Jack Thornton

I cruised into Sequim on July 7, 1976, on the heels of our nation's 200th birthday party. I was to begin work as

an associate veterinarian with Dr. George Bell at the Sequim Animal Hospital the following Monday.

In vet school at WSU, I had no intention whatsoever of going into practice. As an undergrad I was a wildlife biology major and thought acceptance to vet school was going to further my wildlife opportunities.

Upon graduation in 1970, I took my degree south to graduate school at Texas A&M University to get involved with fish, marine mammals and Texas wildlife in general. The field work was exciting but soon the bureaucracy and politics of academia came crashing down on me. After 31/2 years, I migrated back to the Pacific Northwest to spawn.

It was particularly difficult starting out in practice in my hometown of Walla Walla because I paid poor attention to my vet school curriculum and four years after graduation the clinical data that managed to stick in spite of myself had long since abandoned my neurons.

Jim and Dallas, my mentors, had the challenging job of breaking in not only a rookie but a rather retarded one at that.

After one year I had some confidence and negotiated a position in Port Townsend where after six months my first marriage fell apart. I took this as a "sign" and was accepted by the University of Wisconsin to pursue a doctorate degree in wildlilfe epidemiology. I was happy to be back on my chosen path again but I had a three-four month interim with too much time on my hands. Single, with no responsibilities, I decided to explore Olympic National Park until it was time to head east.

My family cautioned against hiking alone but I saw it as an opportunity to more completely relate to the experience without any social distraction. The solitude was my salvation. At the time, being alone in the outdoors filled my prescription perfectly. The six weeks of hiking the coast and park trails changed my priorities.

The beauty and diversity of the Olympic Peninsula informed me that is simply more important where I live than what I do. I understood during this sojourn that falling in love with your environment is no less important than falling in love with your spouse (or spice as the case may be) and I already knew how that one had gone.

So I went into Sequim to the first veterinary facility I found. (There were only two) and asked about a job. The timing was right. I had a totally new, unexpected, position.

Now, 34 years later, I look back on those hikes as a defining moment in my life. My passion for this magnificent geography has in no way diminished. It's grown and the fulfillment of what I do has become just as rewarding.

Jack Thornton is a semiretired veterinarian practicing in eastern Clallam County.