Retired CVM Professor and
Chairman Passes Away

Dr. Roger E. Brown, a retired MU College of Veterinary Medicine professor and former chairman of the Departments of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery and Veterinary Anatomy and Physiology, died at his home in Williamsburg, Mich., Friday, April 2, 2010, at the age of 90. Memorial services will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday, April 8, with visitation one hour prior at Reynolds-Jonkhoff Funeral Home, Traverse City. The Rev. Sandra Murray will officiate.

Memorial donations can be directed to the American Heart Association or the charity of one’s choice. The family invites friends and colleagues to share thoughts and memories on the family’s online guest book at www.reynolds-jonkhoff.com.

Roger was born Feb. 20, 1920, in Cass County, to George and Ethel (Goble) Brown. He graduated from Michigan State College with a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in 1950. From his private practice, he returned to Michigan State University to complete his master’s degree. In the early 1960s, Roger earned a PhD at Purdue University. He taught at Michigan State University and joined the faculty at the University of Missouri in 1969, where he remained until his retirement in1986.

While at the MU CVM, he served in numerous capacities including as director of Education Resources. Dr. Brown was also on the Curriculum Committee that implemented the segmented curriculum or “instructional blocks,” a then-novel approach to veterinary clinical instruction. The new system increased students’ options to seek different learning experiences in practice situations or on other campuses.

Dr. Brown served as the chairman of the Department of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery from 1970-73. He was chosen twice to receive the Norden Distinguished Teacher Award. In 1979, he transferred to the Department of Veterinary Anatomy and Physiology to fill a position as gross anatomist. He also served as the chairman of that department.

He was elected president of the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges in 1974. During Roger’s professional life, he designed numerous medical devices. Dr. Brown originated the “Brown approach” to canine hip repair and invented the “saturator.” Roger was also involved in a placer gold mine, silver smithing, lapidary, hunting and fishing.

Dr. Roger Brown is survived by his wife, Esther; his daughters, Judy Grime of Williamsburg and Margaret Brown of Tillamook, Ore.; his son, Edward Brown of Lebanon, Ore.; his grandsons, Mark and Todd Petro of Dowagiac; along with four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

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