
Honored Mentor
Ralph A. Henderson
DVM, MS, DACVS
Mentoring has been the best part of my career. It shares many commonalities with the life-sustaining cycle of breathing including the repetitive and numbing outflow of descriptions, demonstrations, assistance, corrections, and edits. On the other hand, I find mentoring to be interspersed with the refreshing inflow of the confidence, challenging questions, maturing judgment, finesse of skills, and writing improvements. Many thanks to each of my protégés, and co-mentors, for your parts in my life and career.
- Ralph A. Henderson, DVM, MS, DACVS

An artist’s creativity, an encyclopedic knowledge, a sage’s wisdom, and an explorer’s curiosity are some of the qualities used to describe Ralph Henderson as a surgeon, mentor, and man. Through example, repetition, critique, and gentle inquisition, Dr. Henderson taught us more than surgery, he taught us composition. He prepared us for both the known and unknown to come. We are indebted for his guidance.
- R. Mark Daye, DVM, MS, DACVS & Michael L. Huber, DVM, MS, DACVS

As an adventurer, Dr. Henderson enjoys hunting, fishing, missionary access and professional travel — however he still finds that surgery is the most personally satisfying adventure. There are the stealthy stalk of dissection, the presence of biological dangers, the underlying drama of life or death, and the miracle of wounding and recovery management with the opportunity to be seen as hero or failure. ACVS (and ACVIM Oncology) credentials enabled him to engage with extraordinary veterinarians and human surgeons and led to the advancement of his career. He attributes ACVS with providing him an enormous advantage: giving back is really paying forward by helping others to succeed and advance.
Donors
- R. Mark Daye, DVM, MS, DACVS
- Michael L. Huber, DVM, MS, DACVS