Dr. Dean Henricks - DVM 1969

Western Veterinary Conference 2025

Dr. Dean Henricks, Carmichael, California, has been selected by the Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine and its Veterinary Medical Alumni Association to receive a 2025 Alumni Recognition Award. The award is presented March 3 in conjunction with the Western Veterinary Conference in Las Vegas in recognition of his career in veterinary medicine and for having served as an exemplary role model for future alumni in a professional and community setting.

Dr. Henricks grew up on a farm near Herington, Kansas. He earned bachelor’s degree in 1966 and a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree in 1969, both from Kansas State University. After graduating he began practicing in St. Helena, California. A year later, Dr. Henricks bought a practice in Crescent City, California, and in 1979, he moved to the Sacramento area. After working as a veterinarian in Citrus Heights for many years, bought and grew Citrus Heights Pet Hospital, where he has worked the rest of his career. Dr. Henricks old his practice in 2010, although he continues to work part-time for the new owner until he retired in 2021.

“Veterinary Medicine has been very good to me, and for me,” Dr. Henricks said. “Not only as a livelihood, but it has also offered me the opportunity to get involved in my community and state and local organized medicine which in turn made me a better person. I owe a lot of my success to the time I spent at KSU.”

“Dr. Henricks has been practicing veterinary medicine for over 50 years and counting,” said Hodes Family Dean Dr. Bonnie Rush. “He has provided outstanding service in California and has been a leader at the state level in the veterinary profession. Dr. Henricks has been a tremendous leader in his community and maintains active involvement with his former classmates. We are delighted to recognize him for his lifelong commitment to veterinary medicine.”

Dr. Henricks is a member of the California Veterinary Medical Association and has served as president from 2010 to 2011. He has been a member and served as president of the Sacramento Valley Veterinary Medical Association, and he is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association.

In his community, Dr. Henricks has served on the district committee for the Boy Scouts and received an Award of Merit in 1979. He has been a member the Crescent City Jaycees and the Rotary club in Citrus Heights, serving as president. He and his wife, Kathy, have been active in the Rotary Youth Exchange program and have hosted 13 students from four different continents.

The Henrickses, have two daughters, two grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.