Veterinarian Ken Reese
Ken Reese is an Evansville native who found his calling at a young age, although he didn’t realize it at the time. He recently retired from the Evansville Veterinary Service after fifty years of treating animals, or as he puts it, “anything that flies or walks.”
Ken is the eldest son of Gwen and Merlin Reese. He was born in 1948. His father passed away from a heart attack at the age of 56. Gwen became the head of the family that included Ken, Dennis, Tom and Karren. She worked as a nurse’s aide at Stoughton Hospital to support the family.
Early in Ken’s life, the family resided at 104 S. Madison St. The former owner was Dr. C.M. Smith, who lived there and also ran his medical practice at the same location. The house was torn down in 1959, and the Reese family relocated to 268 W. Main St. The property is now the home of the BP gas station.
Ken’s introduction to veterinary medicine began at the age of fourteen. It came about this way: Ken’s brother Tom was good friends with Bob Krueger - Bob is the son of Dr. Ed Krueger, one of the local veterinarians at the time. So Dr. Krueger asked Gwen if Tom might be interested in working at the clinic to help with cleaning. Tom declined, so Dr. Ed asked Gwen about Ken’s possible interest. Ken went down to the clinic to see exactly what his duties would involve, after which he decided he would be willing to try it out.
The veterinarians at the time were Dr. Ed Krueger, his brother Dr. Howard, and Dr. Rollie Jeans. Marion Clark was the receptionist/business manager and she became Ken’s supervisor. The practice then was located at 115 E. Main St., next door to the Heffel Chevrolet dealership.
We need to provide a little more history of the practice before we continue with Ken’s introduction to veterinary service. Dr. Ed Krueger initially bought the practice from the estate of Dr. Rudolph Schuster in 1939. Some of you readers may remember Bill Schuster, who was an employee of the Grange Store for many years in the men’s clothing department.
Dr. Ed formed a partnership with Dr. Harold Bunde, a former classmate from veterinary college. Dr. Bunde tragically passed away in 1955 or 56 from injuries he sustained from a car accident while returning from a farm call at night.
Dr. Howard Krueger, Ed’s younger brother, joined the practice as a general practitioner shortly after Dr. Bunde’s passing. Dr. Howard had begun his career in Lake Geneva, WI. During this period, 90% of the Evansville Veterinary Service’s business came from dairy farms.
In 1962, Dr. Rollie Jeans joined the practice and became the third veterinarian in the office. Dr. Rollie worked with Dr. Howard to expand the small animal practice. This necessitated the expansion of the office, which was performed by Roger Thompson, a local builder. “Doc” Campbell also joined the practice around this time, but he soon moved on to become a State Meat Inspector at Oscar Meyer. Dr. David Rhoda joined the practice in 1969 after completing his tour in the US Army Veterinary Corps.
Back to Ken’s apprenticeship - He began working at the veterinary clinic in 1962, at the age of fourteen, during his freshman year in High School. The remodeling was going on at that time, which made the office somewhat chaotic, but Marion, the business manager, made it work. Ken worked 8-16 hours per week. He got up early on weekdays to work for thirty to sixty minutes before going to school. In the evenings, he would work another sixty to ninety minutes after supper before returning home to do his homework. On top of that, he worked all day on Saturdays, getting ready for the upcoming week.
Ken’s duties included running the dogs each morning and evening, cleaning up after them, and providing food and water to each animal. Just as important, he was instructed to keep an eye out for any unusual or alarming behavior. In his spare time, he would clean up, sterilize, and put away surgical instruments. He also unpacked and inventoried boxes of medicine and supplies. And lastly, he washed the floors. It’s incredible to think that he performed all these tasks six days a week while still keeping up with his high school assignments. As for pay, he earned the princely sum of $1.00/hour all the way through his senior year.
During his senior year, Ken took aptitude tests, which indicated he was an outdoor type, suitable for a forest ranger or veterinarian. Ken was encouraged by his neighbors to approach Bud Cadman, a friend Ken knew from church who had enrolled in Iowa State University’s Veterinary School four years earlier. Bud helped Ken schedule a visit to the campus, so Ken and his father drove to Ames, Iowa, in February of 1966. As a result of this visit, Ken decided to enroll in the pre-vet program. To become a veterinarian, you must first earn a two-year pre-vet degree, followed by four years of veterinary school. After completing his pre-vet program, Ken applied to veterinary school at Ames and anxiously awaited their response.
Sometime later, Ken’s mother called him while he was working at the Evansville Veterinary Service to inform him that a letter had arrived from Ames addressed to him. She asked if she could open it and read it to him. However, Ken’s younger brother Tom, who was sitting next to his Mom, had already read it by using a light to see through the envelope. So he already knew that Ken had been accepted, and he promptly blurted it out. And that’s how Ken was notified of his acceptance to Iowa State’s Veterinary School.
However, there was still one more hurdle to jump. Ken’s parents could not afford the tuition, so it would be up to him to pay his own way. Then, out of the blue, Martelle and Wilson Brown came to Ken’s parents and offered to finance Ken’s education at Iowa State by paying $1,000/year towards his tuition on the condition that he maintain at least a “B” average. Martelle, a retired High School French teacher, had taught Ken in her class. It was a godsend for Ken.
During summer vacations, Ken sprayed corn for the Union Coop to help pay his school expenses. He also came home during the semester quarter to work at the Evansville Veterinary Service, where he was castrating bulls. At that time, the vet service charged $1.25/bull. According to Ken, the procedure took about thirty seconds. The vet service kept twenty-five cents and gave Ken a dollar for each procedure. That was a huge windfall for Ken because his share amounted to about $300-$400/week.
After six years of education, he became an instructor in large animal field services for seniors at Iowa State University. At that time, he didn’t really have any plans regarding a career. He was also dating a girl named Susan, who had one year left to finish her Food & Nutrition Dietetics degree.
Ken met his future wife in November 1969 when she needed a ride back to Ames, where she was also a student, after the Thanksgiving break. Two weeks after the ride, Ken finally got up the courage to call her for a date; the rest is history. They were married on June 5, 1971, at the “Church by the Side of the Road” in Rockton, Illinois, by Reverend John Walker, the former Methodist minister in Evansville.
After Sue graduated in May 1973, she needed to complete a dietetic internship to become a certified dietician. She decided she would prefer to go to UW-Madison for the internship, so she applied and was accepted. So they moved to Evansville and she began her internship. Soon after they arrived in town, on July 1, 1973, the Evansville Veterinary Service offered Ken a job as their fifth veterinarian. And so began his fifty-year career until he retired on December 31, 2023.
During the beginning of his career, the Evansville Veterinary Service’s business grew rapidly and eventually included a twenty-mile radius around Evansville, providing service to over 400 farms. In 1979, Dr. Ed Krueger began to entertain the idea of retirement, and Dr. Tom Williams was invited to join the practice to replace Dr. Ed. As time rolled merrily along, Ken has worked with many veterinarians and friends, including Dr. Dave Watson, Dr. Mike Nicholson and Dr. Kristin Fredriechs, Dr. Dawn Kaiser, Dr. Barney Smith, Dr. Blaine Ellison, and Dr. Elaine Ness.
Today, Evansville Veterinary Service, like many practices throughout the US and the world, has transitioned to a “companion animal” hospital. This is primarily due to the dramatic increase in farming expenses. Cattle, land, and machinery costs have skyrocketed, leading to a rapid decline in small herds.
The practice is currently owned and operated by the competent Dr. Stephanie Kvalheim and Dr. Katie Ridenauer.
