Dr. Jack Lowe, a much-admired veterinarian who served the horse industry and Cornell University in a variety of important ways for decades, died Wednesday at age 91 after complications from a fall.
“He was one of the few people I know who loved his job every single day; the horses, all the animals and the people and lifelong friends. He absolutely loved life,” said his daughter, Stacy Lowe-Jonas, who characterized him as “a big teddy bear. He was still smiling the last day I saw him.”
She pointed out that Dr. Lowe’s death came while the Lake Placid, N.Y., horse show was going on. It was one of his favorite shows, Stacy noted, and he served as veterinarian there, as well as at the Sussex County show in New Jersey, where he handled that role for more than half a century.
A graduate of the Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine in 1959, he received the Daniel Elmer Salmon Award for Distinguished Alumni Service, which honors veterinary graduates who have distinguished themselves in service to the profession, their communities or to the college.
“Jack has spent his entire professional career at the Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine enthusiastically contributing to the teaching, research and service missions of the college for many generations of veterinarians and horse owners,” Dr. Susan Fubini, an associate dean, said at the time her received the honor.
Dr. Lowe first studied at Rutgers University for his bachelor’s in dairy science before coming to Cornell, where he earned an M.S. in veterinary pathology after obtaining his veterinary degree. He went on to complete an internship and residency in surgery at Cornell before becoming an assistant professor in 1963. He developed many milestone techniques still in use today.
“Jack has published landmark discoveries, and he was the go-to surgeon for many owners of horses and farm animals,” noted Fubini.
Dr. Lowe was a member of numerous veterinary associations, and for most, he also dedicated time as either an executive board member or president. Among these groups were the American Horse Shows Association, a predecessor of the U.S. Equestrian Federation. He served on the AHSA’s drug control committee for more than 40 years, during nine of which he was the chairman. In this role, he helped develop many of the drug control policies for the horse show industry.
He also originated and continues to work on the USEF’s Health Research Fund. His pioneering efforts earned him many honors, including the Horseperson of the Year Award from the New York State Horse Council. His many roles also included serving as director of the Cornell Equine Park for 13 years.
Jaclyn Brennan, Dr. Lowe’s granddaughter, remembered him this way on social media, “My grandfather was many things to many people. A father, a friend, a husband, an uncle, a world-renowned veterinarian, a horseman, a mentor, a colleague, and everything in between. Jack, Dr. Lowe, Doc… but to me, he was Papa Doc.
“Outdoorsman, hunter, fisherman, taxi, cheerleader, road tripper, babysitter, gardener, meat smoker extraordinaire, (terrible but enthusiastic) dancer, lover of western movies, Johnny Cash, and obscure music he would discover on thrift store tapes. Because of him, I have my name. Because of him, I have horses. Because of him, I have humor, logic, and the minor trauma of him giving me `the talk’ using completely medical equine terms in the front seat of his Lincoln on the way to Washington D.C.”
Stacy stressed how important being a grandfather was to Dr. Lowe.
“My kids were his world. He never missed a baseball game, a football game, a downhill ski race or a horse show. He was there for them.”
Dr. Lowe has asked that his body be donated to the Syracuse University School of Medicine, so it can help with the education of medical students. A celebration of life has not been set, but it likely will be in July, said Stacy, who noted it would feature plenty of the dancing that he loved so much.
Dr. Lowe is survived by his wife, Joyce; his daughter and her husband, Hugh Jonas; Stacy’s brother, William Lowe and his partner (Melissa); granddaughter Jaclyn and her new husband, Dylan Brennan and grandsons Sterling Trevor Calale and Richard J. Calale III.