Dr. Brian Hunter Memorial Scholarship

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Dr. Hunter, '79 DVM

On August 19, 2020, Dr. Brian Hunter was released from his battle with kidney cancer at the age of 66. He passed away at home, having spent his last months in the care of his family. He leaves behind his wife, Gail; two children, Mikayla and Kyle Hunter; and his sister Dianne Hunter (John Hurst).

Dr. Hunter grew up in Spokane and devoted 40 years of his life to practicing veterinary medicine. He took over the Hunter Veterinary Clinic from his father, Dr. Fritz Hunter, who built the clinic with his wife Patricia in 1953. He was the president of the Inland Empire Veterinary Medical Association for 27 years, and was honored as "Veterinarian of the Year " by the Washington State Veterinary Medical Association in 2008, in recognition of his contributions to the field. In addition, he was given many awards for running the best veterinary clinic in Spokane. His practice focused on small animal medicine, and he also treated the large cats at Cat Tales Endangered Species Conservation Park.

Though he retired last year, Dr. Hunter continued to serve as president of the board of the Spokane Pet Emergency Clinic, even conducting video conferences from his hospice bed. Dr. Hunter was passionate about education and community service. He organized continuing education events for veterinarians and developed a bite prevention program to teach children safety around pets. During his college years he served in the U.S. Coast Guard. He was a longstanding member and Paul Harris Fellow of Rotary Club 21 of Spokane and served on its International Service committee. An avid fisherman, Brian enjoyed spending summers fishing with his son in Alaska and in the lakes around Idaho and Eastern Washington. He had a wonderful sense of dry humor.

In 2019, he and his wife moved to the Puget Sound area to begin their retirement. Gail and Brian grew up together; their parents had been best friends since kindergarten and their families shared Thanksgivings and other family gatherings. They were married for 35 years. In accordance with his wishes, his family will not be holding a memorial service. Dr. Hunter was an alumnus of Washington State University and remained a life-long Coug fan. The family asks that any memorial donations be sent to the WSU College of Veterinary Medicine, to help the next generation of veterinarians.

Read more about Dr. Brian Hunter in the Spokesman Review, Sept 28, 2020.