Delbert “Tex” and Ellen Caldwell
The College of Veterinary Medicine at Washington State University will
continue to lead the way in animal disease research and provide an
educational experience that is unsurpassed, thanks to a bequest from the
late Delbert “Tex” and Ellen Caldwell. Funds from the Mr. and Mrs. Delbert
Caldwell Endowment have been directed to endowed faculty positions and
personnel conducting research on wild sheep diseases, aquatic animal health,
and agricultural animal medicine, states Warwick Bayly, dean of the College
of Veterinary Medicine.
Three Caldwell
Fellowships created from the bequest will be awarded to undergraduate and
post-graduate DVM students seeking careers as researchers or clinicians in
agricultural animal health. The endowment grants the couple’s wish to
provide a permanent source of funding for research and scholarships at the
College of Veterinary Medicine.
The
Caldwells raised cattle and owned several milk cows on a farm near Moscow,
Idaho. The couple’s connection to Washington State was a veterinarian from
the College who would travel to their farm to treat their cattle. “Tex” and
Ellen shared a love for animals and this gift demonstrates their
appreciation for the expertise provided by the veterinary clinician.
The couple
did not have children of their own, but through their gift they will help
students further their education at WSU and prepare for successful careers
in veterinary medicine.
Delbert Lee
“Tex” Caldwell was born January 11, 1911, and grew up on a farm in Columbus,
Arkansas, where his father, a veterinarian, raised breeding stock. Delbert
and his four brothers and two sisters helped tend the horses, mules, and
cattle on the farm. Delbert grew to be six-feet, seven inches tall. He
played basketball in high school and went on to play semiprofessionally. In
the late 1930s, he began working in construction operating heavy equipment.
He worked in southwest Arkansas, Texas, and Oklahoma for a few years before
moving to Washington state to work on construction projects at the Hanford
Nuclear Reservation and Grand Coulee Dam. A few years later, he moved to
Moscow, Idaho, to work on construction jobs in the area, including several
new buildings on the WSU campus. He met his future wife, Ellen Anderson, in
Moscow. They were married in 1950. Delbert owned two trailer parks in Moscow
but sold them to purchase a ranch on Randall Flat Road and pursue his first
love—raising cattle.
Last Edited: Jan 02, 2008 4:13 PM
