There are essentially three periods in the development of the Tuskegee Veterinary Medical Alumni Association. The early years (1949-1960) were largely characterized by informal gatherings and meetings, occasionally at Tuskegee, but most often at the site of the Annual Meeting of the American Veterinary Medical Association. As Alumni increased in number, there became an awareness of greater comradeship and belonging.
The middle years (1961-1975) were initiated by a formal organizing at the 1961 AVMA meeting in Detroit, Michigan. Drs. Edward T. Braye '52 and George T. Blackledge '51 were respectively elected President and Secretary-Treasurer. An immediate activity which generated interest and support was the student loan fund. A strong commitment for student support was the student loan fund. A strong commitment for student support continues today. These rotating funds, though small, assisted a large number of students. The Association produced and hung oil portraits of the initial faculty. The Tuskegee Veterinary Symposium started in 1965 and it continues to be the main focal attraction for the Alumni.
The third phase in development had its genesis from a 1976 fall meeting held in Tuskegee when approximately thirty alumni came to "chart a course for the future." Under the leadership of President Adam McKee, Jr., there were increasing activities, especially in fundraising and recruiting. An outgrowth of this new enthusiasm was the development of the T.S. Williams Lecture and the Alumni Career Specialties Program as part of the Annual Symposium. The Association was officially incorporated in 1977.
In 1979, the Association began having a fall Executive Council-Working Committees meeting at sites other than Tuskegee. These meetings have been held in Puerto Rico, California, The Bahamas, Jamaica, Mexico, Barbados and Hawaii.
The opening words of the TVMAA Constitution state that the objective of the Association is to support the advancement of veterinary medicine at the Tuskegee School of Veterinary Medicine and support its ideals and
program. A substantial number of graduates have become Presidential Associates and members of the 500 Club. These memberships donate high levels of financial support and the Association is now undertaking a second major effort to raise funds for the Veterinary School Endowment. The TVMAA Endowment Fund I Campaign helped produce an endowment package of $500,000.00.
In order, the following graduates served as Presidents: Edward Braye '52, Raymond R. Adams '56, Roger Estep '62, Charles Flennoy'62, William Dudley'57, Ellis Hall'56, Thomas Jeter'51, James Pringle'64, John Settle'65, Adam McKee, Jr. '58, William Watson '65, John Hardy '63, Harold Davis '76, and LaVal Cothran '57.
Officers and Executive Council Members - 1987-1988
