Lenor Zeeh (BS ’36 Pharm)

Taking Care of Friends

When 5-year-old Morrie Waud looked out of the window in the hospital where he was being treated for polio, he saw horses at a stable across the street. The horses were a delightful distraction and sparked his lifelong love of all things equine.

Morrie went on to play polo, ride hunters and jumpers, and is now working with hitches of Belgian and Suffolk draft horses. While the polio took the strength of his upper left arm, Morrie confidently controls several horses weighing up to 2,500 pounds apiece as he drives hitches that pull wagons in parades, move trees downed by Hurricane Katrina in Mississippi and plow fields on his 90-acre farm in Long Grove, Illinois.

Morrie was born Morrison Waud Jr. to a Chicago family with a history of generosity, but Morrie didn’t find his philanthropic passion until he and his horses began a relationship with the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Morrie had a handful of contacts with the School of Veterinary Medicine’s Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital over the years, and when his primary veterinarian retired in the late 1990s, he became a frequent client of Dr. Ryland Edwards, former veterinary surgeon, at the school. Morrie was grateful for the exceptional care shown to his horses in medicine, surgery and reproductive services.



Morrie Waud with two equine friends.

“I decided that when I turned 60 I’d make a gift to the University of whatever Dr. Edwards needed,” said Morrie. Dr. Edwards and members of the UW Foundation staff helped Morrie establish the Fund for Excellence in Equine Health, which has since provided support for ultrasound equipment that will benefit large animals. Morrie and his wife, Tracey, encourage other horse owners and lovers to support the fund because of the outstanding care they can depend on at the hospital. “When I have a problem, I don’t just have one vet in the field,” said Morrie. “I come to the teaching hospital and have up to four people, from students to clinical faculty, thinking about it, which is everything to me.”

Morrie also serves on the school’s board of visitors, has contributed support and insight on large animal hospital marketing materials, and is assisting with plans for an affiliated equine clinic in southern Wisconsin.

“We have over 20,000 patient visits to our hospital each year,” said School of Veterinary Medicine Dean Daryl Buss. “Each of those visits involves a connection with a concerned client. Morrie illustrates the qualities of concern, respect and love that people have for animals, and he has translated those qualities into action. He is an example of how one person’s commitment and philanthropy can make a tremendous difference.”