With great sadness we received the news that one of the founding members of the college, Kevin Kealy M.V.M., M.R.C.V.S., D.V.R., passed away peacefully in his sleep on May 31st 2021 three weeks short of his 100th birthday.
Many Diplomates of ECVDI and ACVR and IVRA members remember his wisdom, humor and huge contributions to veterinary radiology.
His family was a priority to him; Kevin and Joan were married for 60 years and had six children and 13 grandchildren. He continued to play piano at IVRA and other meetings and until recently, the organ at Mass in his local church on Sundays.
After graduating with honours as a veterinary surgeon in 1950 and spending five years in general practice in Carrickmacross, Ireland, Kevin joined the Veterinary School at University College Dublin in 1955.
He became interested in radiology and spent a year (1957) as a Kellogg Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania training in radiology at both the medical and veterinary schools. While at Penn he developed a lifelong friendship with Dr. W. Harker Rhodes and became acquainted with most of our ACVR Charter Members.
His achievements included:
In 1960’s he became a Member and subsequent President of the British Veterinary Radiology Association as well as a member of the Veterinary Council of Ireland.
In 1967 he was awarded an honorary, foundation Diploma of Veterinary Radiology by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons and was appointed as examiner for the first formal examination of the Diploma.
1968 he established the first dedicated veterinary radiology suite in Dublin, and installed one of the first overhead gantry Xray machines in a Veterinary school in Europe. In the same year he hosted the first meeting of the International Veterinary Radiology Association (IVRA) in Dublin. The American delegation was headed by Drs. Myron Bernstein and Harker Rhodes. Kevin subsequently became secretary of the IVRA from 1970-1973, President of the IVRA from 1973-1976 and a Director from 1976-1985. In 1988 he was made an honorary member of the IVRA, an honour of which he was very proud and the testamur (illuminated address) he received was hung on the wall in the living room of his home.
1973 he spent a two-year sabbatical at the veterinary school at Iowa State University as head of Radiology following the retirement of Dr. Mac Emerson. He then returned home to Dublin in 1975 and became head of the Department of Veterinary Surgery.
1975 he started writing “Diagnostic Radiology of the Dog and Cat” which was published by Saunders in 1978. It became a highly successful textbook that was revised through 5 editions (last published in 2010) over the subsequent 35 years and translated into eight languages including Japanese and Chinese. The last several editions were co-authored by his close friend and colleague, Hester McAllister and the 2010 last edition was co-authored by John Graham.
He retired in 1988 from University College Dublin, spent a year in 1989 covering a sabbatical for Barbara Watrous at Oregon State University and a semester at Ross University Veterinary School at St. Kitts in 1996.
In 1993 together with two other colleagues, Dr. Christine Gibbs and Dr. Peter Suter, Kevin was tasked with establishing the European College of Veterinary Diagnostic Imaging; he was a foundation member of the College which became formally established in 1994.
Kevin continued to correspond until recently with many, including sending his written poems one of which was about radiologists. He will be dearly missed by his family, colleagues and many friends.
Obituary written by Hester McAllister