Arnold "Rosy" Rosenwald, a UC Davis extension poultry pathologist emeritus, whose career and contributions to poultry medicine spanned more than 70 years, died Jan. 23 in Davis at age 98. A memorial service is planned for late February.

"For more than 30 years after his retirement, Rosenwald continued to play an active role in maintaining a collegial network of professionals in industry and academia," said Carol Cardona, extension poultry veterinarian at UC Davis. "Almost anywhere you go in the world, poultry veterinarians know Rosy."

Rosenwald was born in 1909, in Albuquerque, in what was then the territory of New Mexico. He attended UC Berkeley and UC Davis, earning a bachelor's degree in 1930. He completed his doctor of veterinary medicine degree at Kansas State University in 1936, and went on to earn a master's degree in bacteriology from Oregon State University in 1942, and a doctorate in veterinary science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1956.

Between 1930 and 1937, he worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, inspecting red meat, investigating swine brucellosis and sheep scabies and testing sheep for tuberculosis. He served from 1937 until 1942 as an assistant professor of veterinary science and assistant veterinarian in the Agricultural Experiment Station at Oregon State University.

Between 1942 and 1946, Rosenwald was a captain in the Veterinary Corps of the U.S. Army, where he served as a veterinary bacteriologist for the War Department's Special Project Division and cared for the veterinary needs of the birds in the Signal Pigeon Corps.

In 1946, he initiated the Extension Poultry Disease Program when he accepted a job as the first UC extension poultry veterinarian, serving at UC Berkeley for four years and then at UC Davis from 1950 until he retired in 1977.

'Pure dedication'

"I don't believe there was a person trained in poultry at any level at UC Davis who didn't have Rosy as a part of their training program — he was just that influential," said Arthur Bickford, former associate director of the California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory in Turlock. "The energy he had was pure dedication."

Rosenwald wrote that early in his career, "The lessons I learned were to be cautious, carefully interpret findings, and depend on flock history as a guide to find correct answers. I learned the value of the phrase 'I don't know.'" He would follow with, "But I'll darn sure try to find out."

He was a founder of the Western Poultry Disease Conference, established in 1951 to exchange ideas and promote effective, coordinated poultry health measures. Rosenwald is credited with making that meeting a renowned international conference on avian diseases. Colleagues recall that his hobbies were the conference and people, particularly other veterinarians and especially those who know the value of feathered animals for the welfare of human beings.

"Rosy will continue to be an inspiration to all who have known him," said Donald Klingborg, director of Veterinary Medicine Extension and associate dean for public programs at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. "He was a gentleman's gentleman, had an infectious smile and inquiring mind, and helped people achieve more from themselves with his presence."

Rosenwald received many professional awards, including being named in 2005 as Poultry Scientist of the Year by the Pacific Egg and Poultry Association and in 1980 receiving the Distinguished Service Award of the American Association of Avian Pathologists. Colleagues and friends expressed their esteem for Rosenwald by raising funds to dedicate a classroom in his name in the School of Veterinary Medicine instructional facility, Gladys Valley Hall, which opened in 2006.

Rosenwald is survived by his wife, Joan; a daughter and a stepdaughter.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to the American Association of Avian Pathologists to support the A.S. "Rosy" Rosenwald Student Poster Award, 953 College Station Rd., Athens, GA 30602-4875. For more details, see www.news.ucdavis.edu.

Susan Donahue is a senior editor at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine.