Page 76 - Eclipse - RVC Alumni Magazine - Autumn 2020

I had the pleasure of knowing John for the last 40 years, originally as an employee, then colleague and close friend, and greatly enjoyed the mental jousting that was part of knowing him – always supportive and stimulating. He was once introduced as ‘one of the original thinkers’ and I can do no better than to quote others who encountered him: “wonderful sense of humour together with a lack of respect for rules” and “a trail-blazer, and a lovely, complex, man.”
Having survived a number of health challenges over the years, he was finally felled by Coronavirus on 24 April 2020, not before the RVC bestowed on him an honorary degree, of which he was very proud. He leaves behind widow Barbara, daughters Trish and Carolyn, granddaughters Sophie and Emma and four ‘greats’.
A risk taker who was never reckless, he will be greatly missed by all.
JOHN SHERIDAN (1960)
Veterinary Practice Administration awarded by Purdue University and the AAHA.
John was joint founder of Veterinary Practice Initiatives Ltd, the first veterinary corporate consolidator in the UK, and was chief veterinary officer from its launch in July 1998 until he retired from the company executive team in 2003.
More recently, John offered part-time management consultancy to the veterinary profession and published Veterinary Business Briefing, an online practice management resource for the international veterinary community. He also published and presented, since 2004, the Veterinary Business Video Show, with a new episode every two weeks. He created a library of 250 informative videos as well as many articles and reports.
Outside of the profession, John played the saxophone and served as a community responder with the ambulance service. He leaves his wife Maureen, their three children, 10 grandchildren, and one great-grandchild, and many colleagues and friends. Our thoughts are with John’s family.
Due to lockdown restrictions, a small family burial took place but it is hoped a memorial ceremony will take place after restrictions are lifted to celebrate his life and legacy.
MICHAEL HENRY WOODFORD (1946)
By Richard Kock, William B. Karesh and Philippe Chardonnet
Obituary, published in Vet Record, Vol 186, 18/25 April 2020, p464
Michael Henry Woodford, FRCVS, (b) 1924, (q) Royal Veterinary College 1946. Died 23 January 2020.
Michael Woodford lived a remarkable life as a vet, from engaging with both small and large animal veterinary clients in practice, to
contributing to international animal health and the conservation of wildlife.
After graduating, Mike spent 20 years working in rural agricultural practice in Dorset. During this time, he was an early pioneer of the chemical capture of wild animals – using a crossbow and an improvised dart syringe loaded with etorphine – to provide blood samples from wild roe deer to determine the hormonal control of delayed embryo implantation.
In 1962 he joined an expedition launched by the Fauna Preservation Society to Saudi Arabia’s Empty Quarter to capture some of the last surviving wild Arabian oryx. Over subsequent years, Mike played a key role in the successful reintroduction of captive-bred Arabian oryx back into the wild in Oman.
He retired from practice in 1967 and joined the Nuffield Unit of Tropical Animal Ecology, spending four years working on tuberculosis in the African buffalo in the Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda. In 1971 he joined the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and was involved in avoiding potentially serious epidemics. For example, prompt action on screwworm in Africa prevented it from having a massive impact on sub- Saharan wildlife and livestock.
He also served for five years on the Kenya Wildlife Management Project based out of Kabete. When that project terminated, he was posted by the FAO to Afghanistan and later to Mozambique and Kenya.
Having left the FAO in 1984 he became an independent wildlife consultant for a wide variety of international agencies in 27 different countries, from Greenland to the Philippines.
He was the founder and first chair of the Office International des Epizooties (OIE) Working Group on Wildlife Diseases and of the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Species Survival Commission Veterinary Specialist Group, which became the Wildlife Health Specialist Group.
Mike lived peripatetically between Washington DC, Cumbria, his home in Portugal and his travels. In 2010 he finally retired to west Dorset, where he wished to end his days, settling in Cerne Abbas near his family. The following year he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, which slowly took over his life. Sadly, he was no longer able to read and gradually lost the ability to communicate with his many friends and colleagues around the world. Jennifer, his partner, was a devoted carer in his difficult final years and was by his side to the end.
By Alan Robinson
John was well known in the veterinary profession, tributes have been paid by many he worked alongside, studied with and inspired and he will be sadly missed by all.
After graduating from the RVC in 1960, John spent the first 25 years of his career in small animal medicine, establishing a franchise of eight veterinary practices. In 1985, he was hired as Managing Director of Anicare Group Services, providing an array of management consultancy services to the profession.
John was president of the BSAVA from 1974 to 1975 and first president of the VPMA from 1993 to 1996. He held a Diploma in Management Studies, a Certificate in Veterinary Practice Management from the Veterinary Hospital Managers Association, and a Certificate in
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