Disaster - College of Veterinary Medicine - Texas A&M University

Alumni News
CVM honors 2010 Outstanding Alumni
The College of Veterinary Medicine
& Biomedical Sciences (CVM) proudly
honored five Outstanding Alumni with
a special reception and dinner at Miramont
Country Club on Friday evening,
April 9. The 2010 Outstanding Alumni
are: Dr. Charles Cocanougher, Class
of 1955, of Decatur, TX; Dr. John M.
Morton, Class of 1969, of Athens, TX;
Dr. Kenneth R. Pierce, Class of 1957,
of College Station, TX; Dr. William A.
Roach, Class of 1957, of Georgetown,
TX; and Dr. M. Michael Swindle, Class
of 1969, of Mt. Pleasant, SC.
“A college of veterinary medicine
is defined by not only the quality of
their students, but the success of their
alumni,” said Dr. Eleanor Green, Carl
B. King Dean of Veterinary Medicine.
“The commitment to the future of
veterinary medicine demonstrated by
these outstanding alumni is a source of
pride to the college, and as we celebrate
their accomplishments, we are
honored to recognize them as a part of
our Aggie family.”
Dr. Charles M. Cocanougher, ’55,
started his own private practice in
Decatur, TX in 1958. By the time he
retired from his practice he had established
three clinics in Wise County
with two partners. He also started a
manufactured housing park and self
storage business while practicing veterinary
medicine and after his retirement,
continued to manage these two
businesses and is still active in these
endeavors at this time. Cocanougher
has been and continues to be an ac-
46 • CVM Today • Summer 2010
Dr. John M. Morton
tive member of his community and
church. He is the past president and
rodeo secretary of Wise Co. Sheriff’s
Posse, served as a city councilman for
the City of Decatur, past president and
member of the Decatur Chamber of
Commerce, awarded Citizen of the
Year in Decatur in 1985, past officer
and member of Decatur Rotary Club,
charter member and past chairman of
the Wise Co. American Heart Association
chapter, past chairperson for Wise
Co. Appraisal District, and served on
the Texas Veterinary Medical Association
board of directors. Cocanougher
has also been generous to fellow A&M
veterinary medical students by endowing
ten scholarships through the Texas
A&M Foundation.
Dr. Charles M. Cocanougher (center) and family at the Outstanding Alumni reception.
Dr. John M. Morton, ’69, has served
the community of Athens, TX as a
large and small animal practitioner
since 1972. He is president elect of
the Texas Veterinary Medical Association
(TVMA), and has also served in a
variety of other roles. Some of Morton’s
accomplishments include being elected
chairman of the Board of Directors
of the TVMA as well as serving on the
board and the executive council. He is
a member of the American Veterinary
Dental Society and was named a Mark
Francis Fellow by the CVM in 2006.
His service to his community extends
beyond veterinary medicine. He
volunteers on the Henderson County
Fair Board, serving as both a member
and president. He was president of the
Dr. Kenneth R. Pierce
County Extension Service’s equine
subcommitte and has been a member
of the Athens Public School’s Renaissance
Leadership Committee for the
past ten years. Dr. Morton and his wife
have been strong supporters of the
CVM through their donations to the
Gentle Doctor events each year and
have helped to provide scholarship
funds through their work with the
Texas Veterinary Medical Foundation
and Texas Group One.
Dr. Kenneth R. Pierce, ’57, received
his DVM, M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from
Texas A&M University and was hired
as an instructor of veterinary anatomy
upon his graduation from the DVM