Dr. John Ayres was raised on a small farm in southern New York State during the Depression. While a veterinary student at Cornell, he worked several jobs to pay for his education. During his final two years, he saved expenses by living in the college where he tended to hospitalized animals and performed miscellaneous duties for faculty. His Class of 1939 was unusually diverse yet, despite their differences, they shared the common goal of achieving a professional education and acquiring employment afterwards. Dr. Ayres' first job was working with small animals in New York City. He served in the Veterinary Corps during WWII, then spent the remainder of his career in Binghamton, N.Y., working for the city health department and later for the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets. He also ran a part time veterinary practice during evenings and weekends before retiring in 1990. Dr. and Mrs. Ayres have two children: Christine, a business woman in Binghamton, and John, an orthopedic surgeon in Florida.