Dr. Dale Kinyoun - DVM 1951
Western Veterinary Conference 2009
Dr. Dale Kinyoun, Superior, Neb., was selected by Kansas State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine to receive a 2009 Alumni Recognition Award at the Western Veterinary Conference in Las Vegas, on Feb. 16, 2009. Dr. Kinyoun’s former partner, Dr. Michael Moore, presented the award.
Dr. Kinyoun was born on a farm north of Formoso, Kan., on Dec 28, 1927. He attended country grade school, then Lovewell Rural High School. In 1944, Dr. Kinyoun took a test that allowed juniors to apply for college at the end of their junior year. He was accepted and entered as a pre-veterinary student at K-State in the fall of 1944. The next year, he was accepted into the veterinary program and entered the College of Veterinary Medicine as a member of the 1945-1946 freshman class.
Dr. Kinyoun interrupted his education in 1946 to serve two years as a corporal in the U.S. Marine Corps. He returned to complete his education in the fall of 1948 and earned his DVM degree at K-State in 1951.
Dr. Kinyoun joined with a classmate, Dr. R.W. McNabb, and purchased a practice in Superior, Neb. They formed a professional corporation and built an animal hospital with pens and chutes, allowing farmers to haul in large animals for treatment and/or processing. The hospital included surgical and treatment facilities for companion animals, as well as grooming and boarding services. At the time, this was a rather new concept. Dr. Michael Moore joined the practice after serving in the Army Veterinary Corps from 1968 to 1970. Dr. McNabb sold his interest to Dr. Moore and Dr. Kinyoun in 1978, and the two partners were joined by Dr. Kenneth Thompson.
In 1990, after 39 years in Superior, Dr. Kinyoun sold his veterinary practice to his partners and began working for the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service. He retired on March 1, 1995, but still spends his summer months doing relief work for the USDA-FSIS. He is proud that the animal hospital he designed and built in 1954 is still there and has become a community landmark.
“My best years in life are those spent in veterinary medicine, and I’m very proud to be in this profession,” Dr. Kinyoun said. “It’s a significant honor to be recognized by my alma mater and peers, and I am grateful to K-State for having the opportunity to be where I am today.”
“Dr. Kinyoun has been tireless throughout his career and is extremely devoted to his profession and to his classmates from K-State,” said Ralph Richardson, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine. “The fact that he continued to work in food safety after retiring from his practice shows what great character and passion he has for improving the lives of animals and humans.”
Dr. Kinyoun was the Nebraska delegate to the AVMA from 1969 to 1972 and was president of the Nebraska Veterinary Medical Association in 1973. Dr. Kinyoun’s current professional memberships include: NVMA, AVMA and KVMA. He is also a member of the American Legion, BPO Elks and FO Eagles. Dr. Kinyoun also served several years on the Superior Board of Education.
Dr. Kinyoun’s wife, Margaret (Cramer), graduated with her RN degree from the Mary Lanning School of Nursing, Creighton University, Omaha, Neb. The Kinyouns have six children: Joan, Jean, Joseph, Jeffrey, Judith, and Jane. They also have six grandsons and four granddaughters, ranging in age from 18 to 33, as well as two great-grandsons and one great-granddaughter.