Theresa A. Damiano, ’79 DVM, Clifton NJ, died April 11 at 67. Damiano openedHanover Veterinary Hospital in East Hanover, NJ, where she tended to a wide variety of animals for over 20 years before retiring in the early 2000’s. She rescued older dogs and cats that could not find homes due to their age. She was also an avid equestrian. Damiano is predeceased by 1 step-child and survived by her husband, John; and 3 step-children.

Robert D Cleary, ’64 DVM, Menomenie, Wis., died April 2 at 79. Cleary served as Captain in the US Army Veterinary Corps from 1964 to 1966. He was based at Fort Dix, N.J., caring for military dogs and overseeing food safety for troops serving in Vietnam. Following his military service, Cleary briefly practiced veterinary medicine in Eden, Wis. He and his family soon relocated to Menomonie, Wis., where he helped establish the Hoof and Paw Clinic and practiced mixed animal medicine. Cleary was an active member of the American Veterinary Medicine Association (AVMA), the Wisconsin Veterinary Medicine Association, and the Bovine Practitioners Association. He also served as both president and secretary of the Northwestern Wisconsin Veterinary Medical Association. Injuries forced him to leave active veterinary practice in 1999, but he continued to apply his professional expertise to volunteer veterinary endeavors around the globe throughout the early 2000s. In 2000, he served in the US Peace Corps as an animal production specialist in the mountainous regions of Cajabamba, Ecuador. Between 2001 and 2002, he worked as a volunteer agent of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), assisting the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons to combat a foot-and-mouth outbreak in England. He later acted as a USDA agent in California, combatting an avian flu outbreak. And finally, assisted the AVMA providing veterinary services to farmers in rural Nicaragua. He also acted as a Spanish interpreter for dairy farmers across Dunn County, Wis., providing both farmers and their Spanish-speaking help critical language support, helping to train incoming farm workers in dairy farm operations. Bob is survived by his wife, Kitz Nierengarten Cleary; 2 children; and 3 grandchildren.

Donald W. Johnson, ’53 DVM, ’63 PhD, Green Valley, Ariz., died April 6 at 91. When the seventh graduating class of the CVM (1957) was the first class to receive ambulatory training in Maple Plain, Johnson was placed in charge of the Maple Plain ambulatory service. The venture proved very successful and provided good training for students interested in large animal practice.

Donald W. Johnson, ’53 DVM, ’63 PhD, Green Valley, Ariz., died April 6 at 91. When the seventh graduating class of the CVM (1957) was the first class to receive ambulatory training in Maple Plain, Johnson was placed in charge of the Maple Plain ambulatory service. The venture proved very successful and provided good training for students interested in large animal practice.

Donald W. Johnson, ’53 DVM, ’63 PhD, Green Valley, Ariz., died April 6 at 91. When the seventh graduating class of the CVM (1957) was the first class to receive ambulatory training in Maple Plain, Johnson was placed in charge of the Maple Plain ambulatory service. The venture proved very successful and provided good training for students interested in large animal practice.

Donald W. Johnson, ’53 DVM, ’63 PhD, Green Valley, Ariz., died April 6 at 91. When the seventh graduating class of the CVM (1957) was the first class to receive ambulatory training in Maple Plain, Johnson was placed in charge of the Maple Plain ambulatory service. The venture proved very successful and provided good training for students interested in large animal practice.

Albert C. Batchelder, ’53 DVM, Faribault, Minn. died February 4 at 91. Batchelder served in the United States Navy and Army. He worked at the Faribault Veterinary Clinic, where he was a founding partner, and the Faribault Animal Center as a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine. He is survived by his wife, Jan; 5 children; 9 grandchildren; and 1 great-grandchild.

Russell C. Smith, ’55 DVM, Portage, Wisc., died February 24 at 90. He practiced mixed animal medicine for more than 40 years. He is preceded in death by his wife, Jeanette. He is survived by 4 children, 12 grandchildren, and 2 great-grandchildren.

René A. Carlson, ’76 BS, ’78 DVM, Chetek, Wisc., died March 29 at 64. Carlson started her professional career serving a clinical internship at Rowley Memorial Hospital in Springfield, MA. She practiced in Elmwood and Madison. Wisc., before moving to Chetek in 1990. In 1996, She built the Animal Hospital of Chetek.

Carlson was elected President of the Wisconsin Veterinary Medical Association (WVA) in 1994. She was the first woman to hold that office. In 2001, she was voted Wisconsin's Veterinarian of the Year by her colleagues. She served as the Wisconsin delegate in the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) House of Delegates from 1995 through 2003 and was elected to a two year term as AVMA vice president in 2004.

In 2010, Carlson was elected president-elect of the AVMA and became president in 2011. In 2013, she was appointed director of international affairs for the AVMA. In 2014, she was elected president of the World Veterinary Association (WVA), the first woman to hold that office. Carlson traveled to over thirty countries to promote veterinary causes during her term, which ended in 2017. She also served the AVMA on the Council of Education and on the American Veterinary Medical Foundation. In 2018, the AVMA awarded her the Global Veterinary Service Award for promoting veterinary medicine worldwide. She was also honored with a lifetime honorary membership in the WVA. This year, during International Woman's Day, Carlson was named to the list of groundbreaking women in veterinary medicine. She loved mentoring young veterinarians in leadership skills. Carlson is survived by her husband, Mark.