Dedication of the Veterinary Medicine Equine Computed Tomography Scanner, C.T. Suite/Large Animal Hospital - Friday, June 26, 2009
Good afternoon!
Somebody said that a horse is poetry in motion. Anyone who has ever ridden one knows how it lifts your spirits. To paraphrase John Steinbeck, we are not just physically bigger atop horses, we are spiritually bigger, too. Perhaps that is why the sight of an ill or injured horse is so painful. A hurt horse violates our sense of what's right in the world.
That is why I am so grateful to George Steinbrenner and his family, represented here today by Jessica Steinbrenner; her husband Felix Lopez; Jim Scott, who manages the Steinbrenner's Kinsman Farm in Ocala, and Jessica's assistant, Kevin Adler. The family has given significant support to this college and its large animal hospital—and they made possible state-of-the-art equipment in the Steinbrenner Family C.T. Imaging Suite we dedicate today.
One of the first of its kind in the nation, the C.T. scanner in this suite allows veterinarians to make high-resolution images of equine tumors, abnormalities and fractures. In other words, it adds much to our veterinarians' abilities to make hurting horses better.
As a youth, George Steinbrenner rode ponies in county fair races. Today, his family's 850-acre Kinsman Farm breeds champion race horses, including Bellamy Road. Horses are important to Mr. Steinbrenner, but not just because of his famed competitive streak. As Jessica Steinbrenner once told the New York Times, and I quote, "I don’t know if winning is the absolute purpose. Winning is nice, of course. But for my dad, I think the horses and the farm are about family and something inside him that just loves farm work and where he came from."
With his and his family's support of UF's veterinary college and the C.T. scanner, this love will reach not just the horses of Kinsman Farm, but all horses in need. The Steinbrenners have also given generously to the UF colleges of medicine, journalism and fine arts - where, not long ago, we dedicated the Steinbrenner Band Hall. We are deeply grateful for the family's generosity.
Thank you.