Winter/Spring 2012 Aesculapian Magazine - University of Georgia ...

Why I Give...
For more than 15 years, Drs. Louise
Kellam Burpee (DVM ’87) and Randy Basinger
have donated annually to the UGA College of
Veterinary Medicine. The couple met during
the mid-1980s when Burpee was enrolled
at the CVM and Basinger was pursuing
master’s degree course work in the College’s
department of physiology and pharmacology
while simultaneously doing a residency in small
animal surgery.
After finishing their education at UGA,
the couple moved to South Carolina, launched
their careers and began raising a family.
Burpee is a co-owner of Dutch Fork Animal
Hospital. Basinger is a board-certified small
animal surgeon and founder of a 13-doctor
referral practice in Columbia. Their son, Will,
who is finishing his undergraduate degree at
Clemson University, is enrolled in the CVM’s
incoming Class of 2016. Their daughter, Carly,
will start college in the fall.
We asked the couple, both members of
the Annual President’s Club, why they give to
our CVM.
Pictured from left: Will, who enters UGA CVM in Fall 2012; Carly, with Speck the hen; dog
Mindy, on the ground; Dr. Louise Burpee, holding Dane; and Dr. Randy Basinger, with a firm
hold on Bounce (“The only way to keep Bounce still!”). Photo courtesy of Drs. Louise Burpee
and Randy Basinger.
Dr. Burpee: Our practice began making memorial donations
to the College about 15 years ago to honor our special patients.
We believed that the funds would be used for practical research to
help general practitioners improve our quality of care. Our clients
sincerely appreciate the letter they receive from UGA CVM and
we hear their thanks for months and years to follow. I think several
of our clients have also become supporters of the College. We
also have donated to the building fund in recent years because we
know of the great need for expansion. We understand the current
Teaching Hospital’s limitations and hope to support UGA CVM
for future generations of well-educated students. As alumni, we
know that we owe our careers’ foundation to UGA and we give
back what we can in thanks.
Randy and I together have also pledged our support for the
new Veterinary Medical Learning Center. Our son, Will, may
get to experience the new facility during his years in veterinary
school.
Personally, I am grateful for a successful career and am proud
that our Class of 1987 continues to be a strong supporter. It really
is important to give in order to continue the excellence of education.
My parents were strong supporters of their schools and other
worthy causes — it is how we were raised. When you believe in
something and have the ability to support it, it simply feels good
to share.
Dr. Basinger: For me, donating is about both “giving back” as
well as “giving forward.” It is “giving back” because of the great
clinical education I obtained from the talented doctors at the
UGA Veterinary Teaching Hospital, and the important physiology
foundations of both health and disease imparted from the
physiology graduate school faculty. Without their commitment to
my education, I would not be where I am today, and so donating
now is a way of saying, “Thank you!”
Donating is also “giving forward” because I want those same
opportunities to be available to the next generations of UGAtrained
veterinarians. Without donations to help build, equip,
and staff a new Hospital, the educational experience might not be
of the same excellent caliber I feel I received from UGA. Giving
forward is a way of saying, “Keep up the good work!” and, “Here
are some funds to help make that possible.”
I feel that it is very important to recognize that there were
people and programs that helped us as we grew as individuals and
professionals. It should be incumbent upon us to be grateful for
that, and to help facilitate the same help for others through donations
of money and time to causes we feel are worthwhile.
For me, the UGA College of Veterinary Medicine is certainly
a worthy cause.
36 The University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine