$1 million gift creates equine-studies chair at UGA veterinary college

Athens, Ga. 8/27/2007 - A University of Georgia alumnus with a lifelong love of horses donated $1 million to the university's College of Veterinary Medicine to endow a chair in equine studies.

The Marguerite Thomas Hodgson Chair of Equine Studies will help provide for a faculty member to teach equine medicine and conduct research. "This chair that Miss Hodgson has established is extremely significant," says Sheila W. Allen, DVM, MS, dean of the veterinary college. "This is the first chair in equine medicine at UGA, and enables us to hire a qualified faculty member who can provide a concentration in equine studies and engage residents, lab technicians and support staff to aid in that effort."

The endowment will enhance studies in equine diseases and conditions, including colic and laminitis. It "provides a stable base for clinical research in the department...that we hope will open new avenues for the treatment of horses," says Andrew Parks, MA Vet MB, MRCVS, head of UGA's large-animal medicine department.

A native of Athens, Ga., Hodgson graduated from UGA in 1946 with an English degree. She says she remembers her parents placing her on a horse for the first time at the age of 2. She owned horses since age 16.

"I thought for years about ways I could donate to a charity benefiting horses," she says, "but wasn't sure how to go about it until I learned of the veterinary college's need for support. I am pleased that I can help in this way."

"The university is fortunate to have a benevolent member of the community who understands the significance of animal health in society," says UGA President Michael F. Adams.