Women in VetMed
Lois Hinson (DVM 1950) blazed a trail for women in the practice of veterinary medicine
By Amy H. Carter
In 1984 the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine bestowed the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree upon 90 students, the largest graduating class up to that point. For the first time in the college’s history, both genders were represented equally with 45 men and 45 women graduating.
Two years later, the graduating class of 1986 was majority female, a trend that continues to this day.
As of December 31, 2023, there are more female veterinarians than male veterinarians in the United States – 85,337 women to 41,253 men. This means that women make up nearly 70 percent of the veterinary workforce according to the American Veterinary Medical Association.
But as late as 1974, ‘Vet Lady’ Dr. Rita Howell (DVM 1974) made headlines because she was a woman working as a large animal vet, not simply because she was a large animal vet serving a farming community that had no such practitioner prior to her arrival. In an article in The Covington News, Howell said academic counselors discouraged her from applying to vet school, but her professors were supportive.
Dr. Doris Miller (DVM 1976), professor of anatomic pathology at CVM, went into small animal practice for a year after graduation. She knew she wanted to pursue a career in academia, but she also wanted to work in a mixed animal practice for a time. None would hire her, though, because the owners of those practices preferred to hire men and told her so.
When Dean Lisa K. Nolan (DVM 1988) enrolled at UGA, people saw her gender before her abilities. “They would say things like, ‘Little lady, do you think you can handle a bull?’ And you think to yourself, ‘No man can either. You’ve got to run them into a chute.’”
Despite the hurdles these women stayed the course, and today women contribute meaningfully to every aspect of veterinary medicine, be it caring for pets and livestock or exploring the causes and hunting for the cures to any number of devastating diseases impacting humans and animals.
Before passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which barred job discrimination based on gender, and Title IX of the Education Amendments which in 1972 abolished gender discrimination in federally funded education, three women blazed a trail for all those to follow at the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine.
These women dared to dream of a professional career at a time when women were encouraged to keep homes for their husbands and families but not to pursue work outside of that home. The first of these was Lois Hinson of Hazlehurst, who was admitted to the Class of 1950 – the lone woman among 43 men.
Not just a man’s world
Can you spot Hinson in this photo of the class of 1950?
Can you spot Hinson in this photo of the class of 1950?
Like many of her peers in the Class of 1950, Hinson was a veteran of World War II. According to burial records maintained by the Veterans Administration, Hinson was a private first class in the U.S. Marine Corps. Her military service qualified her for interment at Florida National Cemetery near Bushnell upon her death in May of 1992.
At one point in her career, Hinson was likened to Rosie the Riveter, the marketing icon used to encourage women to fill civilian jobs when men were called to serve in World War II. Unlike Rosie, Hinson refused to step aside when the men came home.
Her name was mentioned frequently in news items carried by The Athens Banner-Herald and The Red and Black during her tenure at the college. She was a founding member and secretary of the Veterinary Science Club. She was one of 45 students who participated in the first internship program offered by the college in the summer of 1949. She also led a local Girl Scout Troop in Athens.
After graduation, Hinson practiced large animal medicine in South Georgia before joining the ranks of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Meat Inspection Division in 1952. In 1966 she was profiled as one of 14 women working as federal veterinary meat inspectors. She was widely quoted telling the head of the meat inspectors, “I’d like you to treat me just as you would any other man.” By this time, she was working in Ocala, Fla., the only female veterinarian-in-charge among some 800 men with similar positions.
The next year she transferred to Washington, D.C., where she served in several leadership positions at USDA, including chief veterinarian for horse protection in the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. In 1970 Hinson was elected the first woman president of the National Association of Federal Veterinarians.
It was also in the early 1970s that a colleague compared her to former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger for her finesse in persuading the Tennessee Walking Horse industry to abide by a new law prohibiting training aids that could harm their show horses.
Two years before her death at age 66, Hinson returned to UGA CVM to participate in a continuing education program for professionals refreshing their knowledge or pondering a mid-career change. Hinson was brushing up on her small animal expertise while serving as a relief veterinarian in Florida.
Hinson at a continuing education course at the CVM's teaching hospital in 1990.
Hinson at a continuing education course at the CVM's teaching hospital in 1990.
Paving the way
While the Class of 1951 had no female candidates, the Class of 1952 counted two women – Dianne Castle and Doris Autry – in addition to the 43 men admitted. In the class composite, Castle is pictured next to her future husband, Fred C. Davison, who served as dean of CVM and later president of UGA. They met at the college.
A native of Chicago, Castle served as editor of The Southeastern Veterinary Magazine, a student-run publication for veterinary professionals, while enrolled at CVM. She joined her husband in private practice in Marietta after graduation, then worked as a researcher at Iowa State University while Davison pursued his doctorate.
As the university’s first lady, Davison oversaw management of the President’s House, the historic 19th-century house where the Davisons lived with their three children. She also supervised the care of the extensive grounds and gardens around the house.
Known for her cordial and gracious manner, Davison was hostess for thousands of visitors who attended events at the President’s House. She also collected historical information on the President’s House and compiled a scrapbook that included photographs as it appeared over the years.
Having it all
According to her obituary published in February of 2016, Doris Autry-Alexander was born in St. Louis and raised on a farm in rural Georgia where her love of animals ignited her dream of becoming a veterinarian. She graduated high school at age 16 and enrolled at UGA.
While at the university, she served as vice president of the Georgia Student Chapter of the American Veterinary Medical Association and also worked on the staff of The Southeastern Veterinary Magazine.
After graduating from UGA with her DVM, her career path took her from private practice to federal service. She practiced in New York City until she was accepted into Harvard University’s Master of Public Health-Epidemiology program.
She met her husband there and raised seven children while working supervisory and administrative positions at the USDA, where she enforced quality care for and humane treatment of livestock.
She served as area vet in charge of managing disease surveillance and enforcing animal health regulations at the Port of Los Angeles. She oversaw these activities as they applied to the import and export of exotic and rare animals. She retired in 1999 as the area vet in charge of Northern Nevada.
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