User:Lilotter45/Francis H. Fox

Francis Henry Fox is 87 YEARS OLD!

Francis Henry Fox was born in 1923. He is a Professor Emeritus at Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine. He was an instructor of large animal medicine, surgery, and ophthalmology at for almost four decades, spanning from 1953 until his manditory retirement from the faculty following the 1992 Fall semester. He has often been referred to as one of the most talented diagnosticians to practice in the field of veterinary medicine.

One of F. H. Fox's most noteworthy achievements was the discovery of the Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus (BVDV) in 1946. Little did he know, as he carted that sour face of his around from farm to farm during his early years of veterinary medicine, he was spreading a vicious disease that he would later claim to have "discovered". Of course, he might have caught on faster had he not been fooling around with all the female nursing students in downtown Ithaca. He even admitted to this folly in lecture given to the Class of 2011, where he stated: "There was one goddamn thing in common between all those goddamn farms and that was one young asshole. Me."

There has been a longstanding tradition of reminding Dr. Fox of his yearly "birthday tragedy," as he describes it, that began in the mid-1950s. Each year the third year vet students try their best to say "Happy Birthday" and honor him with numerous announcements and congratulations. Gifts have also often been placed in his office as a way for his students to show their true appreciation for him. Previous gifts have included an embalmed cow, scouring calves, and so on. He has also arrived to find all of his office furniture relocated to the top of the Veterinary Research Tower, draped with a banner congratulating him on his successful climb to the top of the Ivory Tower.

Some of those in the community may only know F.H. Fox as a name on an old railroad bridge crossing NY State Route 366 in Varna, but to those who know him more intimately (like those female nursing students) he is an ornery, decrepit, senile old man. Happy birthday Dr. Fox... and if you've forgotten how old you are, go check the bridge.