Dr. Larry Jernigan with a patient.
Pets are family. They are very much a part of everyday family life. Owners carry a responsibility, devoting years of care for their pet’s health and wellbeing, so it’s natural to feel a tremendous loss when a pet passes away.
While it’s customary to offer condolences to someone who has lost a pet, the Pet Memorial Program at the UF College of Veterinary Medicine offers tangible meaning to loss. Each small donation grows the fund to benefit all animals though the education and training of future veterinarians who are committed to health and quality of life for their patients. On behalf of a caring donor, the Office of Advancement and Alumni Affairs at the college mails a memorial card to the pet owner. The fund supports student scholarships as well as necessary educational expenses, explains Patricia Wlasuk, director of advancement at the UF College of Veterinary Medicine.
“Many veterinarians support the program through their animal practice clinics and hospitals. It’s hard for veterinarians to lose their patients too,” said Wlasuk. “They treat the patient from the time it’s a puppy or kitten and are often the one who is there for end-of-life care.”
Larry Jernigan, D.V.M. (’82) knows it’s never easy to lose a pet. His family’s practice, Sebring Animal Hospital transitioned exclusively to small animal care in 1982 and has cared for more than 30,000 clients — many having multiple pets. Supporting the college’s Pet Memorial program since 2001, Jernigan felt that donating to veterinary education would convey extra meaning to his clients who have lost a pet. While he and his staff continue to send condolence cards from his practice, they also use the secure online Pet Memorial giving page to submit a donation in the animal’s name. The Office of Advancement mails a pet memorial card to the owner noting a financial contribution was made to UF College of Veterinary Medicine in memory of their pet.
Though his animal hospital is some 200 miles due south of Gainesville, UF and family are synonymous to Jernigan. He recalls it began with his paternal great-grandfather who worked in the university’s business office and moved from Lake City to Gainesville with the institution in 1906. His son, Jernigan’s grandfather Will Jernigan was to become the family’s first-generation graduate from the UF in 1918, earning a chemistry degree early in only 3 years.
Jernigan’s father, Bill Jernigan followed the family tradition, earning a bachelor’s in agriculture at UF where he met his wife, Marjorie Alsmeyer Jernigan who earned her bachelor’s in education. Bill joined ROTC Air Force and the UF Marching Band, and Marjorie played in the UF concert band. They graduated together in 1953 and the family has remained loyal Gator football fans and supporters since then.
After graduation, Bill served in the U.S. Air Force for three years. When his tour ended, he served as a county extension agent in Ocala while taking pre-veterinary classes at UF. He went on to earn his D.V.M. degree in 1963 from Auburn University as there was no veterinary school in Florida at that time. The young family returned to Marjorie’s hometown in Sebring, Fla. where they opened the Sebring Animal hospital in fall 1963.
Larry Jernigan continued the family educational pilgrimage to UF, complete with joining the marching band and meeting his wife, Jill, B.S.N. (’81). Upon receiving his D.V.M. degree, like his parents before him, he was happy to return home to Sebring to join the family’s veterinary practice. He had fond memories of his childhood when his mom taught elementary school by day and was a veterinary assistant by night. He recalled that he and his sister had cots to sleep on at the animal hospital some nights while their parents worked.
Jernigan sees two sides to his support for UF. First, he notes his sense of obligation to the university that has offered generations of education to his family and provided a meaningful profession. He also sees how much the pet memorial donations mean to his clients.
“We initially supported the program at the minimum level per card,” said Jernigan, “but the response from our clients was so positive and thankful that I felt we needed to contribute more, so we doubled our commitment.”
Wlasuk sees the Pet Memorial Program as an affordable way for veterinary practices to recognize grief and loss as well as support veterinary education and training for future practitioners. She also uses the Pet Memorial ‘Friend Card’ option on the college’s alumni giving website herself. Anyone can access the site at https://givingandalumni.vetmed.ufl.edu/pet-memorial/ to complete a simple form whenever they wish to send an individual card to family, friends or colleagues.
“What better way to celebrate the life of a pet than to impact the education of a future veterinarian who will ultimately help thousands of animals over the course of their career asked Wlasuk. It’s amazing the collective power of an individual $10 or $25 donation. “It’s comforting to know something good is coming out of the loss.”
UF receives Friend Card submissions from individuals across the United States. Nancy Thorlton of Las Vegas has been sending UF Pet Memorial Cards for nearly 20 years.
“We lived in Tampa when we first received a Pet Memorial card from our veterinarian after losing our cat, and I just couldn’t believe how nice it was. Being animal lovers, we have many friends who love pets too. So, from then on, we, of course began sending the cards ourselves,” Thorlton said.
A couple of years ago when she learned of her pharmacist’s tragic family loss, Thorlton thought, why not send a memorial card in the name of a person who passed away? She reasoned that people who love animals would appreciate a donation to veterinary medicine in their memory. The family’s son died unexpectedly in an accident while riding his moped.
“I sent a memorial card in memory of his son, and he was just in tears when he received it. Recently, he told me that it was so beautiful and meaningful that they put it on their Christmas tree every year,” said Thorlton. “It’s just a nice thing to get a condolence and donation in the name of someone you love — human or animal.”
For Jernigan, his and others’ small acts of kindness when combined together, add up to a much larger support for students and benefits the future of veterinary care for all animals.
“In the big picture, it’s not a big investment. But like most things — when you put a little bit away every day, it doesn’t hurt and it really adds up to something big in the future,” Jernigan said.
