Giving Stories | School of Veterinary Medicine

Lin Zucconi with her two cats, Itsybelle and Pinky.

Ensuring Feline Health for Generations to Come

Lin Zucconi’s dedication to animals started at an early age. She loved her sister’s cat and had turtles of her own. Her dedication to them earned her the nickname in her neighborhood as the “turtle doctor.” When she went away to college at the University of California, Berkeley, she ensured the turtles had a home at the Oakland Zoo. As she moved into adulthood, she stayed dedicated to animals, especially cats.

Donor Funds Provide “Kick Start” to New Pandemic Insights Center

“We were interested in exploring pilot project ideas that could be proposed for Center-scale research and received these unrestricted funds at the exact time we needed them,” said Christine Kreuder Johnson, VMD, MPVM, Ph.D., a professor of epidemiology and ecosystem health in the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine.

An Evening of Gratitude: School Thanks Donors for Crucial Support of Students

Every year, the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine celebrates the philanthropy of individuals, corporations, and foundations for providing student support through scholarships and fellowships. Held on February 19 this year, the “Evening of Gratitude” gathered students who received scholarships and fellowships, faculty, and scholarship/fellowship donors together.

Coco, Haidee Stade’s companion and friend, was one of several dogs to touch her life and inspire her love of animals.

A Legacy of Loving Animals

Haidee Stade had a passion for animals—especially dogs. She helped many homeless animals by volunteering at her local Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. While she passed away in 2014, her commitment to animals lives on through a legacy gift to the Center for Companion Animal Health (CCAH).

Lin Zucconi and one of her cats, Pinky, recently visited Dr. Michael Kent.

Heartfelt Giving to Advance Feline Health

Lin Zucconi’s devotion to her three Abyssinian cats is well known throughout the CCAH. She drives more than 100 miles each way to and from her home in Truckee to ensure that Doc, Itsybelle and Pinky receive the best possible care at the UC Davis veterinary hospital.

Doc and Itsybelle contracted feline herpes virus in utero that resulted in significantly impaired vision. Doc also has early stage chronic renal failure, a common disease in older cats.

Annette Parker holds a photo of her late husband, Dr. Harold Parker '52.

Building the Foundation for Excellence in Veterinary Medicine

Harold “Hal” Parker was a proud member of the Class of 1952—the school’s inaugural graduating class of 42 students, nearly all World War II veterans. He was pivotal in building the foundation for excellence in veterinary medicine at UC Davis, starting with the groundbreaking ceremony for Haring Hall in 1948.

Giving Back and Looking to the Future

Dr. John Zimmerman, DVM ’62 can’t thank the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine enough for giving him the training to pursue a fulfilling career. After graduation, he worked in dairy production and equine medicine for two years in Los Angeles before establishing the Sonoma Marin Veterinary Service in Petaluma, California, where he has been practicing for 57 years.

“Veterinary medicine has been a great fit for me,” he said. “I like cattle and ended up coming back to my home town. It’s given me a wonderful life.”

Portrait of Dr. Paul Miller, remembered for his dedicated care of horses

A Special Room Honoring a Special Veterinarian

Grateful clients, Bob and Colleen Haas appreciate the decades of exceptional care their veterinarian and friend, the late Dr. Paul Miller ’71 provided for their horses. To honor him, the Haases contributed a gift to name the Paul Miller Rounds Room in the Equine Performance Center (EPC), envisioned as part of the master plan for the new UC Davis Veterinary Medical Center.