Tom Hickey
Tom attended Ohio State University and was awarded the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree in 1968. He then accepted a position with a veterinary practice in San Mateo, California. He was well aware that veterinarians were liable for the draft into military service until age 34 under the doctor’s draft laws. So, he enlisted in November, 1968, serving his country as a Captain in the U.S. Army Veterinary Corps. He spent his first year at Fort Polk, Louisiana. There he was in charge of a small but extremely busy animal clinic. He was also given the duty of inspecting shrimp plants along the Gulf Coast.
In November of 1969, Tom received his orders to ship out to Vietnam where he would spend the next 12 months. His duties overseas included rabies diagnosis, civic action consisting of herd health for Vietnamese villages, as well as working with scout and sentry dogs. In recognition of his service, he was awarded the Bronze Star Medal. Tom’s commanding officer was Major Robert Whitney. They became close friends and that friendship included stimulating discussions concerning laboratory animal medicine. Tom had no way of knowing it then, but his career was about to take an entirely new direction. (As an interesting side note, Dr. Whitney later served a term as acting Surgeon General of the United States, following Dr. C. Everett Koop’s retirement. Whitney was the only veterinary doctor to hold this position to date.)
Not insignificant along the path of Tom’s future, his wife Nelda (East High ’61) sent him care packages of home-baked cookies in tightly sealed Enfamil cans. Week after week Tom would see
that label with the Mead Johnson brand name as he sat holding that coveted container. Munching on those edible delights from his wife, he didn’t think much about it. However, while still in Vietnam, Tom saw an ad in a veterinary journal for an opening in the Research and Development area at Mead Johnson. He applied and an interview was scheduled for December of 1970. Tom landed the position and diligently fulfilled his duties at Mead Johnson for the next six years, becoming certified in the American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine in 1976.
His career spanned 31 ½ years in all with Mead Johnson (later Bristol-Myers Squibb), and he retired as Director, Veterinary Sciences, in 2002. Throughout this lengthy career, and with his background as a 
veterinarian, his compassionate love for animals led him to advocate for the animals that were used in research. He served as a charter member of the Scientific Advisory Board for Johns Hopkins University Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing, in Baltimore, Maryland.
During this time he also co-authored the book, National Academy of Sciences, Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals in 1985. This book was considered a primary document in the field of laboratory animal medicine. Tom always followed the principle of the four “R’s” for laboratory animals. These are Reduction (of numbers), Replacement (with other tests, if possible), Refinement (of living conditions) and Respect (for animals as sentient living beings). It is greatly satisfying for Tom, knowing that he has made a difference for the research animals who sacrifice their lives for the betterment of mankind.
It is reassuring to know that Tom is so involved in the treatment of research animals. Once you have pets you learn, first hand, that all creatures have very distinct feelings. We do not often hear about this significant effort in laboratory animals.