Remembering Dr. Bernard C. Easterday

The UW Vet Med community is mourning the loss of founding Dean Emerit Bernard C. Easterday, who died March 17 at age 96. We are incredibly grateful for Dr. Easterday and his many contributions to our community.

Over seven decades at UW-Madison, Dr. Easterday became an internationally recognized educator and virologist who deepened our understanding of how influenza viruses are transmitted between animals and humans. His leadership was essential to creating the UW School of Veterinary Medicine, and he served as founding dean until 1994. Dr. Easterday’s legacy spans the entire history of UW Vet Med, and carries through all aspects of our work today as leaders in veterinary medical education, innovation, and outreach.

Find Dr. Easterday’s full obituary here.

Check back often as we will share articles, tributes, photos and more over the coming weeks.

Share your memories, stories, and tributes to Dr. Easterday here

Cover page with a black-and-white portrait of Bernard C. Easterday on the left and the title “Forty years of excellence and innovation: A timeline of Bernard C. Easterday’s veterinary medical career” on the right.

Timeline page for 1952. Text states that Bernard C. Easterday earned his DVM from Michigan State University and began his career as a large animal practitioner in Hillsdale, Michigan. A small black-and-white portrait appears below the timeline.

Timeline page for 1952 to 1954. Text states that Easterday served in the U.S. Army Veterinary Corps, including a one-year deployment to Kenya to research rinderpest and African swine fever. An Army Veterinary Corps insignia appears below the timeline.

Timeline page for 1958. Text states that Easterday earned an MS from UW–Madison. Below the timeline is an image of a 1958 UW–Madison homecoming pin in red and white.

Timeline page for 1961. Text states that Easterday earned his PhD from UW–Madison and was appointed associate professor of veterinary science at the university. Above the timeline is a black-and-white photo of Ag Hall in 1961.

Timeline page for 1966. Text states that Easterday was promoted to full professor in the UW–Madison Department of Veterinary Science. Above the timeline is a black-and-white group photo from 1965 with an arrow indicating Easterday among members of the university Flying Club.

Timeline page for 1968 to 1974. Text states that Easterday was appointed chair of the Department of Veterinary Science and led the department at UW–Madison for six years. Below the timeline is a black-and-white photo of the Veterinary Science building around 1972.

Timeline page for 1983. Text states that the UW School of Veterinary Medicine welcomed its first class of students. Above the timeline is a black-and-white photo of Easterday speaking at a lectern to a classroom of seated students.

Timeline page for 1994. Text states that after more than four decades of service, teaching, and leadership, Easterday retired from the UW School of Veterinary Medicine and remained active in advisory roles for many years afterward. Below the timeline is a black-and-white photo of Easterday seated in an office or library setting.

Read our tribute to Dr. Easterday here

A memorial event is being planned for late April at the School of Veterinary Medicine. For more information, please contact Anna Brown at (608) 890-0203 or anna.brown@wisc.edu.

Tributes, memories, and stories

John Nelson (MS’76)

“What a remarkable person Dr. Easterday was. I met him as a part of the design team for the original building – I was a “baby engineer” at the time.

Everyone working on the job realized how cool it was to be part of creating a School of Vet Med in Wisconsin, and revered Barney for his instrumental role. After that project was complete, the University of Florida had a problem with their existing Vet Med facilities. Barney and I were hired to advise on a plan to resolve them – Barney for the program, me for the engineering. We spent the better part of a year commuting regularly together to Gainesville.

At that time the best connection involved driving to and from Milwaukee’s Mitchell Field in my 1979 VW Rabbit, without air conditioning.

A new hospital resulted, but – more importantly – I got to know Barney well. After every trip, I’d tell Linda (Nelson MS’82) how remarkable he was. His humility, humanity, affability, good nature left a lasting impression to which I aspired. Later when we were able to support the SVM, which had cared for many of our Golden Retrievers), we were delighted to learn that the opportunity existed to name a donation in Barney’s honor.”

Kristen Bernard

“If you were talking to me and Barney — probably about his travels and escapades in Africa — you could bet at some point he’d comment that you were part of a ‘Bernard Sandwich.’” We had a lot of laughs over that, and it led us to discover we shared the nickname ‘Barnyard’ since we both grew up on farms and were interested in animals and science.”