Being a veterinarian is in Dr. Nicolas Drolet’s blood.
From a young age, he aspired to follow in the footsteps of his grandfather and great-grandfather, although he never really knew either. And now, he’s on the staff of the Stowe Veterinary Clinic.
His grandfather, Dr. David U. Walker, died when Drolet was around 3 years old, and his great-grandfather, Dr. David A. Walker, died before Drolet was born. Drolet’s grandfather had been a writer, though, and he got to know them both through his stories.
The Walkers had a vet clinic in the big yellow house on Park Street in Morrisville, and for 10 years, father and son worked side-by-side before David U. Walker was hired as the Vermont state vet — a role he served in for 20 years.
While with the state, Walker wore many hats. He was the secretary and treasurer of the Vermont Veterinary Medical Association and planned the organization’s education meetings, everything from securing speakers to arranging venues and lecture notes. He was also the designated representative for veterinarians in the state Legislature.
Walker was respected across the state and the nation for his work, and after he died in a traffic accident in 1990, the Vermont Veterinary Medical Association established the Dr. Dave Walker Award in his honor. The award is not presented annually. It is reserved for those who have served the Vermont veterinary community and professional organizations in the same spirit as Dr. Dave Walker.
In their Morrisville practice, the Walkers treated mostly large farm animals, but also cared for many neighborhood pets.
“My grandfather and great-grandfather had so many stories,” Drolet said. “One neighborhood dog was notorious for getting into porcupine quills, and my grandfather was always called to pull them out. It got to a point where the dog would run straight to my grandfather’s house as soon as he got into them.”
Today, there are a number of vets in Lamoille County — from Sequist Animal Hospital to Lamoille Valley Veterinary Services — but back then, there weren’t very many in the area, so the Walkers would travel as far as Glover for farm calls.
One day, Drolet’s great-grandfather was out on a call when a chain broke on the log truck in front of him. It snapped back and hit Walker’s windshield, smashing the glass.
“It was the middle of February, and my great-grandfather drove for weeks to calls with a smashed-out windshield,” Drolet said.
Stories like those pushed Drolet to become a vet.
Dr. Gregg Goodson has been a good friend of Drolet’s parents for many years, and the summer before his freshman year at Peoples Academy, Drolet started going to Stowe Veterinary Clinic to observe Goodson’s work.
“One of the first calls I went on, my first day, we went to a farm — Trapps — and treated one of their Highland, furry cows. I fell in love that day, and one day turned into a week, and then a summer,” Drolet said.
Once senior year rolled around, Drolet was able to assist in restraining dogs, and begin more hands-on work.
After graduating from Peoples in 2008, Drolet earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Vermont, then headed to veterinary school at Purdue University in Indiana, from which he graduated last year.
On his summers off, Drolet would return to work at Stowe Veterinary Clinic, an experience that helped him “balance the book stuff and the technical stuff.”
And on June 6, 2016, Drolet was finally hired as a vet, working alongside his mentor.
“We waited 12 years for Nick,” Goodson said. “And we’re excited that he came back.”
“I always knew I would come back to this clinic. To be able to work where I want to, and do what I love is awesome,” Drolet said. “And it’s really neat to be able to follow my grandfather and great-grandfather” into the profession.
Working at the clinic, Drolet says he has gotten to know his great-grandfather even more.
“I have clients who knew my great-grandfather — he was a vet in town longer than my grandfather — and they have a lot to say about his toupee. Apparently they all remember his hairpiece,” Drolet laughed.
David A. Walker also had a book in which he kept track of his business — what he treated and what was paid or traded for his services.
One time, he treated a cow, and received maple syrup in payment.
His book illustrates a “bygone era,” Drolet said. “It was a little different lifestyle back then. My grandfather graduated from Cornell (University College of Veterinary Medicine) in 1961, I believe, and you could go to school one year, and work the summer to pay it off.”
Now students can accumulate mounds of debt before graduation that take years to pay off.
David A. Walker also studied veterinary medicine at Cornell, and graduated in 1932. He retired from veterinary medicine in 1979.
Both Walkers became president of the Vermont Veterinary Medical Association and the New England Veterinary Medical Association during their careers.
Drolet still lives in Morrisville, and his goal is to remain at Stowe Veterinary Clinic for his entire career.
“It’s a great time to be in Stowe with everything going on with the mountain and Vail. I’m lucky to live here,” Drolet said. “I am infinitely grateful to Dr. Goodson for all his help and mentoring … and to all our staff.”
Vets in the area treat mostly small animals now, but according to Drolet, Stowe Veterinary Clinic hopes to start treating large animals more frequently again, now that there are two vets in the office.
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