Tampa couple wills $1 million to UF College of Veterinary Medicine in honor of professor’s contributions to control of cattle disease

A childless Tampa couple, who purchased a ranch in the 1970s as a second career, came to love their cattle so much that they willed more than half of their $2 million estate to honor a University of Florida veterinary professor for his contributions to the control of brucellosis, a disease that was a major threat to livestock in their day.

The gift, made by the late Bob F. and Evelyn B. Deriso, is one of the largest the college has ever received and will be used to enhance food animal education.

Back in the 1970s, the federal government did not mandate overall herd vaccination as a means of controlling this important reproductive disease. In fact, the U.S. Department of Agriculture was against the vaccination of adult cattle, adhering instead to a “test and slaughter” policy, said the professor, Paul Nicoletti, D.V.M., who worked for the USDA at the time and now teaches epidemiology in the UF College of Veterinary Medicine.

“There were several dairies, as well as others in the cattle industry, who felt they were being ruined by this policy,” said Nicoletti, who was a USDA employee for 20 years and also spent time in the Middle East working as an agricultural consultant for the United Nations. “I had a clear conflict of interest because I was in favor of vaccination.”

So instead, he helped the dairyman, Joe Campoamor, who obtained the vaccine outside the country but didn’t know how to administer it.

Campoamor, now 85, and his brother, Manuel, owned Campoamor Dairy -- one of the state’s top-producing dairy enterprises in the 1970s, with more than 1000 head of cattle. The Campoamor Dairy finally was compelled to close its operation in the early 1980s with the construction of Tampa’s Crosstown Expressway.

“Dr. Nicoletti helped me enormously,” said Campoamor, who once sold his product through vending machines at 45 cents per bottle. “To me, he was a godsend. I think it’s fair to say that Dr. Nicoletti saved the milk cow dairy industry in the state of Florida.”

At one point in his career, Campoamor, along with two other dairies, hired Tampa attorney J. Danforth Browne to represent them in a lawsuit against the state of Florida relating to the government’s authority to conduct the “test and slaughter” program.

“Mrs. Deriso was affected by the brucellosis thing, as were so many people,” Browne said. “I knew when I drafted that will that the Derisos didn’t want their estate to go to growing mushrooms or something.”

Browne said Nicoletti had earned “a terrific reputation in the state of Florida and internationally” for his contributions to agriculture, and specifically for his expertise in brucellosis. The Derisos were pleased when Browne recommended that some of the proceeds from their estate be used to honor a veterinarian who had made a significant difference in controlling cattle disease and to further promote related sciences.

Mr. Deriso died several years ago and his wife died earlier this year, freeing up the proceeds of the will to be distributed as the couple intended.

"The college is very grateful to receive this gift and appreciates greatly the instrumental role Dr. Nicoletti had in making it happen,” said Joseph DiPietro, D.V.M., dean of the UF College of Veterinary Medicine.

Nicoletti added that he is humbled by the Derisos’ generous gift on his behalf.

“It is almost unprecedented to have someone do something like this for a past favor, and not expecting to get anything out of it,” Nicoletti said.