Stevenson Companion Animal Life-Care Center Celebrates 30th Anniversary
Story by Rachel Knight, VMBS Communications
Texas A&M University is often recognized as a leader in selfless service. In 1993, the Texas A&M School of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (VMBS) established a center dedicated to selflessly serving pets whose owners can no longer provide their care. The one-of-a-kind center known as the Stevenson Companion Animal Life-Care Center celebrates its 30th anniversary this March.
The Stevenson Center is a one-of-a-kind facility dedicated to serving companion animals whose owners can no longer do so. The center provides a home and embraces pets enrolled in the center as family when they officially become residents at the center. Each resident is cared for by devoted staff; four Doctor of Veterinary Medicine students who live in the center and care for the residents on nights, weekends, and holidays; and veterinarians from one of the highest-ranking schools of veterinary medicine in the U.S.
“Texas A&M is the right place for the Stevenson Center, because of our veterinary hospital and our student residents,” said Dr. O.J. “Bubba” Woytek, assistant vice president of development who helped raise funds to establish the center. “The students who live at the Stevenson Center are veterinarians in training at one of the best schools in the nation, and their teachers and mentors at the teaching hospital offer the Stevenson Center residents veterinary care that’s not available at most veterinary clinics.”
The Stevenson Center was established thanks to the vision of Dr. E. W. “Ned” Ellett, former head of Texas A&M’s Small Animal Teaching Hospital, and monetary donations from the Luse Foundation and Madlin Stevenson, the center’s namesake.
“Mrs. Stevenson loved animals,” Woytek shared. “She had so many animals — several dogs, cats, a horse, a llama — and she loved them all. She was a go-getter who worked as an interior designer until she retired in her 90s.”
In addition to helping fund the Stevenson Center, she also helped decorate the center so that it would feel more homey to residents. Her pets, including her horse and llama, joined the Stevenson Center family when she passed away in 2000. Today, her nephews and nieces-in-law carry on her tradition of supporting the center named in her honor.
Since the center was founded, the facility has undergone two renovations in order to accommodate more residents. A third expansion is underway now and is being overseen by Dr. Sam Miller ‘91, who became the center’s director in the fall of 2022.
“The growth of this program has been pretty significant,” Miller explained. “A big part of our focus is to ensure our facility can accommodate the needs of our residents by providing a safe environment in which they can comfortably interact with the other residents and staff throughout the day, much like their previous homes. The new addition gives us the opportunity to take in more residents and to ensure they enjoy a home-like environment when they join the Stevenson Center family.”
The immense growth the Stevenson Center has experienced is thanks in large part to Dr. Henry L. “Sonny” Presnal ‘57, ‘69, who served as director of the Stevenson Center for 24 years. Under his direction, 122 pets lived out their lives and over 700 pets were enrolled to enter the program.
“Directing the Stevenson Center is a way to serve both animals and people,” Presnal shared. “The thing I cherish most is the relationships I have been able to develop at the Stevenson Center with some of the donors. It’s a relationship that you build over time, and it’s very rewarding.”
Presnal said the Stevenson Center offers the VMBS a unique opportunity to give back to the community.
“It’s important to understand that companion animals are important to the elderly,” he explained. “Humans and animals have a bond that’s special, and the Stevenson Center allows them to live with companion animals without worrying about their care once they can no longer care for their pets themselves.”
Enrolling a pet in the Stevenson Center family requires the establishment of a permanent endowment. The income from this endowment will provide for the care of the pet during its lifetime. Once the pet no longer requires this income the income will be used to support the Stevenson Center and the VMBS.
“A big factor in people being drawn to this program is the fact that we’re affiliated with, located next door to, and supported by the Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital,” Presnal said, adding that the VMTH provides all medical care to enrolled pets, including wellness and preventative care.
Ellie Greenbaum has served as the associate director of the Stevenson Center since January 1999.
“We have the most excellent staff here, and that’s why it all works,” she shared. “Everybody here loves these animals as much as their original owners love them, and we want nothing but the best for them. It’s an honor to care for these pets, and it makes you feel good that you can offer this service to people and their most beloved family members. It’s like giving us their child and trusting us to take good care of them. We don’t take that responsibility lightly.”
The exceptional care offered to Stevenson Center residents attracts the enrollment of new family members from across the country, with 32 states represented in the center’s current enrollment as well as five from Singapore. In addition to serving companion animals from around the globe, the Stevenson Center is the retirement home for Texas A&M’s mascot, Reveille IX. The center also had the honor of homing Reveille VIII during her retirement as mascot for Texas A&M.
Looking ahead to the Stevenson Center’s next 30 years, Miller said he’d like to see it become a model for future facilities across the nation offering the same service to pets and their families.
“It’s a great opportunity to engage members of the public and offer such a valuable service,” he shared. “We give those pet owners who value the companionship of pets the comfort and confidence in knowing that if their pets outlive them, they’ll not only have a home-like environment, but also a new family to join that is dedicated to providing the highest quality veterinary care available in the country.”
The Stevenson Center will formally celebrate its 30th anniversary with close friends on April 27. Those interested in supporting the Stevenson Center in its next 30 years of service may do so by visiting tx.ag/StevensonDonation.
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For more information about the Texas A&M School of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, please visit our website at vetmed.tamu.edu or join us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Contact Information: Jennifer Gauntt, Director of VMBS Communications, Texas A&M School of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, jgauntt@cvm.tamu.edu, 979-862-4216
