Photos of the graduating class of 2000 of the College of Veterinary Medicine.

Margaret Wragg Sloss always liked to begin her lectures with a joke-like this one. "The city boy came to visit his country cousin and found him in the barn milking a big cow and holding the pail between his legs. 'Come in,' he said. 'Would you like to learn how to milk a cow? I'll show you.' The city boy hesitated, then replied, 'Gee, thanks, but could I start with a calf?"

Established in 1970 by the Veterinary Medical Alumni Association, the Stange Award for Meritorious Service in Veterinary Medicine is the most prestigious award bestowed upon distinguished alumni of the Iowa State College of Veterinary Medicine. Named in honor of Dr. Charles H. Stange, Dean ofthe College of Veterinary Medicine from 1909 to 1936, the Stange Award is annually presented to three alumni who have exhibited outstanding professional achievements in education, government, industry, practice, or other professional endeavors in veterinary medicine. Lynn C. Anderson, Summitt, N.J.; Francis X. Dieter, Redondo Beach, Calif.; and William H. Maher, Brooklyn Park, Minn., are the 2000 Stange Award recipients.

The 2000 Carl J. Norden Distinguished Teaching Award was presented to Dr. Steven M. Hopkins. Chosen by a student vote, a recipient of the Norden Distinguished Teaching Award is recognized for his or her outstanding ability, dedication, character, and leadership in the classroom and the veterinary medical profession. As professor of Theriogenology at ISU CVM, Dr. Hopkins consistently embodies those qualities.

This is a time in my life that will remain framed in my memory. I know it even as it unfolds in present tense, the sharp contrasts of my daily life etching their strange juxtaposition onto my mind in permanent ink. It all began in earnest on the first day of vet school. Just the day before, I had actually felt like an adult and even had the proof: an apartment, a car, a husband, a food processor. Now, as I left my home, backpack on my shoulders and lunchbox in hand, I half-expected my mother to appear with the Polaroid camera in order to snap the requisite "first day of school" photo of me standing in the driveway. It didn't matter that the back of the picture would now have to read "17th grade" or that my lunchbox didn't have any cartoon characters on it. I wanted a hug and a cookie.