The Sutton, Nebraska volunteer fire department responded to a blaze at the home of Dr. John Waddell over the weekend.
When firefighters arrived, they found Dr. Waddell, an internationally-renowned swine veterinarian, in his backyard grilling on a brand new Traeger wood-pellet-fired smoker/bar-b-que grill. After insuring that the fire was contained, the fire chief remarked on the beauty of the grill and marveled at its ability to not only grill but also to smoke, barbeque and bake. Waddell mentioned that he and his wife Carol had recently purchased the grill and loved it so much that they were actually donating a brand new one to the American Association of Swine Veterinarians’ Foundation Auction! He invited the firemen to stay and have dinner since he had plenty of Jayhawk on the grill. It seems he and a bunch of his friends had recently been bird hunting in Lawrence, KS. Reportedly they took 76 shots but only killed 39 birds which Waddell described as "the worst trip he’s ever been on!"
The smoke from the fire could be seen as far away as Iowa where folks at the DeWaay Capital Management firm reported watching the commotion from their roof top in Clive. While bird watching using the company’s Swarovski binoculars, they were awestruck at the apparent conflagration and feared for the town of Sutton. Luckily, they were able to ease their fears when the source of the blaze came into clear focus through the unparalleled quality and precision optics of the binoculars. They were so overjoyed upon seeing that one of AASV’s most prominent families was unharmed that they donated $2000.00 to the AASV Foundation to purchase a similar set of binoculars for the auction!
The folks at DeWaay weren’t the only ones peering through high-tech optics. Joe Barban has been hard at work capturing unbelievable photographs of wildlife and scenic views in the mountains just outside Denver, CO. Barban, an avid and accomplished photographer, has teamed up with the folks at Carthage Veterinary Services to donate one of his prints to the auction! The lucky buyer can select from one of five signed and numbered 13"x19" framed prints.
Please take a moment to visit the AASVF Auction listings to view these items and all the other generous contributions from your fellow AASV members and allied industries. The Foundation wants to thank John and Carol Waddell, Joe Barban, Carthage Veterinary Services and DeWaay Capital Management for their generous gifts in support of the AASV Foundation. The response from AASV members and friends has been tremendous, but we still need more items if we’re going to meet the goal of raising $50,000. We also need your support when bidding on these items. Remember, it’s your Foundation and these funds support programs that enhance your profession. Watch for additional auction items in next week’s e-Letter.