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<em>Alexander Francis Janisz</em>, born in 1951, passed away in 1999 from injuries sustained in an automobile accident outside of Fernie, Canada. Funeral services were held in both Fernie, British Columbia, and West Bloomfield, MI.</p>
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Alexander was born to Tadeusz and Grace Emily Garland Janisz in Detroit, MI. His father was an electrical engineering professor at the University of Detroit. Mr. Janisz had been a captain in the Polish army during WWII and escaped the Soviet NKND massacre of more than 4,400 Polish officers in the Katyn Forest near Smolensk, Russia. He was held in a Russian concentration camp in Siberia for three years before being freed to fight the Germans, who were advancing on Stalingrad. Alexander has one younger brother, Christopher, and an older sister, Amelia.</p>
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During his teenage years, Alexander became very interested in pursuing a career in veterinary medicine and he spent his summers working for local veterinarians. In 1969, Alexander graduated from the University of Detroit High School and attended the University of Detroit for one year before transferring to the Veterinary College of Medicine at Michigan State University. During that time, there were student protests and sit-ins regarding the Viet Nam War. To show his strong support for the U.S. government, Alexander joined the ROTC unit at the University of Detroit. Two USMA Army officers, who were in graduate school at the university and assisting with the ROTC program, made a strong impression on Alex. That influenced him to apply for, and accept, an appointment to West Point. What was unusual about Alex, was that he was just shy of his 22d birthday and already had several years of college behind him.</p>
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As a cadet, Alexander sang with the Fourth Class Choir, played on the rugby team his Cow and Firstie year, and participated in CPRC during his Yearling and Cow years. His love for the Infantry was shown early on when he spent a cadet summer in Panama at the Jungle Warfare School.</p>
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Alexander’s first assignment after graduation was with the 2d Infantry Division in the Republic of Korea. Upon returning to the States, Alexander completed Ranger School at Ft. Benning, GA, before he was assigned to the 1-75 Infantry at Hunter AAF in Georgia. During that assignment, Alexander seriously injured his knee and was taken off active field duty. Instead of a desk job, Alexander resigned his commission and was honorably discharged from the Army in 1982. During his Army career, Alexander received numerous awards, including two Army Commendation Medals.</p>
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Alexander then returned to his first love, veterinary medicine, attending the Veterinary College at Georgia State University. His veterinary studies were characterized by his compassion toward animal suffering. While at Georgia State, he acquired his first cat. One night, when he was coming home late from the clinic, he found a very sick and bedraggled kitten outside his door. He took "Mr. Pib" to the clinic, put him on intravenous medication, and nursed him back to health. Mr. Pib grew to be a huge, glossy, black cat who lived to be 17 years old. He was an outstanding credit to Alex’s veterinarian skills.</p>
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Alexander graduated with his Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine in 1987. He preferred a rural environment with a mixed practice of large and small animals. He began practicing at a clinic in Ironwood, MI, then moved to North Dakota and was later offered at solo practice in Lundar, Manitoba, Canada. When that practice became too large for one person, he waited for a replacement and moved on to Hudson Bay, Saskatchewan, Canada. Hudson Bay, with a population of approximately 2,000, had many small farms and two sawmills. He built a successful practice until one sawmill closed. Then he joined a practice in Fernie, British Columbia. A close friend said that Alexander was a "free spirit" and had the need to move on after a year or so in one place.</p>
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Among the many condolences from across North America that his family received, one client summed up his dedication, compassion, and integrity, with "This was no ordinary vet. Fernie has lost a very special man."</p>
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A classmate and friend added, "He really was an interesting guy. He probably was the most interesting guy I’ve ever met, however, I don’t think I really knew him. I don’t know if anyone really knew Alexander beyond a certain point. He liked to read old detective novels (the one’s written in the 1950 and 1960s), drink good whiskey and beer—not to excess, but just for the joy of it—and a good meal. Of all the things I remember of him, it has to be his very dry sense of humor that will stay with me always. Boy, could he make me laugh. I know he loved West Point and was very proud he was a ‘grad.’ "</p>
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At the time of his death, Alexander was writing a paper on "Pain Management in Large Animals." He was consulting with both Dr. Caulkett of the Anesthesia Department and Dr. Dowling of Pharmacology at the Saskatoon Veterinary College. His interest in that subject was shaped by one of his first experiences in de-horning cows. He watched the attending veterinarian ‘hack-off’ the horns, and resolved never to do that without alleviating the pain. He felt the pain and suffering of large animals had been given little attention, and he was determined to correct this.</p>
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In keeping with Alex’s concern for alleviating pain, particularly in large animals, his family has established a scholarship award. The award is presented to a fourth year student in the DVM program at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine, Saskatchewan, Canada, for research involvement and/or empathetic creativity in large animal anesthesia. It is the family’s wish that someone will pick-up where Alexander left off.</p>
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<em>His family, friend and colleague Dave Thomson, and classmates COL Paul Melody and Greg Copperthite</em></p>