FVMA Past President Establishes Endowed Professorship to Honor UF Veterinary College Faculty Member

Larry Dee, DVM, and his wife, Rita Dee, have established an endowed professorship honoring emeritus faculty member Dr. Michael Schaer for his contributions to the University of Florida (UF) and the veterinary profession. The Michael Schaer Professorship in Small Animal Emergency and Critical Care Medicine will provide perpetual support of a clinical faculty member associated with the department of small animal clinical sciences and who will work with the emergency and critical care service at UF’s Small Animal Hospital.

In the late 1970s, Dr. Schaer accompanied his then-boss on a trip from New York City to the Fort Lauderdale area to give a seminar to the Dee’s local veterinary association. The seminar, one of Dr. Schaer’s first continuing education (CE) lectures, led him to meet Dr. Dee. Later, when Dr. Schaer joined UF in 1978, they became good friends.

Dr. Schaer’s time at the college led him to mentor many veterinary alums. Affectionately dubbed “Uncle Mikey,” many fondly remember Schaer’s proscribed rules for practicing veterinary medicine. “Uncle Mikey’s Maxims,” which grew from 10 to more than three dozen, are the result of his impactful experiences in clinical situations. He is also the author of “Clinical Medicine of the Dog and Cat” and “Clinical Signs in Small Animal Medicine.”

Dr. Dee comes from a legacy of veterinary medicine in Florida. His late father, Clarence Dee, DVM, and Clarence’s brother-in-law founded Hollywood Animal Hospital in Hollywood, Florida, where Larry and two of his brothers worked as veterinarians. In the 1970s, Clarence helped support the building of UFCVM, Florida’s only veterinary college, served on the Florida Board of Veterinary Medicine for 20 years and helped establish the Charlie Bild VIP program at UFCVM, which his son, Larry, won in 1982.

“Larry is a quintessential professional, an excellent practitioner and a workhorse for the FVMA and the American Veterinary Medical Association,” Schaer told UF’s newsroom. “He’s a great thinker and a wonderful guy who helped spur the growth of the veterinary profession over the past 40 years. There are very few people who have had all of those qualities.”

In 1982, Larry Dee became the first Charlie Bild VIP at UFCVM. While there, Dee found Schaer to be immensely helpful. Despite their friendship and shared philosophies on the importance of quality CE, Schaer never saw his friend’s kindness coming. The Michael Schaer Professorship, the first at UF to carry the name of a faculty member, was a complete surprise—and it’s the first professorship at UF dedicated to the support of a clinical faculty member.

“Dr. Schaer has influenced so many veterinary students, alumni and other veterinary professionals over the years, Rita Dee and FVMA Past President Dr. Larry Dee. and this gift is such a meaningful way to honor him,” Dana Zimmel, DVM, the college’s interim dean, told UF’s newsroom. “We are deeply appreciative of the Dee family’s generosity and their ongoing support.”

After 34 years of teaching and mentoring veterinary students, interns and residents, Dr. Schaer retired from UF in 2012. Schaer continues to work part time through the UF Small Animal Hospital’s emergency and critical care service and has filled interim administrative roles at the college. He is board-certified in both small animal medicine and emergency medicine and critical care. He continues to lecture at CE conferences and is a routine speaker at FVMA meetings, such as The GulfAtlantic Veterinary Conference and the FVMA Annual Conference.

Dr. Michael Schaer. Photo by Jesse Jones.