It is with great sadness that we need to report the death of a friend, and long-time supporter and instructor on VetMedAcademy, Dr. Helmut Surborg, who lived and practiced about a one hour drive from Hannover, Germany. His professional biography as an instructor is here. He developed the Food Animal Medicine learning module documented with photos he had meticulously taken over his 40+ years of food animal practice. Helmut was very proud of his contributions to VetMedAcademy, and rightfully so.
Helmut, together with his dear wife Ingrid, ran a mixed practice that was as close to that described in the James Herriott book and television series as we have ever experienced. They lived and practiced in the rural region where he grew up, having both graduated from the Veterinary University of Hannover, and retired in 2020 after 40 years.
Helmut was a pillar of his community and over the 40 years, kept detailed records noting his public health contributions of vaccinating over 50,000 cattle, testing 17,000 cattle for bovine leukemia, vaccinating almost 14,000 cattle for IBR, testing another 11,000 for IBR, testing almost 10,000 for TB, vaccinating 10,000 for Bluetongue Disease, and testing 2000 swine for Swine Fever.
A natural veterinary historian and photographer, going beyond what was required by law, he filled 187 notebooks and 105 daybooks of records, and kept his financial records for over 20 years back. But as the photo at the top of this memorial notes, his effort and focus as a professional was perhaps best exemplified by his knowing that he had worn through 109 pairs of rubber boots (Wellingtons) during his farm animal practice years!
But all of the above is about Helmut as the penultimate veterinary professional. He was, for those who knew him best, an even more kind and generous friend and human being. For several years, he and Ingrid opened their home to visiting veterinary students from the University of Georgia (UGA) and University of Illinois (UIUC) brought by his veterinary school colleague Margarethe Hoenig. He invariably greeted us wearing a tie from UGA or UIUC, and flew the U.S. flag at his house during the visit. He also orchestrated visits to a local dairy farm, a milk testing laboratory, and even a windmill and farm waste methane generating site that heated an entire community. He also travelled to join the student groups as they visited other public health sites within Germany.
Multitalented, he played the accordion, piano, and guitar, and he was always able to lighten the mood. Margarethe knew Helmut from veterinary school, and Duncan first met Helmut in the early 1980's. He lived not far from the border of then East Germany. Always the jokester, on Duncan's first visit, he took us to see the border turrets manned by East German military, and then horrified us by deciding to taunt the machine gun-bearing guards!
Helmut, thank you from all who knew you. We hope that you are enjoying a beer and currywurst!
