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Scamahorn recognized for meritorious service to veterinary community
Growing up as the son and grandson of physicians, Dr. John Scamahorn saw firsthand the importance of serving one’s community and one’s profession.
So it has naturally followed that since coming to Putnam County as a veterinarian in the early 1970s, the proprietor of Greencastle’s Animal Medical Clinic has continued his family’s track record of service.
“I saw Dad and Granddad working to promote the community, the profession and to be of service to others,” Scamahorn said. “I’m modeling after them that this is what you do as a professional.”
This track record of service led to Scamahorn being honored recently with American Veterinary Medical Association Meritorious Service Award during the AVMA Convention in Philadelphia.
“Dr. Scamahorn’s influence and contributions to veterinary medicine over his decades of volunteer leadership have been invaluable to the profession,” AVMA President Dr. Jose Arce said. “Throughout his career, he has epitomized everything that the AVMA Meritorious Service Award represents and proven himself more than qualified for this distinguished honor.”
Established in 2001, the Meritorious Service Award recognizes a veterinarian who has brought honor and distinction to the veterinary profession through personal, professional or community service activities that are conducted outside the scope of organized veterinary medicine or research.
The prestige of the award was not lost on Scamahorn, who as a past chairman of the AVMA Executive Board (now the Board of Directors) has seen firsthand the achievements of past winners of the award.
“I’ve sat on that Executive Board and looked at those applications, and I know the people we’ve awarded it to. “I’m humbled. Those are the people we look up to in this industry.”
Even sitting in Philadelphia, surrounded by family and waiting for the award, Scamahorn had to pinch himself.
“Even at the meeting, I was thinking, ‘OK, this is true that I’m getting the award,’” Scamahorn said.
It’s not exactly the kind of award that can be presented by surprise, but Scamahorn still had some moments along the way that overwhelmed him a bit.
Back in spring, Dr. Ronald Gill, a colleague from Southern Illinois who is currently on the AVMA Board of Directors, called him for more background information, saying he was nominating Scamahorn.
“I said, ‘I’m humbled, Ron,’” Scamahorn recalled. “He said, ‘It doesn’t mean your going to get the award.’ I said, ‘I know, but I’m still humbled.’”
Scamahorn did get the award, though, and a look at his track record reveals why.
Not only did Scamahorn serve on the AVMA board, but he has worked to support veterinarians at the local and state level as well.
He served on the Indiana Veterinary Medical Association Board (IVMA) of Directors from 1986-89, serving as board chairman in 1988-89, vice president from 1989-90 and then one-year terms as president-elect and president between 1990 and 1992.
Scamahorn has also chaired the IVMA Legislative Committee and participated on a number of task forces for the state association, as well as serving 12 years as a gubernatorial appointee to the Controlled Substances Advisory Committee of the Indiana Board of Pharmacy.
IVMA Executive Director Lisa Perius recognized Scamahorn’s contributions and wrote a letter in support of his nomination.
“I believe there are not many volunteers in organized veterinary medicine that rise to the level of Dr. Scamahorn’s commitment and involvement,” Perius wrote. “His collegial spirit and calm demeanor serve him as an incredible leader, volunteer and human being.”
He is also a founding member of the Indiana Animal Health Foundation, currently serving as board president. In the last 25 years, the foundation has raised more than $600,000 in support of scholarships, service animals and other areas of veterinary medicine and animal care.
Nationally, Scamahorn served in the AVMA House of Delegates between 1993 and 2004 before representing Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin on the AVMA Executive Board from 2005-11, including one year as chairman.
While he has served on and chaired a variety of AVMA councils and committees, he is especially proud of his time on the Council on Education and the Committee on Veterinary Technician Education and Activities, which accredit DVM and veterinary technology programs, respectively.
“It makes sure good quality people graduate from the programs,” Scamahorn said.
More largely, though, Scamahorn has been concerned about advocacy for the industry.
“If someone is going to write our story, I want to make sure it’s the right story,” Scamahorn said.
His theory on the legislative committees is largely the same: “Again, who’s going to speak for the industry?”
Locally, though, Scamahorn has also long been a volunteer in various capacities.
He spent many years on the Putnam County Fair Board, serving as president as well as Rabbit Barn superintendent. Though he is no longer the superintendent, he remains involved in the rabbit project.
Outside of 4-H, he’s been named the Putnam County Friend of the Farmer and fair parade grand marshal, as well as serving on the Putnam County Board of Health and as a member of the Greencastle Rotary Club.
On the individual level, he’s mentored countless students, both from local high schools and DePauw University. They’ve come to him through DePauw Winter Term, Area 30 Career Center and some less formally, just wanting to learn.
“I’ve had multiple students who have come and worked for me who have gone on through vet school and become successful vet students,” Scamahorn recalled. “I wish I had written them down.
“They have done well — despite what I’ve taught them, I guess,” the ever self-deprecating Scamahorn added.
Most recently, he has mentored Kendra Sutherlin, a Greencastle High School and University of Illinois graduate Kendra Sutherlin, who is now a DVM student at the University of Glasgow in Scotland.
“Doc is a wonderful teacher and mentor,” Sutherlin said. “He takes time to work with and teach young people about their animals. I started volunteering when I was 12 years old, and he taught me so much, influencing my ability to get into vet school.
“Almost 12 years later, I’m still working for him and learning from him while in vet school,” Sutherlin said. “He cares so much about the community but is very humble about how much he does for the community.”
For Scamahorn, he’s been excited to stay in touch with young people and see what a DVM degree can do.
“Another thing I’ve enjoyed about these 40-plus years is to see the variety of opportunities that come to people with a DVM degree,” Scamahorn said. “My accreditation has exposed me to so many things.”
Getting the award out of Philadelphia, though, was a bit of a sticky situation. As Doc and wife Mary Jane went through security, his carry-on bag, which contained the teardrop-shaped award, did not make it out immediately.
Instead, the agent wanted a better look at the pointy object in the bag before clearing Scamahorn to proceed.
Now it’s just a funny story for Scamahorn to tell as he makes his rounds.
On that front, he plans to continue making those rounds, even after a half century. Besides continuing to run his clinic, he still volunteers his time, spending last Thursday at the Indiana State Fair in a volunteer opportunity — even taking his staff along so they could enjoy a day at the fair.
And he plans to keep working as long as it remains fun and challenging.
“I don’t have plans to retire yet because it’s still fun,” Scamahorn said. “What’s going to come in the door next? What’s going to be challenging?
“As long as it’s challenging me, I don’t want to retire.”