Ed and Lorraine Bargagliotti never had children – at least of the two-legged variety.
Their family was made whole by the companionship and love of four-legged creatures. And that made Washington State University alumnus and veterinarian Kyle Frandle (‘74 BS, ‘76 MS, ‘80 DVM), for nearly four decades, their family doctor.
“When it came to their dogs and cats, those were their babies,” Frandle said.
Their passion for animals – and relationship with Frandle – inspired them to gift more than $1.5 million of their estate to establish a scholarship in WSU’s College of Veterinary Medicine and support the college’s Diagnostic Challenges and Rabies vaccination programs. Frandle represented the couple when the gift was announced recently during halftime of a WSU football game.
“They trusted Kyle with the lives of their pets, and when it came time to think about estate planning, they wanted to know what mattered most to Kyle,” Senior Director of Development for the College of Veterinary Medicine Lynne Haley said. “What mattered most to Kyle was WSU, and specifically the College of Veterinary Medicine, where he got his BS, DVM, and MS degrees and remains involved to this day.”
Frandle met Ed and Lorraine Bargagliotti when he treated one of their boxers shortly after he had graduated veterinary school and moved to California for an internship in emergency medicine. Over the years, he remained their veterinarian and a close friend until Ed died in 2011 and Lorraine in 2020.
“The relationships you make with your clients can really exceed the boundaries of the exam room,” Frandle said.
He remembers Ed as quiet and calm in nature, while Lorraine was the kind of person who “could cuss like a sailor” and was not afraid to express her dissatisfaction. At the same time, she was deeply caring and generous.
“She had a heart of gold,” Frandle said. “She was just an amazing lady – you don’t run into people like her often.”
At 86 years old, Lorraine made the first of her three visits to Pullman when she joined Frandle for the College of Veterinary Medicine’s annual Diagnostic Challenges, case-based exercises in which students diagnose patients and work with volunteer clients in a simulated setting. Frandle has been a facilitator for the program since 2000.
“She just went nuts about what a great program it is,” Frandle said. “Then she started getting serious about what she wanted to do with her estate.”
In addition to targeting a gift toward the Diagnostic Challenges, Lorraine also contributed toward the college’s Rabies Free Africa program and established the Ed and Lorraine Bargagliotti Scholarship for DVM students. The scholarship is designed for students with a financial need who also show active participation and leadership in extracurricular activities that demonstrate their commitment to the profession and acknowledgment of the human-animal bond.
“She got so wrapped up with those kids when she saw how hard they worked and how little money they had,” Frandle said.
Philanthropic support is vital for helping the college continue its long tradition of high-quality veterinary education, research, and patient care. Generous gifts by individuals and organizations provide scholarships and fellowships, state-of-the-art equipment for teaching and research, funding for student clubs, and a variety of other important programs that benefit animals and humans around the globe.
“We will forever be grateful to the Bargagliottis for their amazing gift to support our students and our programs,” Haley said.
Frandle, who recently retired, and his wife, Kathy (‘74 BA, ‘75 MA), are also generous supporters of the College of Veterinary Medicine and have established the Frandle Family Scholarship, which is awarded to veterinary students at WSU who are married or in a committed relationship and have a financial need.
