Written by Dr. Greg Lewbart
We share the heartbreaking news that Dr. Don Abt passed away on Wednesday 27 July. Many IAAAM members owe much, if not their entire career to Don, and few would argue about his deep and lasting impact on aquatic animal medicine. A native New Englander, Don obtained a BS in Zoology from the University of Massachusetts and is a 1961 graduate of the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine. For 3 years, he taught anatomy at Penn and worked on bovine lymphosarcoma. After doing graduate work in biostatistics and epidemiology,
Don taught both of these subjects to Penn veterinary students before becoming the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs where he was instrumental in implementing the novel core-elective curriculum. For the next 19 years, Don continued to teach and serve in the Associate Dean’s role. In the fall of 1989, Don and his loving wife Sandy moved to Falmouth, MA (his adopted hometown) and he became the Director of the University of Pennsylvania’s Laboratory of Aquatic Animal Medicine and Pathology at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, MA. Don served in this role until 1999. Certainly, all of this would make for a full academic career and then some. But Don had another job, and for many reading this posting, a most important one. Don was the founding Director of the AQUAVET® program that began in 1976 and has helped train many of the current and future leaders in our field. Don held the role of AQUAVET® Director for 25 years and officially retired in 2001 as Professor Emeritus of Aquatic Animal Medicine and Pathology. But retirement didn’t slow Don down. He continued teaching in the AQUAVET® program and having a positive and lasting impact on the hundreds of students that were lucky enough to learn from and spend time with him (especially at the famous end-of-course clambakes he hosted every year!). Don was also an IAAAM President, a lifetime IAAAM member, and the first recipient of the William Medway Award for Teaching Excellence. Don leaves a strong and lasting legacy and was so proud of everyone in our field and how far aquatic animal medicine has come.
Rest in Peace, Dr. Abt.
Don is survived by his wife Sandy, son David and wife Debby, daughter Debbie (also a veterinarian) and husband Bill.
