Albert Joe Mickish

October 5, 1917 – February 8, 2007

Albert “A.J.” Mickish was born Oct. 5, 1917, on a small farm a few miles south of Perry. He died Thursday, Feb. 8, 2007, in Denver, Colo.

Mickish had served the city of Edmond and vicinity as a veterinarian for more than 52 years. He graduated from Perry High School and earned a bachelor’s degree at Oklahoma State University in 1941. That same year he entered the Air Force via the ROTC program and became a bombardier, eventually serving under the commanding officer of the 98th Bomb Group, until the Aug. 1, 1943, B-24 attack against the Romanian oil fields and refineries at Ploesti, Romania. Of 178 airplanes that left on the raid, 54 never returned.

He was honorably discharged as a captain and took advantage of the GI bill and earned a Veterinary Medical Doctor (VMD) degree from the University of Pennsylvania.

He established the first “animal hospital” in Edmond in 1950 and became known as “Doc” Mickish. He built the Edmond Animal Clinic in 1953 on the south side of Hwy. 66 (now known as East Second Street, 1/2 mile east of Broadway, just outside of the Edmond city limits. The location is now occupied by the new Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation Forensic Center.

Mickish is survived by his wife of 64 years, Mildred Mickish of Denver, Colo.; four children, Daniel Mickish of Wilmington, Del., Roger Mickish of Moorpark, Calif., Janet Mickish of Denver, Colo., and Andrew Mickish of Miami, Fla.; two sisters, Frances Hansing of Arkansas City, Kan., and Irene Gum of Tulsa; three granddaughters, two step-granddaughters, a step-grandson, and two step-great-grandsons.