Sue Ann Werling had a dream that a sculpture of her late dog, Brandi, was added to Purdue’s Dolores McCall Pet Tribute Garden, located near the College of Veterinary Medicine’s Small Animal Hospital. The garden honors donors’ animal companions with plaques and several life-size bronze statues of pets.
Sue Ann’s dream became a reality. A sculpture of Brandi now sits in the Pet Tribute Garden, and it’s all thanks to Sue Ann’s generosity and support from her Purdue contacts. It’s no wonder she considers the Boilermaker community her family despite not having attended Purdue.
In 2004, Sue Ann and her late husband, Evan, began their journey with Purdue when Brandi was diagnosed with bladder cancer. Their veterinarian, Blake Deckard (S’82, DVM’86), recommended Brandi receive treatment at Purdue due to ongoing trials there.
“It was important for us to support the trials to help Brandi have a wonderful quality of life and keep her in our lives for as long as we could,” Sue Ann says. “We also wanted to support future generations of animals with bladder cancer.”
Without these treatments, Brandi was given only three months to live, but thanks to Purdue, she lived for more than a year and a half. At Purdue, the Werlings worked closely with the oncology team, led by Deborah Knapp, distinguished professor and Dolores L. McCall Professor of Comparative Oncology and director of the Evan and Sue Ann Werling Comparative Oncology Research Center. Dogs have a similar anatomy to humans, so the team is studying cancer in dogs and sharing their research findings with those who study humans.
The Werlings regarded Knapp and her team highly and continued to give back to them years after Brandi died. In 2022, the couple made a gift to name the comparative oncology research center at Purdue. During this time, Evan was struggling with pancreatic cancer.
“We were able to share our thoughts on the business plan and get the naming in place prior to his passing,” Sue Ann says. “Evan knew where his legacy would be, and that meant the world to him. Working on this gave him something to look forward to every day.” Evan died in 2023, so unfortunately, he did not make it to the center’s dedication in 2025. Yet, that day still manages to provide fond memories. “There weren’t real words to describe how emotional the dedication was for me,” Sue Ann says. “My family and Evan’s family traveled to the ceremony. The whole oncology team was there with smiles on their faces. They’re our future, and it was overwhelming to see them in the audience.”
The sculpture of Brandi was unveiled at the dedication too, making the day even more emotional.
“Evan and I have always felt like Purdue is our family,” Sue Ann says. “We felt like we could pick up the phone and call any of our contacts at the university. Purdue is a very, very special place.”
—Calandra Weaver
