Dr. Ghery Pettit & Dr. Jack Robinette Surgery Scholarship Fund

The Ghery D. Pettit and Jack D. Robinette Surgery Scholarship was established to honor two outstanding veterinary surgeons and perpetuate their legacy of excellence in animal surgery at WSU.

The surgery team of Ghery D. Pettit and Jack D. Robinette trained many successful veterinarians at Washington State University in the last quarter century. Dr. Robinette retired in 1988 and is still active in the Pullman community. Dr. Pettit retired in 1991. In May 2009, at 82 years old, Dr. Pettit lost his battle with cancer. His legacy continues through those who knew and worked with him.

Jack Robinette joined the faculty after receiving his DVM from the WSU College of Veterinary Medicine in 1954. Dr. Robinette left one year later, succumbing to the lure of private practice. In 1964, he rejoined the WSU faculty after nine rewarding years of small animal practice in Boise, ID. He earned his M.S. degree from WSU in 1969. While a faculty member at WSU, Dr. Robinette became a diplomat of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons. During his tenure he established an outstanding reputation as a soft tissue surgeon and a caring, effective teacher. Dr. Robinette retired in 1988.

Ghery Pettit earned a DVM degree in 1953 from the University of California at Davis, and taught small animal medicine and surgery there from 1953 to 1961. Dr. Pettit was recruited from UC Davis to join the WSU faculty in 1961. As head of small animal surgery at WSU for 26 years, he distinguished himself as an outstanding orthopedic surgeon with special interest and expertise in the treatment of spinal disc problems and reconstructive joint surgery.

A charter diplomat of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons (ACVS), Dr. Pettit served on the ACVS Board of Regents for ten years and edited Veterinary Surgery for almost six years. He was the first member of the WSU faculty to serve on the Washington Veterinary Board of Governors. Dr. Pettit was an international guest lecturer and is widely published. He retired in 1991. In 2009, Dr. Pettit, at age 82, passed away from pancreatic cancer. Obituary