Colorado State loses veterinary hospital's namesake

An icon of the Colorado State University College of Veterinary Medicine, James L. Voss, DVM, died July 12 in Fort Collins, Colo., after a long illness. He was 79.

Voss was a Colorado native and three-time Colorado State (CSU) alumnus. He began his career at CSU in 1958 as an equine ambulatory clinician. His career progressed at CSU to a leading veterinarian in equine reproduction and then to university administrator. He was dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences for 15 years. He retired in 2001.

CSU released a statement crediting Voss with mentoring a number of prominent CSU veterinary alumni, faculty and staff, including university President Tony Frank, DVM, PhD. “CSU’s world is a little dimmer today for the passing of Dr. Jim Voss,” Frank says in the release. Voss hired Frank as an assistant professor, a department chair and an associate dean. “It is no exaggeration to state that CSU’s veterinary medical program is a world leader in no small part because of Jim Voss. CSU lost a great leader and a great alum and I lost a great friend.”

Voss is the namesake of the school’s James L. Voss Veterinary Teaching Hospital and is credited with moving the veterinary school into the 21st century with progressive programs and leading-edge teaching and research facilities. CSU says Voss established research focus areas that have become CSU trademarks. The professional veterinary medical program, animal reproduction and biotechnology, cancer biology, environmental health sciences, infectious diseases, neurobiology and other notable programs form the college’s research enterprise with annual expenditures totaling nearly $55 million for both basic and applied research.

Voss is survived by his wife, Kay, of Fort Collins, sons Ed and Bill, and daughter Laura. The Voss family requests memorial donations to the Colorado State University Equine Reproduction Laboratory. To donate, visit advancing.colostate.edu/cvmbs*49912 and select “Equine Reproduction Laboratory,” or send a check payable to CSU Equine Reproduction Laboratory to CVMBS Dean’s Office, 1601 Campus Delivery, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1601, Attn: Dr. Voss—ERL.