Spectrum - Volume 18 Issue 10 October 26, 1995 - Equine center honors Shehan, launches campaign

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Equine center honors Shehan, launches campaign

By Jeffrey S. Douglas

Spectrum Volume 18 Issue 10 - October 26, 1995

More than 125 friends of the Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center at Morven Park in Leesburg gathered to honor Jean Ellen duPont Shehan and help kick off an $8.75-million fund-raising campaign during a reception last Friday night in Leesburg.

Shehan, niece of the late Marion duPont Scott, who founded the center with a $4-million gift nearly 15 years ago, has served as chair of the hospital's Advisory Council since 1984. She will continue to serve as vice chair of the council and remain a member of the Executive Committee.

Director Fred Fregin announced that the Equine Medical Center has already achieved 38 percent of its $8.75-million fund-raising goal, with private-sector support totaling about $3.5 million already in hand. The Equine Medical Center's $8.75-million campaign is part of Virginia Tech's recently announced $250-million "Making a World of Difference" fund-raising campaign.

During a brief ceremony held in front of the center following a meeting of the center's Advisory Council, Shehan was honored by a number of hospital, college, and university officials from Virginia Tech.

Fregin recognized Shehan's years of service and described the important role she has played in stabilizing the fiscal foundations of the center. Fregin presented her with a bronze plaque, which will be affixed to a special wooden chest that is being constructed for her.

Peter Eyre, dean of the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, praised Shehan for her service as a "model benefactor" who was generous with her resources, her leadership, and her time. Eyre also inducted her into the VMRCVM's John N. Dalton Society during the event. The Dalton Society, named after the late Virginia governor who signed the legislation that created the school, honors individuals who have provided distinguished service to the college and the veterinary profession.

Charles Steger, vice president for Development and University Relations, thanked Shehan for her support of the center and the university, and said Virginia Tech will work with the state and the private sector to ensure that the center continues to promote the economic vitality of the Old Dominion.

In response, Shehan thanked those who have supported the center and reminded guests that the success of the center was a community effort that must be shared by interests in both the public and private sector.

Fregin also expressed his appreciation to a number of regional equine practices for their collaboration with the hospital and his gratitude to local and state public officials who have provided assistance to the center. He praised the faculty and staff of the Equine Medical Center for providing the quality services the center offers.

Opened in 1984, the Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center serves as one of three regional campuses of the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, an interstate partnership in professional education operated through the land-grant universities of Virginia Tech and the University of Maryland at College Park.