Over the course of the last century, there have been moments that draw focus to the transformational nature of research, teaching, and service at Michigan State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. We are witnessing one such moment in the retirement of Dr. N. Edward Robinson.

The College has ambitious goals that no single person can meet alone. Our researchers are co-investigators on scientific research, courses are team taught, and teams of clinicians and students provide care for the patients whose owners entrust us with their care.

That said, Ed Robinson’s extraordinary contributions to each facet of the College’s mission have been remarkable.

Over the course of the last 42 years, Ed has contributed to the health of animals and humans, has mentored dozens of students who are now making their own contributions, and has helped make the College a more dynamic and creative place. We offer tribute to him in this issue of Perspectives.

Ed is widely respected for his scholarly and clinical contributions, but he is also well-respected for his uniquely wry sense of humor. It’s that sense of humor that can hold the attention of a class of 100 students, that can make it bearable to forge ahead with taking samples in Michigan’s inhospitable winters, and can keep the minds of colleagues open and ready for truly inspirational ideas.

The ongoing important contributions of his former students in academic, clinical, and industry settings are one facet of the legacy Ed leaves. Others include his hundreds of publications, multiple editions of the central text in equine medicine, and his contribution to the second-year integrated curriculum. And now, Ed is adding to these contributions by creating an endowment.

The Matilda Wilson Chair in Large Animal Clinical Sciences has been central to the groundbreaking achievements that have come out of the Equine Pulmonary Laboratory. Ed credits the endowment as giving him and teams of colleagues and students the freedom to pursue new ideas to the point that they are able to secure funding through grants. And this freedom to explore new ideas is a cornerstone of generating new knowledge.

It makes sense, then, that he sees an endowment as an important way to continue training new and innovative researchers.

The College is a better place as a result of Ed’s presence here. His commitment to collaboration and earnest interest in the research projects of others have boosted the sense of collegiality here, and have set the bar high for all who have had the pleasure of working with him. It is with pleasure that I hear so many of his former students say that his lectures are on their minds when they prepare their lectures, and that his style of mentorship is with them as they now mentor their own students.

I speak for the extended community of the College of Veterinary Medicine—those here and those on the other side of the globe—when I say thank you, Ed Robinson. I know this is but a new beginning for you, but your daily presence will be sorely missed.