Obituaries

Services for William C. Rebhun, D.V.M., were Saturday, March 27, in Troy, N.Y. The professor of internal medicine and ophthalmology at the College of Veterinary Medicine died March 24, 1999, at the Cayuga Medical Center. He was 51.

Rebhun was born in Troy, the son Margaret (Mrs. John) Maxwell of Eagle Mills, N.Y., and the late Charles Rebhun. He was a graduate of Tamarac High School (1965), Cornell's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (1967) and College of Veterinary Medicine (1971). He was a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Ophthalmology and of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine.

For more than 28 years, Rebhun was in active veterinary practice in both the Troy and Ithaca areas. He joined the faculty of the College of Veterinary Medicine in 1977 and served as head of the Large Animal Clinic from 1985 to 1988. In 1987, he received the Presidential Award of the New York State Veterinary Medical Association for outstanding contributions to veterinary medicine.

He was the author or co-author of more than 100 scientific articles in his specialties, veterinary ophthalmology and internal medicine, and was the author of a widely used text, Diseases of Dairy Cattle.

A frequently invited guest speaker at national and international conferences, Rebhun also was a popular lecturer at the veterinary college. But he believed he was most effective as a teacher in a clinical setting, supervising students during rotations in the college's teaching hospital, and he once said: "I always find I'm a better teacher when we're busy in the clinics. If something is going to rub off, it will be when they see me interact with the patient, client and referring veterinarian."

Rebhun was a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association, American Society of Veterinary Ophthalmology, American Association of Bovine Practitioners, American College of Veterinary Ophthalmology, American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine, New York State Veterinary Medical Association and the Southern Tier Veterinary Medical Society.

He is survived by his wife, Dr. Bridget M. Barry; a son, Robert B. Rebhun of Ithaca; a daughter, April E. Rebhun of California; a brother, Robert Rebhun of Rensselaer, N.Y.; and a sister, Susan Quinn of Speigletown, N.Y.

A memorial service is planned for later in the year at Cornell.

Contributions may be made to the William C. Rebhun Memorial Fund, which supports veterinary residents in ophthalmology or bovine medicine at Cornell's veterinary medical teaching hospital. Contributions may be sent to the fund c/o Office of Public Affairs, Box 39, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y. 14853-6401.

William Cary Kelly, professor emeritus in the Department of Fruit and Vegetable Science, died at his daughter's home in California, March 20, 1999, after a brief struggle with lung cancer. He was 89.

Kelly was born in Memphis, Tenn., and received his B. S. in 1940 from the University of Tennessee, his M. S. in 1941 from Ohio State University and his Ph.D. in vegetable crops at Cornell in 1945.

After achieving his Ph.D., he worked as a horticulturist at the U.S. Plant Soil and Nutrition Laboratory, USDA, in Ithaca. In 1948 he joined the Department of Vegetable Crops as an assistant professor where he conducted research and extension work in mineral nutrition and vegetable crop physiology. He advised both graduate and undergraduate students, and became a leading mentor for the department over the years. He taught Vegetable Crop Physiology and Research Methods for 30 years and Organic Gardening for 11 years. In 1983 he was given emeritus professor status, but still continued to be a productive member of the department. He directed studies for 32 M.S. candidates and 25 Ph.D. candidates and served on approximately 120 graduate student committees in the fields of international agricultural development and vegetable crops.

Kelly won numerous awards: fellow, American Association for Advancement of Science; Distinguished Graduate Teaching M.A. Blake Award (1972) from the American Society of Horticultural Science; the Agriculture and Life Sciences Edgerton Teaching Career Award (1984) and Professor of Merit Award (1978). In his retirement years, Kelly enjoyed educational travel experiences. He hardly ever missed a departmental seminar.

He is predeceased by his wife Judith Neil, and survived by his children, David C. Kelly of Naperville, Ill., Karen Kelly Proctor of Van Nuys, Calif., Steven E. Kelly of Berkshire, N.Y., Nancy E. Kelly of Venice, Fla., and seven grandchildren.

Memorial services will be held Saturday, April 3, at 5 p.m. in 401 Warren Hall. Donations in his memory can be made to the Vegetable Crops Graduate Student Fund, 134A Plant Science Building, Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y. 14853.