Office space: Ray Wilhite

Ray Wilhite, Anatomy Lab Coordinator, College of Veterinary Medicine

Ray Wilhite’s office at Auburn University is a cabinet of curiosities — a place where ancient bones, thank-you notes and a signature Australian cowboy hat all tell the story of a scientist, teacher and mentor whose passion for anatomy and paleontology is matched only by his devotion to students.  

For 18 years, Wilhite has served as both anatomy laboratory coordinator for the College of Veterinary Medicine and curator of vertebrate paleontology at the Auburn University Museum of Natural History. His dual roles reflect a career spent at the intersection of discovery and education, where the past comes alive for future veterinarians and budding scientists.  

One of Wilhite’s most striking teaching tools is a real alligator skull, part of a 10-foot skeleton collected from Rockefeller Refuge in Louisiana. Far from being just a display piece, the skeleton has played a central role in his research, helping him study sauropod dinosaur limb biomechanics for his Ph.D., and serving as a hands-on puzzle for students learning archosaur anatomy.  

His curiosity extends to the cast of a Basilosaurus jaw, anteater footprints, and a growing collection of sauropod dinosaur toys and Bell helicopter models, each with its own story and connection to his life and work.  

Teaching, for Wilhite, is more than a job; it’s a calling.  

“Getting to see them on their first day of school and watching them mature to graduating veterinarians is one of the most fulfilling parts of my job,” he said. “My favorite teaching moments are when you are trying to explain some complicated bit of anatomy to a student, and you see that instant when the light bulb comes on in their head and they ‘get it.’ I live for those moments.” 

The gratitude from his students fills a special drawer in his office, packed with thank-you cards from those whose lives he’s touched through extra help sessions, club talks and hands-on “wet labs.”   

“Whenever I have a rough day or week, I'll frequently pull out a few of them, and I am quickly reminded why I have the best job in the world!” he said. 

Through science, teaching and small acts of kindness, Wilhite continues to shape Auburn’s story, one student, one bone and one thank-you note at a time.