Nancy Marchetti Jim and Sharon Marx Rich Maus Emily Meseck Karl Minster Linda Mizer Robin Moyle Dharshan Neravanda Robert Nichols Sarah Nicolson Tom Nolan Karen Palazzini Jon Patterson Ruth Peck Pamela Perry Alan Pomerantz Lysa Posner Sarah Proctor Karen Purcell Stephen Purdy Lois Rich Anne Richards Michael Roth Eve Ryan
Debra Sapcariu Maureen Saunders Jenny Scarano Barb Schanbacher Barbara Scheffler Pete Scrivani Kimberly Stanz Ryan Storey Brian Summers Robin Tobin Lauren Trepanier Stanley Truffini Beth Valentine Lesley Vannerson Rachel Vaughan David Waters Will Wilhelm Bennett Wilson Steven Winn Alexandra Winter And a number of anonymous donors...
We hope you enjoy reminiscing as you read the submissions being shared with Dr. D.
Sandy: I can think of no person more deserving of this recognition and I am sure this appeal to create a scholarship fund in your honor is going to be a great success. Hope you are keeping well. Best wishes, Brian A. Summer, DVM '80
I had the privilege of adopting two "neuro" dogs from Dr. D. Both came through the neuro service and were donated by owners. One, a 2 year old flatcoat retriever named Black Jack, was donated and brought to Friday Neuro Rounds (12:30). Now, Neuro rounds were held at 12:30 on Friday. Necropsy Show and Tell was held at 4pm on Friday. Dr. D. showed Jack's quadriplegic lower motor neuron flaccidy (pronounced flaX-icidy) and asked for differential diagnosis. The clinical diagnosis was polyraciculoneuropathy or "Coon Hound Paralysis". He gave a reasonable prognosis for full recovery if someone could provide palliative care for 6-8 weeks. If there were no volunteers, then Jack would go to necropsy. So, good vet student that I was, I volunteered.
I called my non-vet husband to let him know I had adopted a dog at the vet school, and, in his usual astute fashion, he asked me what was wrong with it. Once I had explained, he exclaimed - really, you are in a vet school and you can't find a FUNCTIONING dog to adopt. True to his vast knowledge, Dr. D. was right, and 5 weeks later Jack stood up on his own and soon regained all his lost muscle mass. He was a cheerful, loyal companion through an international move to Canada, back to the US and through the birth of my first child.
Dr. D. had filmed Jack before and after recovery, to teach future generations of vet students and I am forever grateful for his teaching, his compassion and kindness to two legged and four legged critters of all stripes and to his astute questions and intellectual curiosity that led me to become an anatomic pathologist. Emily Meseck DVM ’02
Congratulations to Dr. D, what a wonderful teacher! I loved when you used to spin around in the front of the room to demonstrate nystagmus! Do you still do that? Larry Kahn DVM ’70
Diplomate status makes Dr. D. officially a neurologist, but everyone will tell you that Dr. D. was also a pathologist... and in terms of inspiring me, he is also a radiologist. He inspired me to pursue radiology more than any other mentor. He used radiology every day in his teaching. He is the first to teach me the basics of MRI (as a FRESHMAN no less!). That kind of multi-disciplinary teaching is rare, but very effective. I apply what D taught me every day. Thanks for the memories Dr. D! Anthony Fischetti DVM ’01
I am happy to contribute to the scholarship fund in Dr de Lahunta's name. He spent his entire career dedicated to furthering his profession's knowledge and encouraging students to learn and succeed. There should absolutely be a fund to help students continue to do so, in his name. I graduated in the class of his name. I graduated in the class of 2001, and enjoyed learning from Dr. D. His no-nonsense approach during instruction made learning anatomy and neurology seem easy. He had a genuine love for learning and teaching, and inspiring generations of veterinary students as they began their careers. He is a true scientist, discovering the unknown and documenting it for the beneďŹ t of those to come a ter him.
In addition to being a researcher and scientist, he is a phenomenal teacher. He always had a door open for questions or discussion, taught lectures in standingroom-only halls with a passion for his subject matter, and attending his 2 a.m hospital rounds was a real treat. Not only was he a researcher and a teacher, but a caring veterinarian who had an obvious love for animals. The way he cared about his patients during exams, and even his own dog that was used for live anatomy demos, made him a compassionate doctor and an overall inspiration to all of us. Learning from him was like glimpsing into a brilliant mind for a short while. He was a pioneer in Veterinary Medicine in the ďŹ eld of neurology, and (literally) wrote the book on neuroanatomy. I use his texts and notes to this day in my own work. I feel honored to have been a student of Dr D for four years, and to have known him, learned from him, laughed with him, took my oral examination in anatomy from him, and collaborated on my senior seminar case presentation with him. I'll never forget that signature bow tie, and his New England accent (I hear it echoing in my head every time I perform a neuro exam on a patient). Thanks for everything, D. You're the best. Eve (Varon) Ryan DVM ’01
Dr. Alexander de Lahunta (Dr. D) was at the center of the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine curriculum and teaching hospital for over 40 years. The sheer magnitude of his contributions to the college and the discipline of veterinary neurology is massive. His focus, however, was always on the building blocks of our profession: veterinary students. Anatomy, neurology and neuropathology can be both dry and esoteric but they came alive in his classroom. He taught with a verve and charisma that drew students into his lectures even when they weren’t required to be. Despite being academic giant, he was always available to his students and readily approachable. I have met other great scholars and veterinarians in my career but I have never met a more humble and gracious teacher. One of Dr. D’s goals was to teach a vertically integrated curriculum: anatomy, physical examination, imaging, gross and histopathology. He knew that this was how to best understand neurology and at least 2 generations of veterinarians at Cornell learned it this way. Veterinary students left Cornell with a better understanding of neurology than some neurology residents. He also made sure to emphasize that terminology matters. Medicine, both human and veterinary, is bogged down by meaningless eponyms, confusing language, and misnomers. Dr. D. cut through awkward verbiage and spoke precisely but never condescendingly. The hope in establishing an endowed scholarship is to continue to teach and support veterinary students the “Dr. D way” and to carry on his legacy for the next generation.
Every veterinarian that passed through Cornell from 1958 to 2005 has a memory or a story of Dr. D. His whirlwind lectures, Friday Neuro Rounds, finding him jogging around the campus, his gruff New England accent and euphemisms (“bouncing around like a pea on a hot skillet”). I remember an overwhelming sense of defeat after taking the final exam for his neuroanatomy and clinical neurology course. I doubt I am the only one. How did it seem so easy during the lectures and yet so difficult when presented with the same information, one rapid fire slide at a time? When it came time for applied anatomy, I knew what I was up against. I studied assiduously hoping not to relive the horror the neurology final exam. I made sure to focus on the minutiae since I felt that this might be prime material for Dr. D. A short paragraph in the applied anatomy text noted that a contrast study of the nasolacrimal duct is called dacryocystorhinography. My friends and I concluded this had to be on the test. The time came for my oral exam and I entered Dr. D’s Thunderdome: a horse stall with series of radiographs, anatomical specimens and the teaching animals (Pollox the greyhound and others). I did my best and it came time for the last question. He pointed to the medial canthus of the eye on a skull radiograph and asked: “If I inject a little bit of contrast into the nasolacrimal puncta, what do you call that?” Elated, I belted out “DACRYOCYSTORHINOGRAPHY.” Big smile on his face, he tells me that I’m right. He then tells me that this isn’t really a question on the test and my friends put him up to asking me this question. Classic D. Ed Mackillop DVM ’04
He's just always been there to help EVERY student learn. I'm proud that I was able to be a student of his and that he also knew my dad, Dr. Burton Saunders, Class of '55 so that we could share memories. Maureen Saunders DVM ’87
Dr. D is incredible and iconic. His energy and excitement about anatomy and neurology was contagious. Spending our lunch every Fridays at Neuro rounds was a given! Amongst all of the important things I leaned from Dr. D, one thing I vividly remember is that we all had to spell "ophthalmology" during one of our oral exams! I couldn't think of a professor who made more of an impact on me during my time in Veterinary school. Ruth Hiller Peck DVM ’95
As a non-traditional student with young children, my first year was pretty crazy. I lucked out completely and had Dr. D as my Block One tutor. We were the first group to go thru the new curriculum and as you all may have heard, it was a bit of a cluster. At the end of our three-day exam (our first and only test in Block One), I was convinced I had failed and I felt so bad that I had let down Dr. D that I went to his office to apologize and say goodbye. Later that evening, he called my home to tell me my grade. (It was far from failing…amazingly). I was so thankful and so relieved that I would not have to sell my home and move my family, I just managed a weak, throaty, tearful thank you. The next day he asked me to his office. In his hand was a key which he put in mine. The key, he said was to his house on a beach and he wanted me to take my family and go there for the weekend. "My kids needed this”, he said. I was and still am shocked and so very thankful. My husband was a Cornell PhD student while I was in veterinary school and we had two boys. Dr. D knew without asking the difficulties we surely were having and arranged for a weekend away for our children. That was the start of an amazing mentorship and friendship. My children adore him and our friendship is still strong. What a wonderful, wonderful man. What a privilege to know him and to work with him, and life’s greatest honor to call him friend. Pat Erickson DVM ’97
Dr. D. Was my advisor as well as instructor in numerous courses all 4 years while I was at Cornell. He was also the most dedicated educator I have ever witnessed. Every morning he had over 10 page of mimeographed pages of the day’s lectures, in order that the students could pay full attention and not have to take notes. He was always prepared and had an incomparable discipline in everything he did. His exams were always fair. He expected students to be dedicated and prepared, but never shamed anyone. You felt bad enough letting this great man down by not being devoted. One thing few people mention about him is that for being such a great academic educator, he made it clear that he always had a sensitivity and compassion for all animals, and was very concerned for the relief of their pain and suffering. I am sure he is pleased to know how many accomplished and skilled neurologists and academics went on to great heights because of him and his influence. But what he can never know is the thousands of Cornell Veterinary Doctors that went out and became very good, dedicated clinicians, because of his influence. He is the best that Cornell Veterinary Medicine could ever have as an ambassador of excellence. I will always be forever grateful for having him as such a positive influence my four years at Cornell, and afterwards. John D. Cogar DVM ’75
I have a few memories of Dr. D that stand out, but one is particularly memorable because it happened long after I graduated from Cornell. About 10 years ago I gave serious thought to leaving general practice in favor of a cardiology residency. I wasn't sure what to do, as I had a young family and, though I am a lifelong learner, I thought that maybe, the moment had passed. In thinking this over I thought, "Why not ask Dr. D what he thinks? It would be great to get his unbiased opinion." Well, I found his email and reached out to him, hoping to hear back but figuring that I probably wouldn't. After all, at that point I had graduated over 10 years ago and knew that Dr. D was extremely busy. Would he really remember me and be willing to help? Sure enough, he responded to me within a couple of hours, , remembering exactly who I was and showing genuine concern for how I was doing. We had a lovely conversation about the pros/cons of residency training, and he strongly encouraged me to go back for additional training. Although I ultimately decided that a residency was not in the cards, I'll never forget his willingness to help. That he was able to take time out of his busy day to help a former student not only speaks volumes for Dr. D's character, but is also an example of his devotion to teaching and students, both current and past. Just another reason Dr. D is unforgettable! Mark Olcott DVM ’95
Dr. D with his companion Shirley and friends Carolina and Jackson
There are so many things Dr. deLahunta taught, but the most important things were his dedication to the profession, and his concern for students and other veterinarians. He should be oďŹƒcially known as the Father of Veterinary Neurology and Neuroanatomy. I was tremendously lucky to have been a student of his, and I had the chance to thank him for his eorts to try to teach us. If there ever was a model for what a veterinarian should aspire to be, it is Alexander de Lahunta. Will Wilhelm DVM ’78
Although I have many memories of Dr. D as a mentor, my fondest was made 20 years after graduation. My own 14 year old golden retriever Angel was struggling through her fourth neurological episode in two years. After 14 days of general ataxia I took her to the closest orthopedic surgeon (neurologist by default) for consultation. We could not discriminate residual ataxia from her previous events from the current event. When making that final decision it always feels be er to have a diagnosis and therefore a prognosis. He suggested taking some video and sending it to Dr. D who was a ending a conference on the west coast. Within 24 hours D viewed the video and gave us his opinion. We ultimately had to euthanize Angel because she did not recover the quality of life my family felt she deserved. That decision was easier for me having the opinion of the world’s pre-eminent veterinary neurologist to consider. Thank you Dr. D for your kindness, knowledge and inspiration over the years. Greg Jamrosz DVM ’93 Dr. D is racing down the hall with 5 students in tow trying desperately to keep up with him. I join this energized group as others do assuming there is an emergency. When Dr. D gets to his office he addresses the eager crowd. "Why are you following me? I'm just going to my office"! Can you imagine the energy output if there really was an emergency? Dr. D was the only professor who covered new material on the Jewish High Holidays. Then he returned in the evening when the Holiday passed to repeat the lecture for the Jewish Students!! Bob Efron DVM ’75
Thanks so much for creating this scholarship. I was reminded of Dr. D's generosity in a way that isn't talked about often. As a sophomore, I remember knocking on professors' doors throughout Schulman Hall asking if they would like to buy a copy of next year's Cornell Vet (then NYSCVM) yearbook. As a faculty member myself now, I can understand how many of these requests come through, and how it's impossible to accept very many of them, but at that time I was just interested in fundraising for the yearbook! Virtually all faculty members said no, kindly, and wished me well, but Dr. D accepted wholeheartedly, while asking that his donation remain anonymous. It was exceptionally generous and humble. Like a crazed fan, I briefly toyed with the idea of keeping the check and turning over $20 of my own money so I could have a check from the man himself, for posterity (but smarter thoughts prevailed). Now, with a couple of decades' worth of perspective, I admire this incredibly kind gesture of his, and I think of him whenever I see a fundraising roster that begins with "Anonymous." Étienne Côté DVM ’93
Dr. D. Made the most incredible impression on me out of all our wonderful teachers. In junior year, rumor had it that if you showed up for his early morning rounds for 2-3 weeks, he would start to get you involved in the Neurology cases. That is exactly what happened. He knows, I was there two solid years. He was the first person to call me "Dr". He taught me so much in that time. His voice resonates in my head. "Sudden onset of blindness with unresponsive pupils!!!� "Optic Neuritis", until proven otherwise! I finally saw a case two years ago and restored the vision of a little terrier. His legacy lives on in all of us. I have always recounted great stories to my children. My youngest son is pursuing a PhD in Neurology. I hope that doctor knows how many people and pets he has helped. A very wise man. Jill Dennis DVM ’86
Dr. D's integrity, energy, and dedica on has always been an inspira on to me. He has been the single most important person in my veterinary educa on and because of him, I have had the privilege of becoming a veterinary neurologist. Whenever I feel like giving up, I look at his picture posted over my desk and remember his grace and unwavering commitment to our profession and am re-energized. I am forever grateful for Dr. D's pa ence, me, and support in my career and my life. Gina Barone DVM ’97
Dr. D: Thanking a Legend