AU veterinary hospital to be named for former dean Tom Vaughan

Auburn University’s Board of Trustees has voted to name the College of Veterinary Medicine’s new large animal teaching hospital for former veterinary dean Tom Vaughan.

The John Thomas Vaughan Large Animal Teaching Hospital  is expected to be completed this summer and will be dedicated Aug. 29. It will be a 71,500 square-foot facility with modern surgical suites, an intensive care unit, pharmacy, radiology section, field services unit, offices, conference room, and a 60-seat classroom.

“We are very pleased the university is honoring Dr. Vaughan,” said Dean Timothy Boosinger, who submitted the resolution to the board. “He has been a legend in veterinary medicine for many years and has brought much prestige to Auburn.”

Dr. Vaughan, an internationally recognized equine surgeon, served as dean from 1977 1995. He earned his doctor of veterinary medicine degree from Auburn in 1955 and immediately joined the faculty. From 1970-1974, he headed the large animal hospital at Cornell University.

Dr. Vaughan returned to Auburn in 1974 as head of the Department of Large Animal Surgery and Medicine. He has held numerous offices, including president of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons and the American Association of Equine Practitioners.

He continues to reside in Auburn and speaks locally and abroad on equine surgery. In April, he served as a keynote speaker for the College of Veterinary Medicine’s 96th annual conference.

“He is highly respected throughout the world and it is fitting that our new hospital will bear his name,” Dr. Boosinger added.

The core hospital is just one part of Auburn’s large animal veterinary complex. The equine lameness arena and various other facilities are in the process of being named, too.