Abstract
The E. P. Pope Memorial Award is presented in memory of Dr. Edward P. Pope who was one of the founders of the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians (AAVLD) and who served with distinction as its Secretary-Treasurer from 1959 to 1972. The award was established in his honor in 1974. The Pope Award is the highest award given by the Association and is presented to an individual who has made noteworthy and significant contributions to the Association in regard to implementing and advancing the recognition of the specialty of veterinary diagnostic laboratory medicine. The 2020 E. P. Pope Memorial Award was presented to Dr. William H. Fales during the 64th Annual Meeting of the AAVLD.
Professor Fales was granted Emeritus status from the University of Missouri, College of Veterinary Medicine, Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (VMDL; Columbia, MO) in 2015. He retired a second time in 2017 after serving 2 y as an Adjunct Professor. He holds AA, BA, MS, and PhD degrees. During the Vietnam era, he served in the U.S. Army Medical Service Corps as a Bacteriologist and Blood Bank Officer with the U.S. Army Hospital at Ft. Campbell, KY. After 3 y of honorable service, he was discharged from active duty with the rank of Captain in 1969. With the help of the GI Bill, a fellowship, a very supportive wife (Susan), and 2 small children (Mandy and Becky), he completed MS and PhD degrees under the direction of Dr. George Teresa at the University of Idaho, Moscow, ID. Post-doctoral training followed at the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine under the direction of Drs. John N. Berg and Raymond W. Loan. Dr. Larry Morehouse, the Director of the VMDL, offered him a position as an Assistant Professor and Chief of the Bacteriology/Mycology section at the VMDL in 1975. In 1978 he attended his first national AAVLD meeting in Buffalo, NY and presented a paper. At this meeting, he learned about culturing for the “contagious equine metritis organism” from Dr. Mike Donahue, University of Kentucky Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory. This information led to the detection of CEM in Missouri in 1979 and became the second detected outbreak in the Western Hemisphere. These findings were reported to the 22nd annual meeting of the AAVLD in San Diego, CA.
From his Army experience, he had developed a keen interest in anaerobic infections, culture techniques, and methods of bacterial identification. He was also highly interested in antimicrobial susceptibility testing using the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) test systems. The University of Missouri VMDL was the first veterinary diagnostic laboratory to utilize a commercially available freeze-dried MIC plate system, which led to a number of publications and scientific presentations. This system of susceptibility testing is now widely used across the United States. Dr. Fales has authored or co-authored 98 published manuscripts (2 published after retirement) and presented 140 papers at scientific meetings. Seven papers were either authored or co-authored and were presented internationally with the World Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians.
Dr. Fales is a lifetime member of the AAVLD, USAHA, and CRWAD. He is an Honorary Diplomate of the ACVM and is an honorary member of the Missouri Veterinary Medical Association Academy of Veterinary Practitioners. Dr. Fales is an Emeritus Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology (FAAM) and is recognized by the American Society of Clinical Pathobiology as a Specialist Microbiologist. He was active with the Missouri Veterinary Medical Association (MVMA) and elected to full membership, the only non-veterinarian to receive this honor. He has been recognized for his service work and received the MVMA Distinguished Service Award and the MVMA Presidential Award. Recently, he was elected to the Missouri Veterinary Medical Foundation Honor Roll. Dr. Fales has also received the Trek Award for Excellence in Diagnostic Microbiology, the Dean’s Impact Award, and the George Dadd Award for Teaching Excellence. At the 2017 CVM commencement, Dr. Fales (aka Billy the Bacteriologist) was recognized as an Honorary Veterinarian for his diagnostic service to practitioners and his participation in helping to train 3,100 students of veterinary medicine. He was hooded by his daughter, Dr. Amanda Fales-Williams. He now quietly lives in Ames, IA with his wife, Susan, of 57 y and enjoys watching his grandchildren, Laurel and Will, thrive.
A word from Dr. Fales
During my 40 plus years of membership with the AAVLD and USAHA, I always stood in awe of those who received the E.P. Pope Award. Naturally, one aspired to be like the awardees but it seemed like a beacon at sea, and always out of reach. However, thanks to the Nominating, Awards, and Executive Committees, I was allowed to reach that elusive light. This was only possible because I had a supportive family who tolerated my long hours in the laboratory, and wonderful laboratory directors, colleagues, and outstanding technical support staff. Prior recipients of the E.P. Pope Award were giants that allowed me to stand on their shoulders and gain insight into the future. This award is truly the capstone of my career, and I am delighted to accept the E.P. Pope Award. It is truly an honor to be recognized for work that I thoroughly enjoyed doing. Thank you.