Veterinarian and SCPS alum Scott Hudspeth ’86 spends most of his days with small animals.
“I grew up helping my dad, Patrick Hudspeth, Sr., in his veterinary practice,” Scott says. “Now we have two practices – Richmond Hill Animal Hospital and Southside Animal Hospital in Savannah – with five veterinarians and twenty-five employees.”
Scott started at SCPS in the 4th grade. He recalls, “I attended lower school on Chatham Parkway, middle school at DeRenne, and then came back to Chatham Parkway for high school.”
He played high school football all four years, and was selected All Region twice.
After graduating from SCPS, Scott attended the University of Georgia and graduated with a B.S. in Animal Science in 1991. He then crossed the Atlantic to study veterinary medicine at the University of Liverpool in England. He graduated in 1997.
“After graduation, I returned to the United States on a Sunday,” Scott remembers. “When I asked Dad when he wanted me to start work, he said, ‘How about tomorrow morning at 8:00 a.m.?’ He didn’t give me much of a break.”
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| Scott, Jep and Mandy Hudspeth |
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Scott met his wife Mandy while she was teaching at Richmond Hill Elementary School. “I went to visit for Career Day and came home with a wife,” Scott jokes. They have one son, Jep (3), and a newborn daughter, Athen, born a few weeks ago.
“I am very fortunate,” says Scott. “I enjoy being a dad and a husband, and I am enjoying my career. Plus, I am thankful for a high school that gave me the discipline and values I needed to get through college.”
The growing Hudspeth family lives on a 120-acre family farm near Richmond Hill. “It is a work in progress,” says Scott. “We have been renovating it for several years and we are about finished with the last room.” Scott also convinced a friend to dig a pond on the property in exchange for the dirt.
A saltwater fishing enthusiast, Scott competed in tournaments for a number of years, first with the Saltwater Kingfish Association (SKA) and then with the FLW Kingfishing tournaments. He still fishes for fun when he can, but no longer competes. “We drove 85 miles out to the Gulf Stream last weekend just for fun,” Scott says. “No pressure to win, and the fishing was great!”
Scott and a partner also own the Ford Academy Child Care and Preschool Center in Richmond Hill. So, in addition to all of his animal patients, their daycare staff manages 120 children every week.
Scott’s brother, Patrick Hudspeth ’85, is married to Karen Davis Hudspeth ’85. The couple lives on a family livestock farm in Clyo, Georgia where Patrick works as a farrier (a combination blacksmith and veterinary foot doctor). Karen works as Assistant Controller for the real estate firm Melaver, Inc. in Savannah. Their daughter Kristen recently graduated from Georgia Southern University with a B.S. in Biology and will begin workon her Masters degree this fall. She eventually plans to earn her own degree in Veterinary Medicine.
Scott’s sister Amy Hudspeth Arnsdorff ’89 lives in Richmond Hill.
“The best thing about my job,” Scott says, “is when I can make a difference in sick animals and help make their owners happy, too. However,” he warns, “I’ll probably remember your dog better than I remember you!”
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