Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, May 13, 1995 TAG: 9505150062
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: ALLISON BLAKE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG LENGTH: Medium
They say it was always a family affair when William Lavery was president at Virginia Tech. Friday, when the research center at the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine was named for him, there could be no doubt.
But it also was a day for the vet school family. The gathering to dedicate the William E. Lavery Animal Health Research Center, which includes 65 labs and more, also saluted the completion of the college as originally envisioned 20 years ago.
"I, for one, can remember when this spot was pasture land," said Virginia Tech President Paul Torgersen.
Four buildings, totaling 225,000 square feet, are nestled along Duck Pond Drive. The last one was completed and connected to the other three only two months ago. The college also represents the landmark cooperation between the states of Virginia and Maryland, whose governors helped negotiate the cooperative college pact.
University of Maryland Provost Daniel Fallon called the college, with its work ranging from aiding pets to training vets to working for the Federal Drug Administration, "robust proof of how well our universities serve us."
Lavery was a key player in the plans that brought together both states to build the school. Admittedly groping for words following a standing ovation, Lavery in turn praised others who had helped: John Dalton, the late Virginia governor; Richard Bagley, former legislator and now a member of Tech's Board of Visitors; the late Congressman Kenneth Robinson; vet school Dean Peter Eyre; and the late Richard Talbot, the school's founding dean.
"I can't imagine any honor any greater," he said after the ceremony.
Although the occasion was upbeat, both Torgersen and Eyre mentioned the value of university research, which has come under increasing scrutiny by the public.
Drug development and biotechnology could not exist without research funding, Eyre said. Torgersen noted Lavery's role in the increase of research funding to Virginia Tech - funding that was boosted from $26 million to $81 million between 1978 and 1987.
"Research was not the only part of the university which flourished," Torgersen said, speaking of Lavery's presidential term. "The university expanded in size, in enrollment, in programs, and in the physical plant. Sixty-five buildings were added here in Blacksburg and at sites throughout the state."
Lavery came to Tech in 1966 as director of administration for Virginia Cooperative Extension. He served as vice president for finance and executive vice president before becoming president in 1973. He stepped aside in 1988 during a time of turmoil at the university, and became Preston Professor of International Affairs.
He holds graduate degrees from George Washington University and the University of Wisconsin.
"In Richmond, legislators often ask about Dr. Lavery. Truly, you remain one of our very best ambassadors for Virginia Tech," said State Secretary of Education Beverly Sgro - a former Blacksburg carpooling partner of Lavery's.
Not forgotten Friday was founding dean Talbot, killed last fall in the USAir crash outside Pittsburgh. In his remarks, Eyre said the school would soon honor him, and at commencement ceremonies, the first Richard B. Talbot Medal was slated to be awarded to the vet school's valedictorian.
"He was a very optimistic person," his wife, Jane, said after the dedication. "He would have said, 'I knew all along it would get built.' "
by CNB