The Scientific Advisory Council
Lawrence T. Schwartz Ph.D, Chair
With my wife, Betty, we obtained our first English Springer Spaniel in 1958 and, as a new puppy, it accompanied us on our honeymoon. We became hooked on the breed and on showing. The first Vanity Fair litter was whelped in 1964 and we were off and running, breeding occasionally when we had an opening and finishing many champions and obedience and tracking titlists. Early in my dog career, I became a member of the Parent Club Board and, at one time, was Parent Club Vice President. I served on the Board for many years until replaced due to term limits. I was also President of the English Springer Spaniel Club of Michigan and have been a Board member of the Willamette Valley English Springer Spaniel Association. I was President of the Battle Creek (Michigan) Kennel Club and am now an honorary life member of that club.
In 1994, I was named Chair of the Parent Club Genetics and Health Committee and I have retained the Chair ever since. I am also Vice President for Science and Research of the English Springer Field Trial Assn. Foundation and have been since the Foundation's inception. We have in progress or have completed several research projects including research in the areas of PFK disorder, PRA, epilepsy and canine temperament. I am currently involved in the analysis of a health survey of the English Springer Spaniel involving over 8000 Springers.
In real life, I am a retired Psychologist. I was with the VA for 33 years during which time I had the privilege of helping veterans from conflicts ranging from the Spanish American War to the Persian Gulf crisis. I retired in 1991. In addition to my clinical duties, I was Coordinator for Research and Development for our medical center.
For the past 25 years, I have been an active volunteer at the Oregon Coast Aquarium where I have developed an enduring fascination with invertebrate neurology and physiology.
JENNIFER ROJKO, DVM
Jennifer Rojko retired from full-time work recently. She received her DVM and PhD degrees from THE Ohio State University; her specialty was veterinary pathology with subspecialties in immunopathology, cancer biology, and skin pathology. Jennifer fell in love with sporting dogs in the third grade and has owned Irish setters, Irish Red & White setters, a Labrador retriever, and a rescue BeagleX. One of her current setters (McGoo) is a tripawd and a chondrosarcoma survivor. McGoo has taught Jennifer much about the courage and tenacity (as well as the inherent silly playfulness) of setters. Sadly, Jennifer has never owned a Clumber Spaniel but thinks the breed and Clumber owners are terrific.
Margaret Warner, Ph.D, DVM
I started in purebred dogs with a Labrador retriever in 1991 and currently have 4 Labradors. My primary interest has been in performance sports including obedience, tracking, hunt tests, and rally. I have also shown 4 of my Labradors in conformation. A Clumber joined the group in 2016. She has her conformation grand championship and titles in obedience, tracking, and rally.
I received a PhD in physiology from Northwestern University and was an assistant professor of pharmacology and medicine at Indiana University. I then finished my DVM at Purdue University and practiced small animal medicine. Most recently, I retired from Eli Lilly, a pharmaceutical company in Indianapolis.