In Memoriam.

Abstract

Recognition of Dr. Steven L. Stockham (1948–2019) Steve was a member of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists, the American Society for Veterinary Clinical Pathology, the European Society of Veterinary Clinical Pathology, the American Veterinary Medical Association, and the Kansas State University Veterinary Alumni Association. He was a dedicated member of the American Society for Veterinary Clinical Pathology since 1978, serving as Secretary-Treasurer (1985-1989) and chair of several committees, as well as acting as the society’s historian (1984-1998). He was an Honorary Member of the European College of Veterinary Clinical Pathology and was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the European Society of Veterinary Clinical Pathology in 2013. Steve’s legacy is the product of being a passionate motivating teacher, mentor, and leader to countless veterinary and graduate students, residents, faculty, and staff. He was a dedicated teacher, an exceptional clinical pathologist, and wonderful mentor. At K-State, he led a successful clinical pathology residency program from which 11 veterinarians became Diplomates of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists. In a career filled with accomplishments, Dr. Stockham can be best known helping others learn, whether mentoring DVM students, residents, graduate students, and junior clinical pathologists. He was everything that a good mentor should be and more. He mastered the art of “clinical pathology mentoring” to a degree that is very rare, extending his legacy far beyond veterinary clinical pathology and into the hearts of the people he trained. He challenged everyone he interacted with to think beyond, question the status quo, and to hold high standards not only to the profession but in life’s activities as well. These experiences will always be with his veterinary students, graduate students, residents, and junior faculty. Steve was a constant advocate for student learning, scholarly teaching, and the educational missions of veterinary colleges. He was a member of the Wakonse Conference on College Teaching for 8 years at the University of Missouri, and he coordinated the provost-sponsored KSU Wakonse Program from 2002 to 2013, during which 87 KSU faculty attended the annual conference. During his 37-year career at the University of Missouri and Kansas State University, he received an amazing 29 teaching awards including the prestigious Norden/Pfizer/Zoetis Distinguished Teacher Awards (1987, 1998, 2012, 2016), the Bayer Animal Health Teaching Excellence Award (2005, 2009, 2013), the William T. Kemper Fellowship for Excellence in Teaching (1994), Educator Award of the American Society for Veterinary Clinical Pathology (2015), the AAVMC Distinguished Teaching Award in Academic Veterinary Medicine (2016), and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Society for Veterinary Clinical Pathology (2018). Steve’s educational influence extended beyond the classroom through scholarly contributions that included many presentations, seven book chapters focused on veterinary clinical pathology topics, 31 co-authored or first-author publications, and probably the most recognized contribution, 1st and 2nd editions of Stockham and Scott’s Fundamentals of Veterinary Clinical Pathology (with extensive pre- and post-retirement contributions to a 3rd edition as well). Steve was an avid golfer, participating in numerous leagues and tournaments, and he participated in league bowling for many years. He enjoyed the outdoors and accompanied Boy Scouts to the Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico and to the Boundary Waters of northern Minnesota as well as many other canoe and camping trips when he served as Scout Master of Troop 706 in Columbia, Missouri. Dr. Stockham is survived by his wife Marcia; son Lt Col Erik Stockham and his wife Jessica of Arlington, VA.; son Dr. Mark Stockham and his wife Dr. Jessica of Lawrence, KS; grandchildren Roland, Margaret, and Abigail Stockham.