Susan’s Almanac Project for October 3, 2018

 

It’s the birthday of James Herriot (1916-1995), the world’s most famous veterinarian and author of a bestselling series of books based on his experiences as a country vet in Yorkshire, England.

Herriot was born James Alfred Wight in Glasgow, Scotland, and studied at Glasgow Veterinary College. Early on, he moved to a rural practice in Thirsk, Yorkshire (now known as “Herriot country” on the Yorkshire website) and remained there for life. In his early 50s he began to write down the anecdotes he’d accumulated over the years, setting up his typewriter in the family room and writing while his family watched TV. “Herriot” was the name of a Scottish goalie in a soccer match he watched while writing his first book, If Only They Could Talk (1970). All Creatures Great and Small came out in 1972 and eventually became a bestseller and also a BBC series starring Christopher Timothy as Herriot, costarring Peter Davison as Tristan Farnon and Robert Hardy as Siegfried Farnon. (Fun fact: when the show had a scene requiring Timothy to stick his arm up a cow’s bum, he was really doing it—all the action on the show was real. I had always assumed otherwise.) Timothy wanted to meet Herriot as soon as he got the part, but Herriot was a very private man; he finally did visit the set after filming had started. (For more on this, see this article here.)

Herriot went on to write over 30 books, including nine picture books for children. Herriot’s son, James Alexander, joined him in his veterinary practice, and his daughter, Rosemary, became a doctor for humans. A year before his death, Herriot was trampled by sheep and had to be hospitalized with a broken leg. (Sheep can be such jerks. All fluffy and placid and next thing you know they’re breaking your leg.) He died at 78 of cancer, survived by his wife, two children, and four grandchildren.

Have a splendid Wednesday and stay scrupulously honest to the data.