
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, December 9, 1994                   TAG: 9412100019
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-2   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: ELIZABETH OBENSHAIN
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG                                LENGTH: Short

LATE DEAN HONORED WITH RESOLUTION AND SCHOLARSHIP

Richard Talbot, the founding dean of the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, was praised posthumously "as an educator and scholar of natural stature" in a General Assembly resolution presented to his family Thursday.

In a ceremony at the college, Talbot was described as "an irreplaceable resource for Virginia Tech and the Commonwealth of Virginia." He died in a USAir plane crash near Pittsburgh in September.

A scholarship fund at the school has already raised $22,000 in his memory.

Del. James Shuler, a Blacksburg veterinarian who studied under Talbot at the University of Georgia's veterinary college, presented the resolution to Talbot's wife, Jane, Thursday.

"Words and resolutions can't bring back Dick's life," Shuler said, but the resolution expressed the legislature's respect for the founder of "a uniquely successful veterinary college." Talbot moved from Georgia to Virginia Tech in 1974 with the assignment of creating the college.

College Dean Peter Eyre Thursday called the school "Talbot's legacy."

Talbot also was known internationally for his work in the field of veterinary information systems.

The scholarship donations will fund an endowment to underwrite an award for academic excellence at the veterinary school, Eyre said.

"Memorial contributions have come from throughout our community and from across the nation" and continue to arrive daily at the college, the dean said.

by CNB