Denise Colvin, of Jamestown, received the Distinguished Service Award from the Missouri Veterinary Medical Foundation last month for her years of dedication.
The phone call was so unexpected that Colvin was speechless.
"It was quite an honor," Colvin said. "It meant everything in the world to me, it made me feel like what I'm doing is of some importance. All the love and care I've put into that little museum - I call (the Missouri Veterinary Medical Museum) my little museum because it's just me. I love animals, and I enjoy all the veterinarians I know. They're such a wonderful group of people. And so it's just a good way to get a little bit of that world, so to be recognized for it is just the icing on the cake. I feel like what I do is just a tiny, little component to what so many others within the foundation and association do, so again, I felt quite honored to have received it."
Colvin is the Museum Archivist at the Missouri Veterinary Medical Museum, where she plays a major part in developing and taking care of the exhibits. She has been at the museum for almost 12 years.
It all started about 14 years ago when she went in for a tour. Colvin said she was so fascinated that by the next time she visited her veterinarian, who happened to be the executive director at the time, she told him she would like to volunteer her time. Since then, Colvin said, it has become a sanctuary for her - a place where she can get away from the world and focus on what she loves doing.
The Missouri Veterinary Medical Museum is filled with more than 3,000 artifacts and is a fun way to learn about the history of veterinarians dating all the way back to the 16th century. They also offer guided tours for groups, an interactive area for children and a pet memorial program.
For more information, visit www.movma.org