GIVING BACK
Keeping It Fresh A VETERINARIAN TAKES ANIMALS — AND HIS HIGH SCHOOL — SERIOUSLY. As a kid, Bennett Wilson ’92 lived a peripatetic life. First in London; then Ghana, where his father taught American history at the University of Accra; then Colorado; and finally to Northampton, Massachusetts, where his father joined the faculty of Smith College. Across these changing venues, however, one constant remained: Wilson’s love of animals. “I always had the idea of becoming a vet in the back of my mind,” he says. “I loved cats and dogs, but also the science: chemistry, biology, anatomy, physiology.” Wilson realized his dream in 2006, graduating from Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine; in 2008, he became the owner of Forest Avenue Veterinary Hospital, a community-oriented practice in Portland, Maine. Here, Wilson and his team treat pets, sell honey harvested from a hive of Russian bees housed on the hospital’s rooftop, and run “Wingnutz,” an annual free neutering service for male cats and dogs. The motivation that drives Wilson’s work is simple, he says: Keep it fresh. “I strive to keep life healthy and interesting,” he says, by staying current with veterinary and animalscience issues and trends, and by hiking, camping, and skiing with his wife and two sons. Wilson’s childhood time in Africa taught him to appreciate education — “not only what it does for individuals, but also how it can affect villages and communities.” He points to NMH’s emphasis on community and education, too. The school was a major factor in his life, affording him the chance to spend a summer in France, play sports, stretch his mind, and develop lasting relationships with other students. Now he’s paying it forward. “Reflect back on your high school experiences,” he suggests. “If your time at NMH was positive, becoming a donor is a really appropriate way to say thank you, and at the same time it creates opportunities for others to benefit as well.” — Lori Ferguson
PHOTO: DENNIS WELSH