In 1971, Edward “Doc” Higgins moved into New Boston to set up a veterinary clinic. Fifty-four years later, he is celebrating his 79th birthday tomorrow by officially retiring.
Doc, as he has been loving nicknamed by clients, began his journey into veterinary medicine as a child on his father’s ranch in Bastrop, Texas. He said his most memorable experiences as a youth were working with the family’s ranch hand Zed Washington.
“All summer long, I’d go with Zed treating screwworms. June, July and August I’d ride with him. And lots of my counterparts at school called me Zed Higgins because I was always with him,” Doc said.
His time working with cattle and cow dogs on the family farm led him to pursue an education in veterinary medicine at Texas A&M in College Station.
Following graduation, Doc moved from his hometown of Bastrop, Texas, to New Boston to begin a clinic where he could treat animals of all sizes.
“Where I lived, they already had a bunch of veterinarians up there. And there was a guy that had a ranch and I was doing most of his large animals up around Texarkana. And he just asked for a veterinarian to come. So I drove up here and kind of liked what they had … My mother and daddy said this looked like a good place to be,” Higgins said.
Being a new face in the area, Doc was quickly introduced to Doug McClaran as someone to show him around which began a lifelong friendship, said McClaran’s daughter Jane Forrester.
“Every day, Doc would pick him up and they would go on calls together, introduce him to people and show him how to get around without much trouble because Daddy had lived here his whole life,” Forrester said. “That’s how we got so close to Doc so quickly because of his relationship with my dad.”
The pair later worked together on building the clinic that would become Doc’s work permanent home for fifty years on Highway 82 where he treated hundreds of thousands of animals in and around New Boston.
“Ed has been such an integral part of this community since he moved here in the early 70s. He is loved by everyone in the community, especially my dad,” said Jane Forrester.
Forrester said that what made him stand out from other vets was his generosity.
He provided low cost testing at the New Boston Round Up Clubs Coggins clinic, provided jobs for several youth and sometimes provided animals treatment at no cost.
“I just think Doc’s the kind of person that you can’t help but respect him because he’s so reliable and kind and respectful to people,” Forrester added.
But Doc said his generosity is his way of showing his appreciation to the community.
“They’ve been generous to me, too,” he said.
