2013 PVM Report - Purdue University School of Veterinary Medicine

Col. William T. "Tim" Cahoon and Phyllis Evens unveil a memorial lithograph honoring the late Col. (Dr.) Marvin Evens as the Evens' sons, Patrick
and Christopher, look on during a special ceremony at Grissom Air Reserve Base. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Mark R. W. Orders-Woempner)
A Class of 1963 Hero
Remembered
It was fewer than 30 years after graduating as a member of
Purdue Veterinary Medicine’s first class when Air Force Col.
Marvin A. “Doc” Evens piloted his way into eternity during a
training mission. According to eyewitness accounts, he stayed
on-board his A-10 Thunderbolt II long enough to ensure that the
malfunctioning aircraft would crash away from the houses that
were near Grissom Air Reserve Base in Indiana on April 11, 1992.
It would come as no surprise to those who knew him that Col.
Evens risked his own life by delaying his ejection from the plane
to try to protect the lives of others.
Twenty years later, family, friends and Air Force personnel
gathered at the Air Reserve Base near Peru, Ind., on May 14, 2012,
to remember Col. Evens as an American hero. The occasion was
a ceremony for renaming Warrior Avenue on the base to “Doc
Evens Avenue.” More than 100 people, including Evens’ wife,
Phyllis, and his two sons, Patrick and Christopher, attended the
ceremony in Gus Grissom Hall, which was named for a fellow
Purdue alumnus who died serving his country.
Col. Evens’ hometown paper, the Banner Graphic, reported
that the street renaming was a “fitting tribute to a pilot and
doctor,” since the avenue runs past the 434th Aerospace Medicine
Squadron and the flight operations building that houses the
72nd and 74th Aerial Refueling Squadrons. Col. Evens not only
held a Purdue DVM degree as a member of the Class of 1963, he
went on to earn his M.D. from the Indiana University School of
Medicine in 1968. The newspaper story explained, “His friends
in the Air Force called him ‘Doc.’ Others called him Marv. For the
family his name remains Marvin. And as a Colonel in the USAF
Reserves, others most certainly called him ‘sir.’ But since his death
20 years ago, no one has been shy about calling Greencastle native
Marvin Evens what he certainly was: a hero.”
Col. Evens’ military career was distinguished, and included
serving during the Cuban missile crisis, and flying 108 combat
missions in Vietnam as a member of the 434th TCW Airmen. He
went on to serve as a flight surgeon and commander of the 434th
Tactical Hospital and the 930th Medical Squadron. As a civilian,
he served as an anesthesiologist for Community Hospitals in
Indianapolis, and as president of a John Deere dealership and
owner of Walnut Creek Farms.
Col. Evens’ son Patrick remembered his dad as someone who
“…touched so many lives through his work as a farmer, doctor,
pilot, family member and dear friend.” Retired Maj. Gen.
Robert Nester added, “To us Marvin Evens was what America
is supposed to be about. He understood that if you put your
God-given talents to work you can be successful, you can lead by
example, you can pursue the American dream with all your heart
and soul, and I’m truly sorry that today’s generation never had the
opportunity to meet our marvelous Marvin Evens for he made a
positive difference for all of us.”
But it wasn’t just his skills as a pilot and doctor that made Doc
stand out, said Nester. “Doc had the most radiant smile and
personality of nearly anyone I’ve ever met. I always marveled at
the energy and positive attitude he displayed; he was upbeat, he
was fun, he looked at the bright side of life and he made everyone
around him smile as well.” That’s not surprising to hear about a
member of PVM’s first graduating class. Nor is it surprising that
the class included a true American hero.
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