His intellect and quiet intensity positively jumped out of the camera lens the first time I interviewed Dr. Scott Hurd. But I think it was his enthusiasm that threaded its way through every sound bite, every sentence, every column or social media posting he wrote, which set him apart from the rest.

When Dr. Hurd passed recently, he left a void in a number of areas; the noted veterinarian, epidemiologist, teacher and speaker did hundreds of...