This series of historical articles for News and Notes ends where it began: with Dr. Fredrick Cleveland Cater.

Dr. Cater graduated from the KC Veterinary College (KCVC) in 1904.  Eight years ago, his granddaughter, Meg Berrian of Webb City, MO, shared historical documents with the KCVMA, including a composite picture of his graduating class, his veterinary license, and his diploma. These papers link today’s KCVMA with the beginnings of organized veterinary medicine in Kansas City.

One of Dr. Cater’s early positions was inspector with the Bureau of Animal Industry in 1910.  At the time, he lived with his wife, Alma, at 3120 Woodland Avenue in Kansas City.

Papers indicate Dr. Cater served in the Philippines during WWI. It was there he contracted a lifelong disease that may have claimed his life in 1939.

Dr. Cater was the deputy state veterinarian with the Missouri State Board of Agriculture in 1919 and 1920.  He had practices in Sedalia and Neosho.

Records show Dr. Cater presented a paper titled The Revision of Ethics to Meet the Needs of the Modern Veterinarian to the Missouri Valley Veterinary Medical Association in 1921.  This organization was larger than the AVMA at that time.

Meg Berrian requested that her grandfather’s historical documents be placed with other documents from the KCVC archived at KSU CVM.  When the college closed its doors in 1918, all available papers and documents were sent to the CVM.

Dr. Cater’s papers were hand delivered to Dr. Howard Erickson, KSU CVM professor and past president of the American Veterinary Medical History Society.

Dr. Erickson said Berrian “…should be proud of her grandfather in that he was…one of the early pioneers in Veterinary Medicine.”  Indeed, we are built on the shoulders of giants.