Olson heads Morris Animal Foundation

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, April 2004:

ENGLEWOOD, Colorado–The Morris Animal Found-ation on March
17 announced that Patricia N. Olson, DVM, will succeed Robert
Hilsenroth, DVM, as executive director.
Olson joins the Morris Animal Foundation after six years as
director of canine health and training for Guide Dogs for the Blind,
Inc., following previous appointments at the American Humane
Association, the University of Minnesota, Colorado State
University, Cornell University, the International Air Transport
Association, and a stint as U.S. Senate Congressional Fellow for the
American Veterinary Medical Association.
Hilsenroth, who succeeded founder Mark Morris, DVM, is
retiring after 12 years.
One of the first small animal specialist vets in the U.S.,
starting practice in New Jersey in 1925, Morris in 1933 cofounded
and was elected first president of the American Animal Hospital
Assoc-iation. Twenty-eight years later, in 1961-1962, Morris
served as AVMA president.
In between, Morris developed the first health specialty pet
foods sold in the U.S., sold the formulas to the Hill Packing
Company in 1948, and used the proceeds to set up the Buddy
Foundation, to fund animal health research. The Buddy Foundation
became the Morris Foundation in 1956.

With assets of $53 million, the Morris Animal Foundation has
funded more than $32 million in veterinary research to date. It
currently grants about $4 million per year.
Because the Morris Ani-mal Foundation funds animal studies,
it was briefly targeted for protest in 1988 by the New England
Anti-Vivisection Society, but Morris pointed out that the foundation
has formally opposed cruel experiments since 1959, funds the
development of non-animal-based research methods, and encourages
researchers to work chiefly with animals who already require
treatment for disease or injury.