Dr. Jim Williams

Dr. Jim Williams’ life has been full of twists and turns, revealing a life lived from honesty and authenticity. Let’s start

at the beginning! Jim was born in 1945, in Arlington, Virginia. From an early age, he was mechanically oriented. In 1962-64, he worked at a gas station, where Charlie, the mechanic and a black man, taught Jim all that he knew. Then, in 1965, Jim was drafted. He received training at Ft. Jackson, SC, before being sent to Long Binh, Vietnam, where he served in an Army Transportation Unit. He recounts being lucky because the Battalion Commander wanted someone with vehicle experience who could also type. Jim was his guy! Jim worked in a motor pool and when a generator broke and Jim fixed it, he was promoted to Sergeant E-5 for his demonstrated specialty skills.

Jim was honorably discharged in 1967, and returned to Arlington, VA., where he embarked on a variety of jobs including waiting tables, being a doorman and a short order cook. Then, he became a taxi driver, putting 80 thousand miles on a cab in Virginia and Washington DC. A notable fare were two prominent Washington insiders, John Ehrlichman and Bob Haldeman, who, noticing Jim’s long hair, asked him if he was a Vietnam Vet. Jim told them yes, and shared his frank opinions, no doubt influencing the end of the Vietnam War!

California was next on Jim’s agenda. His first stop in 1969, was Sausalito where a friend invited him to couch surf. Jim soon met a single mother whose son was on a Little League Team. Jim became the team’s coach, and soon figured out why the team kept losing games: a bully on the team was causing fear and anxiety in the other players. Jim helped the team learn a fundamental life lesson: turn the negative to the positive. From that point, the team started to win games for a two year winning streak!

In 1975, Jim took advantage of the GI Bill and headed to Indian Valley College (IVC) to study jewelry making, art, and sculpture. His art instructor had horses, and Jim started riding, eventually, moving to the property. He was present when one of the resident horses, Kahuna, was having a foal. Jim saw that the gestation sac was over the foal’s nose – and could see it expand and contract as the foal tried to breathe. Jim took action – lifting the sac over the foal’s ears so the baby could breathe. The mare pushed the foal out and soon the foal, Shadow, was nursing well. Jim was Shadow’s early teacher, and he kept in touch with the horse, who lived his long 41-year life in Wyoming.

Jim’s educational path detoured in 1978, when he moved to Florida to help care for his mother. While there, his father asked Jim what he’d like to do. Jim said: Be a veterinarian. So, after his mother passed, Jim regrouped, and with his dad’s financial help, got his basics at IVC, his BA - Biology at Sonoma State and applied to UC Davis. When UC asked him what he wanted to do, Jim said: “Be a horse mechanic!” He thinks those laughs and the recommendation of a trusted professor, helped gain him admittance.

While in school, Jim volunteered with Dr. Jim Steere, and upon graduating he worked at a small veterinary practice in Livermore. His early experiences there showed him how honesty and ethics matter. In 1993, Jim opened his own practice and also traveled all over the state with a dental specialty team. Soon, his own skills as an equine dentist and overall vet became well known. Jim’s clients have included the Morgan Horse Ranch for 22 years, and horses at barns throughout Marin. His 33 year practice has many outstanding memories and successes in which Jim’s dogged insistence on trusting his knowledge and professional creativity, have saved many horse’s lives. Jim understands loss personally, as he tragically lost his own beloved mare, Cricket; but her foal, Jiminy Cricket, lives on.

And, so too, does Jim, still working, and offering home euthanasia for pets. He is a dedicated and caring husband. He’s a one-of-a-kind vet, often driving your horse’s blood sample to UC Davis the same day to get the best results. And, along the way, Jim found time to cook for us all at Novato Horsemen’s, which he joined in 1978, learning from one of the best grillers, Ted Gerssing. Jim’s specialties? Tri Tip, Salmon Picatta and new potatoes. When you are with Jim, just like his fantastic BBQ's, you experience those “special added ingredients” that warm and connect with your heart.