Meet Morrie Waud

When five-year old Morrie Waud looked out the window of the hospital room where he was being treated for polio, the horses across the street were a delightful distraction. And they sparked his lifelong love of all things equine.

Morrie went on to play polo and ride show horses in hunter and jumper classes, and now drives teams of Belgian and Suffolk draft horses. Even though polio took much of the strength in his left arm, Morrie confidently controls several horses weighing up to 2,500 pounds apiece as he drives wagons in parades, moves trees downed by Hurricane Katrina in Mississippi, or plows fields on his 90-acre farm in Long Grove, Illinois.

He was born into a Chicago family with a history of generosity, but Morrie didn’t find his philanthropic passion until he and his horses began their relationship with the University of Wisconsin – Madison School of Veterinary Medicine. Morrie had several contacts with the School’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital over the years, but when his primary veterinarian retired in the late 1990’s, he became a frequent client.

“I decided that when I turned 60 I’d make a gift to the University of whatever Dr. Edwards needed,” said Morrie. So Dr. Ryland Edwards and members of the UW Foundation staff helped Morrie and his wife, Tracey, establish the Fund for Excellence in Equine Health, which has since provided support for ultrasound equipment that benefits large animals at the hospital.

In 2007, Morrie heard about the effort to create an equine center affiliated with the UW School of Veterinary Medicine that would provide advanced referral-based equine medical treatment for SE Wisconsin and NE Illinois veterinarians and also provide a residency affiliation for the School. His response was quick and certain. He provided a one million dollar grant for its purchase, as well as on-going startup funding. The result is the UW / Morrie Waud Equine Center.

Today, Morrie is a member of the Board of the Friends of the UW School of Veterinary Medicine, the 501(c)3 organization which owns and operates the Center. He also serves on the Veterinary School’s Board of Visitors, contributing his knowledge and insight regarding large animals.

“We have over 20,000 patient visits to the UW Veterinary Care program 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.”