Last week John Perreault and Adrienne DeBlieux Speed presented the Dr. John Reynolds Memorial Scholarship. John started with short biography:  Doctor John was born in the suburbs of Northern New Jersey on April 17, 1963. Growing up, his siblings were allergic and the only animal he was allowed to have was his pet rat named Jeremy! When he was in high school John read the book “All Creatures Great and Small” by James Herriot. It was about a country veterinarian in England that treated all types of animals.  It was this book that made him want to become a veterinarian. What inspired him most about the book was the relationships he had built with not only the animals he treated but their owners as well. A copy of this book will also be given to each recipient today along with their scholarship. Doctor Reynolds started his education at Colgate University before attending Cornell University where he would receive his Doctor of Veterinary medicine. After graduation he started out working in some clinics in Western New York and also in New Jersey. John’s wife Valeri said that he always wanted to be a veterinarian that played a vital role in his community…so Doctor John set out to find a community that he could call his own and practice veterinary medicine. That drive, brought him to Pittsfield where he would purchase Pittsfield Veterinary Hospital from Doctor Leonard Perry in 1996…who just happened to be a Pittsfield Rotarian.
He started running his practice with just three employees and his wife Valeri. His first week on the job, Doctor Reynolds showed up at Berkshire Humane Society and asked” How can I help?”  This was just the beginning of how Doctor Reynolds would help his animal community.
He built a state-of-the-art hospital on the top of his old hospital, he employed over 40 people and he built his practice out of kindness, compassion and community. He helped the shelter start its first ever feline low cost spay neuter program, he was the chair of the animal control commission and he was always the first to volunteer for our clinics and spay days, Doctor Reynolds made such an impact in the animal community that the Berkshire Humane Society named their shelter after him.
Doctor Reynolds was also a great Rotarian!
He was introduced to Rotary by Doctor Leonard Perry. John told me that he knew immediately that this was the organization to join… he said, “this club would provide him with the best opportunity to make the biggest impact in his new community…because of the vast support that Rotary provides”. Doctor John served as President, President of the foundation, he was club treasurer, he was awarded the Donald G Butler Award and the prestigious Paul Harris Fellow. 
What he was most famous for at lunch were his Happy Dollars that he gave weekly at our meetings. He would wave his hand to be called on…and John and Jeff, our fine masters…would ignore him until the end and finally call on “Doctor Reynolds”.  His Happy Dollars were mostly about his wife Valeri and his three daughters and their accomplishments and adventures. 
Sadly, on Thursday morning December 9th of 2021, Doctor Reynolds passed away from a tragic kayaking accident on Richmond Pond. That day… this community lost a great man who did wonderful things for the community he loved.  His Scholarship will help his legacy of ‘helping others” live on! 

 

This year’s recipients are:

Joseph Kearns from Pittsfield High School.  Joey will be attending the University of Connecticut and is pursuing a career as a pharmacist. Joey’s essay detailed life experiences with family members experiencing mental health and addition issues and should amazing comprehension of when and how medical intervention can assist.   He has maintained a GPA of 99.8 while navigating a rigorous curriculum of Honors and AP courses.  He is the secretary and a member of the National Honor Society.  He is the captain of the swim team and a three-time Western Mass qualifier, a state qualifier and a four-time All Berkshire team member.   He serves on the class council and has a long list of volunteer activities.

 

Jordon Cornellier from Taconic High.  Jordan will be attending the University of New Hampshire and is pursuing a career in Animal Science and hoping to become a veterinarian.  Jordan has worked for many years caring for horses and he essay gave incredible insight into the responsibility that comes with working with animals including the need for consistence, trust, awareness and how important it is to stay focused and dependable.  Jordan is a skilled rider who is a member if the IEA Equestrian Team, Qualified for the 2025 Interscholastic Equestrian Association National finals and is ranked among the top 18 riders nationally in division competition.  Jordan will be graduation from the Carpentry Program at Taconic and has used these skills in many volunteer activities.  Dr. John’s daughter Julia has just graduated from University of New Hampshire, where she was a member of the equestrian team, so this is a heart-warming connection.