East Texas veterinarian puts love of tinkering to work

By KRISTY HEMMINGSEN | East Texas Edition

While his primary focus is 'keeping people healthy,' Dr. James Wright has a great appreciation of agriculture and a love to create objects out of metal, such as windmills. -- Staff photos by Hemmingsen

August 14, 2003 -- Windmills were some of the first machines created to make use of the wind's power. In the early days of a developing America, windmills enabled pioneers to settle land where surface water was nonexistent.

Today, although water is often just a turn-of-a-faucet away, windmills are still useful, and ornamental.

Dr. James Wright of Smith County, a veterinarian by day and a windmill enthusiast most all the time, preserves, restores, and makes farm-style windmills. He has named his "business" Doc's Windmill Service, but insists that it's just something he loves to do.

Wright, the son of two school teachers, grew up in San Antonio, but at every opportunity, he would visit his grandfather and uncle who both "lived in the country" and on a farm.

His visits would result in a great appreciation of agriculture and he discovered he really enjoyed "piddling" with things as as way to make something new, and workable, out of old objects.

It may have been his love of country life, and his knack at repairing things, that led Wright to become a veterinarian. Currently he serves as the regional zoonosis veterinarian for the Texas Department of Health in Tyler.

"My focus is keeping people healthy," he stated. (Wright is a source for keeping Country World readers up-to-date on rabies cases in East Texas.)

When he and wife Sherry left Arlington and moved to East Texas a little over three years ago, the couple had already decided they would like to have a windmill at their new home.

"I began to think about the possibility and decided I would like to do more than have a windmill," explained Wright. "I wanted to learn how windmills work and be able to refurbish and care for one myself."

This is the water trough utilized by his own full size windmill. -- Staff photos by Hemmingsen

By chance, the owner of Texas Windmill Service lived near the Wright's home in Arlington. And on a whim, Wright decided to stop and talk to him one day.

"I drove in and introduced myself and told him I would like to learn about windmills," he explained. "I asked if I could follow him around, and he enthusiastically said 'yes.'"

For the next three years, Wright spent every spare moment with the windmill service's owner, Chuck.

"I helped him rebuild, put up, and take down windmills," he said. "And it also gave me the pleasure of visiting with him and listening to his corny jokes and sayings.

He was a delightful guy. Though he was 76-years-old when we met, he was sharp as a tack. In addition to a world of windmill knowledge, he had a quip or funny remark for every occasion. He was the 'life of the party' until the day he died in March of this year. I still miss my time with him."

Before the Wrights moved from Arlington, Chuck had encouraged the veterinarian to start a windmill service in East Texas.

"Because I liked working with the windmills and visiting with other people who like windmills, I did start Doc's Windmill Service," he explained. "Unfortunately, the business has not been booming. In fact, between my hours at the TDH and the small demand for windmills in East Texas, it has not been very busy," he cited.

But Wright said working with windmills and making the other metal working objects, such as tractor seat bar stools and metal sunflowers, gives him a great sense of satisfaction. "I really love doing it," he expressed. "And I look forward to times when I can visit with others who have a love for windmills as well."

Wright has a small welder, a large shop, and a vast amount of scrap metal and windmill remnants. He said he loves to "piddle around" in his workshop and do little projects with his hands, and particularly likes working with metal.

When Wright recreates windmills, it may be for ornamental purposes or functional purposes and certainly whatever the customer has in mind. He has had customers wanting to buy a windmill to catch the country spirit of their land, and he has had a few older men needing their functional windmill repaired.

Through his years of experience, Wright has worked with windmill brands FIASA, Aermotor, and Monitor, all from the late 1880s to the early 1900s. He also works with day wind engines. He explained each has a different way of catching the wind and making the mill go around.

Wright's wife Sherry is often available to help her husband - whether it is bringing a mug of ice tea, holding something to be bolted or welded, driving the tractor to move a windmill tower, or using the tractor to hoist him up high enough to get to something.

"She's always an integral part of the operation," said Wright. "She is also very patient with me as I try to figure out what needs to be done and communicate my ideas to her. One could not ask for a better partner."

Doc's Windmill Service: 903-939-9487.