Animal advocate, veterinarian dies at 55
Toolbox
By PATRICK McARDLE STAFF WRITER - Published: May 21, 2009
BENNINGTON – Dr. Anna Worth, local veterinarian and co-founder of the West Mountain Animal Hospital, died on May 16 after a long battle with pancreatic cancer.
Worth, 55, of Shaftsbury, had served as president of the American Animal Hospital Association in 2008-09, the Society for Veterinary Medical Ethics and the Vermont Veterinary Medical Association.
She had been chairwoman of the Vermont Animal Cruelty Task Force, the Vermont Animal Welfare Committee and the Euthanasia Board for Animals and served as the state's delegate to the American Veterinary Medical Association for seven years. The Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals named her its veterinarian of the year in 1992.
Dr. Linda Morris, a colleague of Worth's at West Mountain, said she had come to the practice in 1995 because of Worth's inspiration.
"Anna was just so doggone enthusiastic. There's no other way to put it. She just made you want to jump on the bandwagon," Morris said.
Worth had been a role model because of the way she handled her patients and the people who came into the office, according to Morris.
"To have the kind of compassion that Anna showed for animals and their owners, it had to be real. You can't fake that," she said.
Worth and her husband, Dr. Robert Bergman, married while they were still students at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine. After graduation, they moved to Shaftsbury and started West Mountain in 1978 before moving it to Harwood Hill in Bennington in 2007.
She was very involved with the American Animal Hospital Association, according to Dr. Tom Carpenter, a veterinarian who preceded Worth as president.
"I would say her dedication to her profession was unmatched. More than that, she was always fun to work with. She was never put off by hard work and she always took time to laugh and have a good time," he said.
Worth was instrumental in setting up the association's Helping Pets fund, Carpenter said, and, even when she was sick, she traveled around the country, visiting with student groups in North Carolina, Texas, Ohio, Minnesota, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Kansas and Indiana, to help young people enter the veterinary field.
In Bennington County, Worth was regularly called on as a witness in animal cruelty cases.
Longtime Bennington County State's Attorney William Wright said she had helped the state with some difficult cases.
"She was always very concerned, very caring and she was a very competent witness. She was a very good vet. She took it seriously and she was always very concerned about proper care and treatment of animals. When she saw animal abuse, she was always ready to help," he said.
Worth was called an "exceptional friend of animals" by Bennington County State's Attorney Erica Marthage.
According to Marthage, Worth's calm on the witness stand and ability to recall specifics, even in cases involving multiple animals, made a difference.
Worth is survived by her husband; daughter Sarah Bergman, who works for the Center for Biological Diversity in Tucson, Ariz.; a son who is also a veterinarian, Bo Bergman, and his wife, Megan, and newborn granddaughter Anna "Frasier" Bergman.
A celebration of Worth's life is scheduled for 10 a.m. May 31 at the Greenwall Auditorium on the campus of Bennington College.
patrick.mcardle@rutlandherald.com
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