Dr. Mel Boggs, 83, passed away Sept. 3, 2012, after fighting a gallant battle against pancreatic cancer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He was born Aug. 2, 1929, in Yampa, Colo., to Walter C. and Sylvia L. Boggs. He graduated from Salem High School, where he lettered in three sports. He attended Oregon State University before transferring to Washington State University after being accepted into the School of Veterinary medicine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He was married in 1953 to Betty Hughes of Pullman, Wash., and graduated as a doctor of veterinary medicine in 1955.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After graduation, he worked for two veterinarians in the Portland and Gresham area before buying the practice of Dr. Jim Lewis of Madras, in 1961.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dr. Boggs really liked the area and the people that he worked for, and wanted to give back to the community. This opportunity came in 1975, when mandatory rabies vaccination for dogs was required by the state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This gave him the opportunity to donate all the proceeds from the vaccinations to worthy causes for many years, including: the United Fund, the high school sports program which lacked funding to operate one year, and to several other causes.
One of the things he was gratified to do was develop an autogenous vaccine in cooperation with an animal health drug company. This vaccine prevented a large death loss of cattle in the local feedlots, saving many jobs in the community and the business itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One summer, he was contacted by the Lassie Corp. to be the veterinarian on the set of a filming of Lassie saving some deer on the Wind River in Washington.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Anytime he could get away from the practice, he would take his family skiing, hiking and hunting in the area. After he learned how to run a sled (jet boat) on the Deschutes River from Oscar Lange, he was always in search of steelhead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He thoroughly loved the practice of veterinary medicine and helping to heal all the animals that he saw. This would include turtles, birds, and snakes, plus the usual small and large variety of animals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
After he retired in the mid-1980s, he put this same enthusiasm into traveling with Betty and learning about the world. One of their last trips was to Uganda, where he was able to fulfill his longtime dream of seeing gorillas in the wild.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mel is survived by his wife, Betty Boggs of Madras; sons and daughters-in-law, Kevin and Diane Boggs of Vancouver, Wash., and Michael and Tammy Boggs of Portland; daughters and sons-in-law, Melanie and Jon Turnbull of McMinnville, and Sally and Brian Bovero of Portland; nine grandchildren; brother, Arthur Boggs of Eugene; and sister, Sharon Buhr and her husband Don of Molalla; and numerous cousins, nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, and five siblings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
By his request, there will only be private family gatherings. In lieu of flowers, donations in the memory of Dr. Boggs may be made to the Madras High School Scholarship Fund for a Jefferson County student accepted to a veterinary school, or to Mountain View Hospital Hospice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Published in the Portland Tribune on Sept. 4, 2012.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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