Saturday, January 18, 2014

1920's Oh the changing times.

I just want to give a big Thank You for the emails and blog comments I received after my first post! The responses I received are more then I expected and so positive my heart has truly been touched.

So on to my next post:

Dr. Francis Harold Saunders (DVM) is my grandfather. He started his veterinary practice in Stockton CA in the early 1920's that continued well pass his death into the 1980's. If you or your family happened to live in the Stockton area during this time there was a good chance Doc Saunders treated your animals.

This is college picture of Doc Saunders. What a handsome fellow he was~

I have lots of stuff to share on him, but today I want to share something I learned about a veterinary college he attended.

In the San Joaquin County Biographies there is biography on Francis Harold Saunders (DVM).To view the bio click here.  In the bio it mentions that he entered the San Francisco Veterinary College where he remained for one year, then entered the Washington State College, from which he was graduated in 1921.

I was curious why he would leave San Francisco Veterinary College after one year to move to a school further away. If your traveling from Stockton (Roberts Island), Washington was quite a bit further to travel.



As I started researching (aka googling) I found that San Francisco Veterinary College closed in 1918. I found a article (click here to view) that mentions that as the horse was replaced by the automobile and other internal combustion conveyances, many city-based veterinary colleges including San Francisco closed.

This makes since to me, so mystery solved! I just find how interesting it is that time and time again as a society advances with inventions and such there are almost always unintended consequences.

As a side note as I was looking into this I read that San Francisco Veterinary College was started by a man by the name of Dr. E.J. Creely. I thought this name sounded familiar and sure enough what do I find in on of my binders on my grandfather but a picture of a Dr Creely (turns out the son of Dr. E.J. Creely).  Not sure why stumbling on this tickled me so but it made my day!









2 comments:

  1. Hi Susan! Again, thank you for writing. I would love to hear more about Doc Saunders. This is an interesting post. It reminds us that changes in technology have always been reshaping our lives and work. I wonder what a veterinarian from 1885 would think of a vet's job today?

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  2. Hi Susan,
    Nice posting. The Dr. Creely in the picture is Andrew Creely. He was my great-uncle and I remember him well--he died in about 1972 in San Francisco. I think that bag he's holding is somewhere in my mother's garage. Small world!
    Kathy Creely
    San Diego

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