OBITUARY ALEXANDER (SANDY) DE LAHUNTA (1932 - 2021)
so stimulated my intelect that I have continued to this day trying to emulate his imposing, logical and detailed approach to veterinary neurology and to comparative neuropathology. Through Sandy’s greathearted approach to learning I gained sufficient intellectual assurance to rub shoulders with specialist clinicians and pathologists while still studying at Cornell. I am certain that I could not have achieved this academic assurance without the mentorship from such a great academician and teacher. Three specific aspects of academic training I received from Sandy that I remember most vividly are efficiency, accuracy and toil. These attributes were passed on by Sandy, usually at an early hour, over a double-headed microscope, when this particular ingenuous, though inquisitive, graduate student would pester his mentor with thoughtful posers regarding neurologic clinico-pathologic correleates. Training in this component of neuroscience is what has stood me in good stead through my career, and I believe is what has been of great joy to so, so many of Sandy’s students and colleagues.
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It is with utmost sadness that I share with readers the news that Dr Alexander (Sandy) de Lahunta, Professor Emeritus, Cornell University, NY, passed away in New Hampshire, USA, yesterday. Although many readers of EVP will not have known Sandy de Lahunta very well, probably all would be familiar with his gigantic contribution to veterinary neurology, world-wide, perhaps mostly through five editions of Veterinary Neuroanatomy and Clinical Neurology. My relationship with Sandy de Lahunta began when I was fortunate enough to undertake graduate studies in veterinary neurology at Cornell University in 1974 under his mentorship. Because Sandy’s working days ran from 3:00 am till 4:30 pm, I needed to commit to early starts to attempt to follow his jetpropelled working habits and most importantly to benefit from his remarkable mentorship in guiding me through the – then new to me – complex though exciting disciplines of neurology and neuropathology. It should be noted that at the stage of me taking up postgraduate studies I was a very naive and reserved student from the other side of the world. Dr de Lahunta was never phased by this incognizance and proceeded to feed my enquiring mind with exciting questions and scenarios that 66 Eq Vet Pract 2021, September; 46 (3)
There is ample evidence of Sandy de Lahunta making a lifelong contribution to education, training and research in veterinary neuroscience by referring to the 5th edition (2020) of the seminal text on Veterinary Neuroanatomy and Clinical Neurology, and to both an early [J Am Vet Med Assoc, 1967; 150(9): 994-1011] and a recent [J Comp Pathol, 2020; 178: 1-8] publication on novel veterinary neurologic disorders, demonstrating a remarkable publication record spanning more than five decades. Alone, and in collaboration with Cornell colleagues, he has published five leading text books and is the author of close to 300 peer reviewed publications in professional and scientific journals. He also is renowned as an exceptional educator. Within the Cornell Veterinary College he was four times the recipient of the Norden Distinguished Teacher Award. In 1991, he was recognized by the American Veterinary Student Association as the Best Teacher in basic sciences. In 2000, he received the Robert W. Kirk Distinguished Service Award of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine, and has been granted honorary membership by the American College of Veterinary Pathologists (2002) and the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (2005). Finally, this year Sandy was the inaugural recipient of the ACVIM Specialty of Neurology Lifetime Achievement Award. Through tears of sadness and respect, I offer my spiritual thoughts to one of veterinary medicines giants. I.G Joe Mayhew 18 August 2021
