Dr. Tony: Houston’s veterinarian

Houston’s very own Dr. Tony was born in 1926 as Tony Barcelona, Jr. His early life on a farm inspired his love for livestock and in 1946, he graduated from Texas A&M with a degree in veterinary medicine.

It wasn’t his successful veterinary practice of 30 years or his 1997 induction into the Aggie Hall of Fame that cemented his legendary status in Houston, but his almost 55 years of volunteer veterinary work at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. Dr. Tony tended to the injured and sick livestock during rodeo season, even sometimes working on-call shifts to keep them in tip-top shape.

If you frequented the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo between 1950 and 2004, you might have seen Mr. Tony and his signature maroon scooter at one point. Even after his retirement in 2004, he maintained a presence with the rodeo committee, up until his 2010 passing at the age of 84.