J. Alford Moore wins TVMA 2006 Companion Animal Practitioner of the Year
by Marisa Plumb
With a career that has placed equal emphasis on medical practice, education, team coordination, and community involvement, it is no surprise that Dr. J. Alford Moore of Humble, Texas was recognized this year with a Practitioner of the Year Award.
Dr. Moore founded the Eastex Veterinary Clinic in Humble, Texas in 1970, after he graduated from Texas A&M University in 1967. It has flourished there ever since, and now includes five additional locations, 13 veterinarians and over 70 employees.
Prior to moving to Humble to start his practice, Dr. Moore was hired and mentored at a clinic in Houston under Drs. Wallace Kleb and Jack Quinn. He worked with them during summers and holidays throughout the time he was in veterinary school, from 1964 – 1967. He said, “The veterinarians I worked with were very progressive and they made a major impact on me.” He credits them with getting his career started in the right direction, which Dr. Moore said is important for anyone.
Dr. Moore grew up in Houston. As a child, he would often visit his grandparent’s farm in East Texas, where there were always dogs and cats. “My mother,” he said, “was a cat lover,” so Dr. Moore was continually surrounded by companion animals. By the 7th grade, he said that he knew he wanted to become a veterinarian. For this reason, he said, “I was proud to get into vet school in 1962 after my service with the U.S. Air force in California.”
Before recounting Dr. Moore’s numerous memberships and contributions within the veterinary profession, it seems appropriate to mention (as he did) the importance of his family, his community, and his fellow veterinarians. Dr. Moore credits his wife, Cheryl, for “holding everything together” at home, and raising two wonderful children. Cheryl was his high school sweetheart and the two of them were married while Dr. Moore was in veterinary school. He said that her immeasurable support allowed him to practice veterinary medicine and play an extremely active role in his local community.
It is in fact undeniable that over the years Dr. Moore has been just as involved in the Humble community as he has in veterinary medicine. He served on the Humble Independent School District (ISD) Board of Trustees for 28 years, from 1974-2002. He is also a member of the Humble Intercontinental Rotary Club, which he joined in 1970. When asked what kinds of activities he has taken on with the Rotary Club, Dr. Moore said that the projects have been varied and collaborative. Laughing, he said, “We’re basically a group of do-gooders.”
Dr. Moore’s sense of community service overlaps with his profession and his clinic. He has been part of the Harris County Veterinary Medical Association since 1969. Another of his local focuses lies with the San Jacinto Veterinary Medical Association. He is one of its charter members and was the association’s president in 1991 and 2000. In accordance with the premium Dr. Moore places with continuing education, he has delivered case presentations to the San Jacinto VMA on cardiology and small animal practice management. Dr. Moore also writes articles for local newspapers on veterinary medicine topics, a contribution that may carry over from his editorship of The Southwestern Veterinarian at Texas A&M University in the mid-sixties.
Dr. Moore has been a member of the Texas Veterinary Medical Association since 1967. Dr. Moore chaired TVMA’s Legislative Committee and was co-chair of the Centennial Task Force. His colleagues cite this as proof of his commitment to improving and commemorating the profession. He has been a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association since he graduated from A&M. Dr. Moore is committed to documenting the history of his profession, especially in Texas. He has served as the Historical Committee Chairman, collecting videotaped interviews with TVMA past presidents. He is also a member of the American Veterinary Medical History Society, which he joined in 2000. He then joined their Board of Directors in 2004. Dr. Moore has also applied this interest in history to community activities, and acted as a Humble Museum Society Board Member from 1976 – 1996.
As a veterinary practitioner, Dr. Moore said, “One aspect of my career that I’m most proud of is my certification with the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners.” He has been a Diplomat for that organization since 1984 when he first passed their certification test. “I’ve renewed the certification ever since,” he said, “in both 1994 and 2004.”
He was an associate member of the American Animal Hospital Association from 1970 to 1976 and has served as a Hospital Director from 1976 to the present.
Dr. Moore’s colleagues and fellow community members hold his dedication to animals and people in high regard, which is one reason he received the Companion Animal Practitioner of the Year Award. However, this award is not the first honor that has recognized Dr. Moore for a legacy of achievement and leadership. In appreciation of Dr. Moore’s 28 years with the Humble ISD, his work to establish an orchestra program in Humble, and his creation of an annual teacher grant fund for promoting Arts Education in schools, the ISD Foundation Board named that fund the Al Moore Grant for the Arts.
It is hard to believe that in the midst of these activities Dr. Moore had the time to grow a start-up practice into one with many partners and associates. Eastex Animal Clinic reflects Dr. Moore’s interests in cardiology and internal medicine, and he focuses on making the clinic progressive in these areas. Once ultrasound equipment was affordable to veterinarians, Dr. Moore brought the technology to Eastex and has been using it for 15 years.
This kind of professional foresight has allowed Dr. Moore to truly take advantage of his leadership role within his clinic and the veterinary profession. Dr. Moore said that his strong management skills are an important part of his daily investment and the long-term evolution of his practice. “In a business, group dynamics are not easy,” Dr. Moore said. “Especially with veterinarians because they are independent folks. I knew my first four partners very well and that’s why we worked so well together.” Running a large organization for veterinarians and holding it together over many years has been Dr. Moore’s greatest challenge and he emphasized the fact that he could not have done it without wonderful partners, his wife, and his talented staff.
“Now I’m trying to hand the managing responsibility over to the younger veterinarians. But that can be hard for me to do,” he said.
When asked about how his intuitions with group dynamics and his love of animals intersected with raising children, Dr. Moore said, “You have to raise children by giving them as many experiences as you can, and let them make their own decisions about what to do and what to be happy with.” Subsequently, Dr. Moore’s children took advantage of their exposure to music and both became musicians. Each of them have also earned their master’s degree. His daughter lives in Dallas and aside from her career, she plays in amateur orchestras. Dr. Moore’s son lives in California and participates as a professional musician in the symphony, ballet, and opera in San Francisco.
Dr. Moore, in the spirit of collaboration, asked that this award bring deserved recognition to all his partners. He said his practice would not be what it is without Dr. Dianna Blessman, Dr. Dennis M. Key, Dr. James H. Kelly, Dr. Willy Janik, and Dr. Warren Resell.
