the Portico
“Our mission is to enhance the relationship between the University and its alumni and friends and promoted pride and commitment within the University Community.”Building foundations, shaping the future
War veteran, innovative researcher, mentor and teacher — Dr. Bernard McSherry is a perfect fit for the OVC AA Distinguished Alumnus Award, which he received in June 2001.
The former OVC professor, who retired in 1986, took news of the award with the proverbial grain of salt.
“It’s a wonderful thing to be recognized for your achievements, but when you get to be my age, you have a different perspective on the importance of awards,” said McSherry, who is credited with helping establish the field of veterinary clinical pathology on a solid scientific foundation.
“I was fortunate to have a lot of good people around me and everything turned out alright.”
McSherry has served his country, alma mater and profession with distinction as a soldier, scholar and scientist. After graduating from OVC in 1942, he enlisted in the Canadian Army and went on to fight on D-Day and through France, Belgium, Holland and Germany.
In 1948, he returned to OVC, where he would spend his entire career. The College became a centre of veterinary clinical pathology during his tenure, and McSherry is recognized as a major influence across Canada.
His OVC colleagues say he was always ahead of his time in his understanding of altered physiology expressed as diseases of humans or animals. His development of an intravenous solution to treat dehydration in young animals sick from post-natal diarrhea was “a towering accomplishment,” says Prof. Tom Hulland. “For many years, the therapeutic use of balanced electrolytes in animal and human patients was known as “McSherry’s Solution.”
In 2005, McSherry received a lifetime achievement award from the American Society for Veterinary Clinical Pathology for his pioneering work in the field.
BY BARRY GUNN
