The Dr. F.M. Gaddie Memorial Scholarship

Several K-State alumni have joined together to establish the Dr. F.M. Gaddie Memorial Scholarship through the KSU Foundation to honor their late friend and colleague.

Dr. Gaddie, who passed away in October 2001 at 51, earned a bachelor’s degree in 1973 and a doctorate in veterinary medicine in 1975 from K-State. He spent more than a quarter of a century as a well loved and hard working veterinarian.

Dr. Ken Huggins, Dr. Korb Maxwell and other K-State alumni and close friends of Dr. Gaddie initiated the fund. The open-ended account allows friends and family to make contributions in the future.

"The memorial scholarship fund was established in Dr. F.M. Gaddie's honor so people will have a vehicle with which to remember him, while also helping others," Dr. Huggins said of his friend and business partner. "F.M. was an extremely strong K-State supporter, and he would have wanted to help veterinary students achieve their goals."

The scholarship funds will be awarded to a Kansas resident properly enrolled in their third or fourth year at the K-State College of Veterinary Medicine. The scholarship recipient also will have an interest in small animal medicine and surgery, rank scholastically high in their class and need financial assistance.

"I first met F.M. in my veterinary clinic in 1980," said Dr. Huggins, a 1966 graduate of the K-State College of Veterinary Medicine. "He just walked in one day and wanted a job. I'll never forget it."

At that time, Dr. Huggins already owned Oak Park Veterinary Clinic in Lenexa, Kansas He was also building a second veterinary facility in Stanley, Kansas, which would become Stanley Veterinary Clinic. The two veterinarians decided to work together for a period of one year and, if everything worked out, to become equal business partners. They did.

"F.M. was very successful for so many years," Dr. Huggins said. "He touched the lives of many, many people by just being himself and by being a veterinarian."

Dr. Maxwell, who graduated from veterinary school one year after Dr. Gaddie in 1976, remembers his friend's special qualities.

"He was always upbeat and made people laugh," said Dr. Maxwell, Director of Technical Services for Pfizer Animal Health, "He would go out of his way to help others whenever he could."

Dr. Gaddie was raised in Bazaar, Kansas, not far from his birthplace of Emporia. While earning a bachelor's and doctor of veterinary medicine degree from K-State, he was actively involved in Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity and remained a lifetime member. He worked at veterinary clinics in New Jersey and Missouri before settling in the Kansas City area to practice veterinary medicine.

Drs. Gaddie and Huggins worked together at their two veterinary clinics for more than 20 years and sold Oak Park Veterinary Clinic early in 2001. He was a member of several professional organizations as well as an enthusiastic K-State supporter. He is survived by his father and stepmother, two sisters and two brothers-in-laws, three daughters, nieces, nephews and a stepbrother and stepsister.

During his short battle with cancer, Dr. Gaddie asked that friends consider donating to the Bazaar Community Fund and to the KSU Center for Basic Cancer Research. Dr. Gaddie's friends initiated the K-State scholarship fund as a third alternative. They ask only that people consider making contributions.

"If your employer matches gifts, don't forget the paperwork," Dr. Maxwell said.