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Bret D. Marsh
Growing up with horses, sheep, cattle, dogs, and cats, Bret Marsh says he learned young that animals have been entrusted to our care. That drew him to Purdue, where he earned his Bachelor’s in Animal Sciences in 1981 and his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in 1984. Because of the influence of his father, who was in livestock sales, Marsh thought he would spend his career as a veterinarian with a beef cattle practice.
At least he thought that until his externship in Kansas in December and January his last year in school, when he recalls nearly freezing to death. “Maybe I’ve narrowed my focus too much,” he decided after that field experience, which prompted his application to the Indiana State Board of Animal Health.
He’s been there since his graduation, serving first in the meat and poultry inspection area as a supervisor and training officer, then as director of the swine health programs, and, since 1994, as Indiana State Veterinarian. He’s the youngest in our nation to hold such a post.
Marsh:
• Oversees Indiana’s animal health laws,
• Implements disease control and eradication programs,
• Advances food safety initiatives, and
• Administers a host of other animal health programs.
His recent challenges have included the West Nile virus and a focus on homeland security as he works with producers and food processors to secure operations. He’s also keeping a sharp eye out for chronic wasting disease in deer and elk, which has occurred elsewhere but not yet in our state.
Marsh has held numerous offices in professional organizations, including the:
• American Veterinary Medical Association,
• United States Animal Health Association,
• National Institute for Animal Agriculture, and
• Indiana Veterinary Medical Association.
He’s also a Dean’s Club Member of the Purdue Veterinary Alumni Association.
His awards, too, are numerous. They include the Veterinary Service Award from the Indiana Veterinary Medical Association last year and a Sagamore of the Wabash from the Governor of Indiana in 1997.
For his outstanding contribution to the food, agriculture, and natural
resources system, the Purdue College of Agriculture is proud to present
the Distinguished Agricultural Alumnus Award to Bret Marsh.
| Mixing Town and Country
Today, Bret Marsh’s job as Indiana State Veterinarian is largely an administrative one in the state’s capital, but he brings to it hands-on experience growing up around livestock sales in Boone County. Like his work, his home, too, is a blend of town and country. In Carmel, he enjoys collecting fine china as well as creating a country-like setting in his yard. His interest in china was sparked by an early gift from his city-raised wife, Polly, who gave him his first piece, a Lladro figurine of a veterinarian. Today, his collection includes both antique and new items, and Limoge china as well as Waterford crystal. “We mix it up,” Marsh says. “We’ve even gone to auctions to find them.” More recent acquisitions were birth gifts for their children—a Waterford baby block for their son, Spencer, and a Pooh Limoge box for their daughter, Lacey. In their yard of one-and-a-quarter acres, the Marsh family is at work implementing a landscape plan created for them by a Purdue landscape architect graduate. “It’s a hands-on project,” Marsh says. It began with tearing out 20year-old landscaping to create a garden that incorporates the property’s plentiful and mature trees. They’ve added cone flowers, daisies, and hastas to the creek-accented property and a swing to their giant oak tree, as well as more trees. “We enjoy the lot,” he says. “It gives us a taste of country in town.” Gardening is a pastime that yields rewards beyond the greenery, too. “I think about things while working in the yard,” Marsh says. “It helps me clear out the cobwebs.” |
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