In Praise of Labs

James Herriot was born James Alfred Wight in Sunderland, England on October 3, 1916. He and his family moved to Glasgow, Scotland in late October of 1916. Herriot attended Yoker Primary School from August 1921 to June 1928. He went on to attend Hillhead High School from September 1928 to 30 June 1933, before graduating from Glasgow Veterinary College in 1939. Herriot got a job at the Yorkshire practice of J. Donald Sinclair in 1940. He was a part of the Royal Air Force from 1941 to 1943.

In 1966 Herriot began writing at the age of 50. In 1972, All Creatures Great and Small is published, followed by All Things Bright and Beautiful in 1974. On February 4, 1975, Herriot received the American Veterinary Medical Association's Award of Appreciation. In 1977, All Things Wise and Wonderful is published, and a year later the BBC television series of All Creatues Great and Small begins. In 1979, Herriot receives the Order of the British Empire and honorary Litt.D. From Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh. He follows that honor with the publication of The Lord God Made Them All in 1981.The following year, Herriot is made a fellow of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons and in 1983, receives an honorary D.V.Sc. from Liverpool University.

Nearly a decade later, Herriot publishes Every Living Thing in 1992. He had written 15 books, which sold 50 million copies in 20 countries and worked as a vet for over 50 years before finally retiring. James Herriot died February 23, 1995, at the age of 78 of cancer.

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