On November 23, destiny decided to suddenly take from us Rodolfo. Incredulous, regretful and saddening news for all those who knew him.
Born in Castelbolognese, he graduated in veterinary medicine in 1963 with Pierluigi Quaglio, at the glorious University of Bologna. His first field experiences began in Romagna, with companies that have stamped their names on poultry industry history including Sarcogen, IMASS, AVIZOO and the Amadori Group.
The free spirit of Rodolfo, which always characterized him, sooner or later had to emerge and at the end of the 80s he decided to carry out his profession independently. A profession which he considered and often affirmed to his son Massimo whilst still a boy: “… the most beautiful profession in the world “. Massimo, aware of having a special father “… beyond space and time …” attracted by that enthusiasm and conviction followed his father’s footsteps, becoming an excellent veterinarian one already well-known in our industry. Study, dedication, competence, ethics and genuine concern for animal welfare, were constantly demonstrated by Rodolfo over the years.
In this regard, during the extraordinary religious honours held in the church of San Giuseppe Artigiano (Cesena), Valeriano Biguzzi, his colleague during the period in which they worked together in the Amadori Group, told me: “I remember when Rodolfo saved a group of 800,000 sick broilers, intervening almost exclusively on bird management matters. Rodolfo often went to the farms during the night, to more easily understand and quantify symptoms and critical situations. ” The depth of his professionalism was also expressed by Paola Massi, Director of the Zooprofilattico Institute of Forlì at the aforementioned religious service, when he acknowledged Rodolfo’s foresight and intuition in believing that by today many poultry companies would be fully committed to reducing the use of pharmaceutical drugs.
As regards the search for alternative products, Rodolfo was “to the letter a standard bearer” in promoting the use of tannins and algae based products.
On the professional level it is not possible to forget the memory of his volcanic interventions during conferences and conventions, interventions always supported by his great competence and “impartial” convictions. Our connections date back to about fifty years ago when, like Rodolfo, I also started my first poultry experiences in Romagna. Over the years I have also had the pleasure of publishing several of his technical articles. To compose a mosaic of his personage would require many pieces. Not everyone knows that Rodolfo was commander of the Alpini, a group which has been much involved in social and humanitarian initiatives. He was a man supported by a strong religious faith.
During the ceremony there were many testimonies of affection and esteem. The church was crowded with people and the atmosphere filled with emotions that were renewed from moment to moment, right from the beginning to an ending with the poignant music of a trumpet sounding “Silence”, as his remains were carried by his alpini companions. Many were the “black feathers” that raised their banners in a final farewell to their captain. The songs of an alpini chorus were very moving as were the notes of the organ that accompanied the liturgy. An alpini friend of Rodolfo, Pierpaolo Nucci, composed a beautiful dedication, read by Sergio Giordano, another alpini veterinarian, friend and colleague of Rodolfo when they worked at AVIZOO ¬– a message of love, that love that moves everything “beyond space and time.”
Lucio Vernillo
