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Upon reaching the "rule of 65," Dr. John Kirkpatrick retired on Jan. 2 from the OSU College of Veterinary Medicine and his post as director of the Boren Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital. Fellow faculty from the CVM and OSU's Animal Sciences department, coworkers, private sector colleagues, staff, students and family gathered at McElroy Hall on Wednesday, Jan. 12 to honor him.
"I love it around here, but there are a few other goals in life that I want to pursue," Kirkpatrick said. "I am not committing to anything for 60 to 90 days except becoming more active in my grand-parenting and church service duties.
"And decreasing the time intervals between my tee times," he said.
Kirkpatrick can reflect for now on a professional career that ends ceremoniously where it began. He completed a bachelor's in animal science at OSU and, in 1965, a doctor of veterinary medicine degree before going to work at a mixed animal practice in Ardmore. In 1972, he and his wife, Donna, moved to Ellis County to establish a rural veterinary practice.
"Donna is from Gage, and I am from Shattuck so it was a homecoming for us," Kirkpatrick said. "We purchased about 10 acres of land east of Shattuck, constructed a veterinary hospital and developed the practice."
They owned and operated the clinic for two decades, and many OSU veterinary students completed preceptorships there. Kirkpatrick says the interaction was rewarding, but a brief term from 1987-88 in the CVM was the actual catalyst for his decision to work in higher education. While a resident in the food animal section completing requirements for American Board of Veterinary Practitioners" certification, he taught veterinary students in the classroom and clinic.
"I recognized how rewarding it was to watch students develop new skills," Kirkpatrick said. "I also realized and appreciated the magnitude of responsibility that was placed on faculty as well as the opportunity provided to them,"
The Kirkpatricks returned to Stillwater in 1992 after selling their clinic, and he began his employment with the CVM as an animal food section clinician. In 1997, he accepted the responsibility of Veterinary Extension director and, in 1999, was appointed to the position from which he now retires.
Kirkpatrick, just the fourth director of the teaching hospital, says he was humbled to oversee an operation that historically has played such a high-profile role in the college's mission.
"Even when they had the old clinic, veterinarians like me in private practice throughout Oklahoma and surrounding states would refer cases to Oklahoma State University," Kirkpatrick he said. "The same thing holds true today, and veterinarians still refer those complicated cases to the College of Veterinary Medicine because of the multiplicity of specialists, the technology and the testing capabilities we have.
"There are always questions that need answers, and we have fertile minds here who want to answer those questions and add information to the body of veterinary science knowledge," he said.
Although the teaching hospital may not be large compared to others in the country, its staff make it one of the nation's best, according to Kirkpatrick.
"The multifaceted task of training veterinary students and post-graduate DVMs as specialists, providing quality veterinary care to patients and supporting the college's research component requires well-qualified and dedicated personnel, of which we have the cream of the crop," Kirkpatrick said. "We have quality faculty members with the same dedication and commitment to teaching and service as the staff who support them.
"Having the opportunity to work with them all, I have been the one who benefited,"
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