Posted: April 29, 2012
Come out and help celebrate OVC’s 150th Anniversary with your fellow alumni on Alumni Weekend 2012!
There are lots of activities going on:
8:30 AM: OVCAA Welcome Breakfast (free!), come mix and mingle!
10:00 AM: OVCAA Annual General Meeting in room 1714, Lifetime Learning Centre
12:00 PM: UofG President’s Lunch, Peter Clarke Hall ($28)
1:30-4:30 PM: Tours of OVC every 30-45 minutes, hopefully also to include part of the new AHL/Pathobilogy building. Meet by the cafeteria in the Lifetime Learning Centre
5:30 PM: OVC 150th Celebration Reception and Dinner, Creelman Hall - Join fellow OVC alumni, friends and family, as we celebrate the 150th anniversary of the College. Class photographs will be taken during the reception on the steps of Creelman Hall. ($35)
The following OVC classes are also having reunions this year. Contact us if you need any information! (ovcaa@uoguelph.ca) or go the the reunions page (http://www.alumni.uoguelph.ca/involved/involved_aw2012_reunions.shtml):
OVC’52, OVC’57, OVC’59, OVC’62, OVC’66, OVC’67, OVC’70, OVC’72
For more details on these and other events happening on Alumni Weekend, and to register for any and all events, please go to the main events page:
http://www.alumni.uoguelph.ca/involved/involved_aw2012_mainevents.shtml
Posted: April 6, 2012
The 82nd Challenge Cup Finals were a fantastic spectacle this year - the stands were crowded with students and alumni, there was music and announcers, popcorn and cotton candy, flags waving, mascot competitions… oh, and somewhere in there was also a couple of hockey games!
At the end of the co-ed final was a very special presentation. A line of 27 OVC alumni spanning the last 60 years took to the ice, most of them wearing their old well-worn class hockey jerseys. Each alumus was announced with his or her year, and then both teams from the co-ed final and the winning women’s team walked down the line and shook hands with all the hockey-playing alumni who came before them.
Then came the moment everyone had been waiting for for months. Dr. Brad Hanna, OVC 1989, brought forth the newly-minted Challenge Cup trophy he had been crafting himself for so long. It was presented to the captains of the winning teams by himself and Dick Jullian (OVC 1952) on behalf of the OVC Alumni Association.
It was a moment to remember.
A hearty congratulations to the winning OVC 2012 Silver Foxes women’s team, and the OVC 2013 Golden Phoenix co-ed team, and everyone past and present who participated in the Challenge Cup tournament, and special thanks to all those alumni who came out to make the celebration this year so special.
Posted: April 6, 2012
While in private practice in Saskatchewan, Gavin saw the need for trained staff to assist veterinarians. Although an unpopular concept at the time, he persisted in this belief and pursued the notion that animal health technicians should have standardized training with emphasis on practical, hands on components. He developed policies and procedures for accreditation and the Animal Health Technologist/Veterinary Technician Program Accreditation Committee (AHTVPAC) was accepted as a permanent committee of the CVMA. He went on to negotiate an agreement between the CVMA and the AVMA to accept “mutual recognition equivalency” of graduates accredited programs in the USA and Canada.
Gavin also saw the need to establish a veterinary college in Western Canada. The site chosen was the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon and his private practice was absorbed by the University.He made major contributions to his profession. He lectured at undergraduate and graduate levels: the list of lectures and seminars given at meetings and conferences, national and global, fill several pages of his extensive curriculum vitae. He published scientific papers, contributed to chapters in books and reviewed articles for veterinary journals as well as was invited to lecture at conferences at home and abroad including Gambia, Indonesia, Guyana, Jamaica, The Netherlands, and the US.
Gavin has also participated in the University of Guelph Alumni-in-Action oral history initiative. If you would like to listen to his interview or read a transcript of it, please visit the Alumni-in-Action page.
Posted: April 6, 2012
Darren is an Associate Professor in the Department of Pathobiology. He started on faculty in 2002. Prior to that he was a Clinical Instructor at the university of Wisconsin. His DVM is from the University of PEI (1994) and he completed a one year rotating internship in small animal medicine/surgery at Washington State University. Darren’s specialities are Clinical Pathology and he is board certified by the American College of Veterinary Pathologists. “He is an amazingly well-rounded faculty members [and is] recognized for his talents in clinical pathology, teaching and research” wrote Dr. Robert Jacobs, chair of the Department of Pathobiology.
Posted: April 6, 2012
Conrad was the Exective Director and one of the founding members of Christian Veterinary Missions of Canada (CVMC). As a poultry specialist, beginning in 2002, Conrad poured his life into the Sierra Leone poultry project with the goal of helping impoverished people in a war torn country earn an income to nourish, educate, and have access to healthcare. He worked to set up poultry flocks in a sustainable and profitable manner for those living in Sierra Leone. This project is still in the works. Currently Conrad continues his service in Sierra Leone.
Posted: March 21, 2012
Come on out for the final women’s and co-ed games of the 2012 OVC Challenge Cup tournament on Friday March 30th! This year the championships are going to be an exceptional event - a brass ensemble will play the national anthem before each game, the teams will be lead onto the ice by members of the Fergus Pipe Band, the varsity staff will ensure you’re entertained with music during all stops in play, and come on up to Gryphs for a reception after the winners are decided!
To top it off, Dr. Brad Hanna (OVC 1989) will present the new hand-crafted Challenge Cup trophy to the winning teams on behalf of the OVCAA, along with representatives from numerous alumni teams from years gone by. It promises to be a great time, and you may even bump into an old friend or two (or make a new one!). Nothing brings OVC alumni together quite like hockey :)
Photo: Hockey Hall of Famer Ken Dryden (yes it’s him!) showing off the new OVC Challenge Cup trophy, designed and made by Dr. Brad Hanna
Posted: March 21, 2012
We are saddened to announce the passing of Dr. Blake Graham on March 6 at the age of 86.
A 1951 graduate of the Ontario Veterinary College (OVC), Blake was a long-time supporter and friend to many at the University of Guelph and in the veterinary profession. 
“Blake was one of the first people I met when I began my deanship said Dr. Elizabeth Stone, OVC dean, “and I am sincerely grateful for the many ways he helped me personally and the College as a whole. He not only supported his alma mater financially, he was a wonderful sounding board for new ideas. His vision and generosity will not be forgotten.”
Blake promoted comparative and collaborative cancer research at OVC and McMaster University’s medical school. He also championed opportunities for research and training in public health for the benefit of all species. Blake was an ardent supporter of the Centre for Public Health and Zoonoses (CPHAZ) since its inception. In 2007, he established the Blake Graham Scholars Fellowships, which supported three PhD students studying diseases transmitted between people and animals: Simon Otto, Erin Leonard and Dianna Wolfe. A few years later, he started an endowment to provide graduate student support in this are in perpetuity.
In 2008, Blake was honoured with the inaugural Dean’s Award for Outstanding Contributions to the College for his support of OVC and his role in advocating for CPHAZ and closer ties between veterinary medicine and public health research. Blake was a great friend of the College and his presence and enthusiasm will be missed. Our condolences go out to his family.
A memorial service is being planned for Saturday May 5 at 11 AM in War Memorial Hall on campus. For more details, see the obituary. Memorials may be given to the Blake Graham Scholars Endowment Fund.
Posted: February 16, 2012
The OVC Alumni Association (OVCAA) is seeking nominations for its annual awards recognizing the outstanding contributions and accomplishments of Ontario Veterinary College graduates.
If you have a friend, colleague or classmate from OVC, or if you are a member of the public and you know a veterinarian who graduated from OVC who deserves to be recognized for the things he or she has done, consider nominating that person for one of the OVC AA’s three annual awards.
The current nomination deadline is March 1, 2012.
The Distinguished Alumnus Award recognizes OVC graduates who have brought honour to their alma mater and fellow alumni by contributing to one or more of the follow areas: alumni affairs; education; community; profession; country, and the sciences. Last year’s winner was Dr. Bernard McSherry.
The Young Alumnus Award recognizes those who have made a significant contribution in their field within fifteen years of completing their DVM or graduate degree from a department within the OVC. Last year’s winner was Dr. Pat Turner.
The Alumni Volunteer award celebrates OVC graduates who have brought honour and recognition to OVC by volunteering their time within the college, community, a veterinary organization, nationally and/or internationally. Recent winners include Drs. Brian Ausman and Mary DeCaire.
For more information, contact OVC alumni manager Tara Collins at tcolli02@uoguelph.ca or Ext. 54454 or visit our Award Nominations page to download a nomination form.
Posted: January 16, 2012
Dave Easter, Marketing & Communications Manager for U of G varsity sports, offered to feature OVC Challenge Cup at the Gryphon men’s varsity hockey game (the “Frosty Mug”) at the Sleeman Centre this Friday Januray 20th. There will be a ceremonial puck drop conducted by Tony Calverley, a member of the OVC’52 hockey team that won Challenge Cup every year from 1949-1952. He will be accompanied onto the ice by second-year DVM student Dave Renaud, who will be carrying the new Challenge Cup trophy. Photos and videos related to Challenge Cup, which started in 1931, will be shown on the scoreboard during the intermissions. It would be great to have a good OVC crowd on hand to help mark the College’s 150th anniversary, so come on out and enjoy the game! Puck drops at 7:30 PM. Tickets are just $5 for students and $10 for others, and can be purchased through the Gryphon Box Office.
Photo credit: OVC Emeritus Professor Keith Betteridge, Biomedical Sciences.
Challenge Cup information can be found at www.ovchockey.ca
Photos of the construction of the new Challenge Cup trophy can be seen on Facebook (click here!).
For more information about the new Challenge Cup trophy, you can also read the article in At Guelph.
Posted: January 14, 2012
The Ontario Veterinary College Business Club would like to invite all clinics to attend a networking evening to meet the soon-to-be new graduates of OVC 2012!
The event will take place at OVC in the Lifetime Learning Centre cafeteria (room 1707 B&C) on Wednesday January 25, 2012 from 5PM to 9PM. Appetizers will be served for all final year students and interested employers/mentors.
There is no cost to participants. The sole purpose of this event is to bring together prospective employers and students in a friendly “get to know you” atmosphere, just prior to the OVMA Conference in Toronto.
Please send an e-mail to cremy@uoguelph.ca, or 519-835-5438 by January 18th 2012 with the number of attendees from your clinic, if you are interested in participating in this event.
The OVCAA is proud to sponsor this event as the evolution of the annual “Watering Hole” event that has been held in January for the last two years. The evening is also being supported by RBC Financial.
