Stephen J. Roberts (1915–2005), also known as "Doc Roberts", was an American veterinarian, Professor at

Cornell University Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...

, polo player and coach.Museum of Polo and Hall of Fame, Stephen J. Roberts's biography
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The Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper in the U.S. and the larges ...

'', January 29, 2005

Biography

Early life

Stephen Roberts was born in

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

on August 5, 1915. He grew up in

Hamburg, New York Hamburg ( ) is a Town (New York), town in Erie County, New York, Erie County, New York (state), New York, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town had a population of 60,085. It is named after the city of Hamburg, Germany. The town is on t ...

, where his father, Dr James Roberts, a Cornell graduate, was a veterinarian. Roberts himself graduated from Cornell in 1938, where he trained as a veterinarian and served as Captain of the polo team. He married a Cornell graduated, Betty Jane Harris, in 1938. They moved to

Manhattan, Kansas Manhattan is a city in and the county seat of Riley County, Kansas, United States, although the city extends into Pottawatomie County, Kansas, Pottawatomie County. It is located in northeastern Kansas at the junction of the Kansas River and Big ...

, where he taught veterinary medicine and earned his Master of Science.

Cornell

He joined the faculty at Cornell in 1942. He became full professor in the Department of Large Animal Medicine, Obstetrics and Surgery in 1946 and served as chairman of the department from 1965 to 1966, and from 1969 to 1972. He served on the Judicial Council of the

American Veterinary Medical Association The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) is an American not-for-profit association founded in 1863 that represents more than 105,000 veterinarians. The AVMA provides information resources, continuing education opportunities, publicat ...

(AVMA) for thirteen years, was a charter diplomate of the American College of Theriogenologists, was an associate editor of the ''

Veterinary News Veterinary medicine is the branch of medicine that deals with the prevention, management, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, disorder, and injury in non-human animals. The scope of veterinary medicine is wide, covering all animal species, both ...

'', and provided years of service to the Cornell Veterinary Alumni Association. He served as intercollegiate polo coach at Cornell from 1947 to 1972. He implemented "split strings" for intercollegiate polo, requiring home teams to provide horses so visitors didn't have to bring theirs to the game.

Vermont and retirement

In 1972, he left Cornell and moved to

Woodstock, Vermont Woodstock is the shire town (county seat) of Windsor County, Vermont, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town population was 3,005. It includes the villages of Woodstock, South Woodstock, Taftsville, and West Woodstock. History Cha ...

, where he worked as a veterinarian with his brother, Dr. James Roberts. He helped set up the Quechee Polo Club in

Quechee, Vermont Quechee is a census-designated place and one of five unincorporated villages in the town of Hartford, Windsor County, Vermont, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population of the CDP was 656. It is the site of Quechee Gorge on the Ot ...

. In 1993, he married Ruth Webb Shipman and began retirement in

Bath, New York Bath is a town in Steuben County, New York, United States, with an area of 96.3 square miles (249 km2) and a population of 11,426 in 2020. Its largest settlement is the Village of Bath, which has an area of 2.9 sq mi (7.5 km2) and a ...

. He died of heart failure on January 21, 2005, in Bath. His will had set up the ''Doc Roberts Fund for Polo''.

Legacy

He received the prestigious national Borden Award from the AVMA for his research on cattle disease, the Distinguished Service Award from the New York State Veterinary Medical Society, and the Salmon Award given only to Cornell's most august veterinary alumni. He was inducted into the Cornell Athletic Hall of Fame in 1990. He was inducted into the

Museum of Polo and Hall of Fame The Museum of Polo and Hall of Fame is a 501(c)(3), non-profit organization to celebrate the sport of polo.Horace Laffaye, Dennis J. Amato, ''Polo in the United States: A History'', Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, 2011, p. 28/ref> Overview ...

Lake Worth, Florida Lake Worth Beach, previously named Lake Worth, is a city in east-central Palm Beach County, Florida, United States, located about north of Miami. The city's name is derived from the body of water along its eastern border known as the Lake Wort ...

on February 9, 1996.

Bibliography

*''Veterinary Obstetrics and Genital Diseases'' (1956) *''An Autobiographical History of Collegiate Polo and its Players at Cornell University, 1919-1972 and Beyond'' (1996)Horace A. Laffaye, ''Polo in the United States: A History'', McFarland, 2011
p 292
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Roberts, Stephen J. 1915 births 2005 deaths People from Indianapolis Cornell University alumni Cornell University faculty American polo players People from Hamburg, New York