Athens, Ga. – An internationally-recognized expert in atomic energy and radiation biology who served the United States during the height of the Cold War was recently recognized as a “Distinguished Alumnus” by the Alumni Association of the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine.
Edwin T. Still (DVM ’59) of Edmond, Okla. received the award at a ceremony held March 26, during the college’s 48th Annual Veterinary Conference and Alumni Weekend.Still was a member of the U.S. Air Force Veterinary Corps when he was assigned to research the effects of radiation exposure on pilots in the event that a nuclear weapon discharged in the vicinity of their aircraft.He would later be tapped by the director of the Department of Defense Nuclear Agency to follow-up on the health of military personnel who had participated in atomic weapons testing in Nevada.
During his military career, Still also was responsible for oversight of the animal care at the nation’s major research facilities. “Ed was known and appreciated for his knowledge and respect for animal care, radiation biology, and organizational and administrative abilities, and, perhaps just as importantly, for his candid and straightforward opinions, yet for the diplomatic way he expressed them,” wrote one nominator who knew him during this time.
In the early 1980s, Still joined energy giant Kerr-McGee, now owned by Anadarko Petroleum Corp., as vice president and director of the corporate environment and health
management division. He retired from the company in 1994.
Still is known for being a faithful supporter and donor of the college for the last 32 years.
The college’s alumni association recognizes distinguished alumni each spring.Nominees must have graduated from the UGA College of Veterinary Medicine and made contributions in one or more of the following areas:
- Animal and human health related public service;
- Professional service;
- Involvement in veterinary educational research and/or service;
- Contributions to the local community, state or nation;
- Involvement in veterinary associations at the local, state or national level; and,
- Contributions to the College’s Alumni Association.
The UGA College of Veterinary Medicine, founded in 1946, is dedicated to training future veterinarians, to conducting research related to animal and human diseases, and to providing veterinary services for animals and their owners.Research efforts are aimed at enhancing the quality of life for animals and people, improving the productivity of poultry and livestock, and preserving a healthy interface between wildlife and people in the environment they share.The college enrolls 102 students each fall out of more than 560 who apply.For more information, see www.vet.uga.edu.
The current UGA College of Veterinary Medicine Teaching Hospital, built in 1979, serves more than 18,000 patients per year in one of the smallest teaching hospitals in the United States.The college is currently working to raise $15 million toward building a new Veterinary Medical Learning Center, which will include a new teaching hospital as well as classrooms and laboratories that will allow for the education of more veterinarians.The goal is to increase enrollment to 150 when the Veterinary Medical Learning Center is built.For more information, see http://www.vet.uga.edu/giving/campaign.php.
For more information about the Alumni Association of the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine, see http://vet.uga.edu/alumni/.
