The company he keeps

Dr. Sam Young and I were both musicians before we were veterinarians. We each took up guitar in our teens. Sam continued his musical development while in veterinary school and throughout his career, learning to play many other instruments, including fiddle, mandolin, and banjo.

Although I continued developing as a guitarist throughout college and while in veterinary school, the rigors of starting a practice distracted me from my hobby for several years. When I resumed playing in 1992, I played in a few different local groups and at church. In 2003, I formed an acoustic trio with a friend who manages a Wal-Mart Supercenter and another who is a Presbyterian minister. In 2006, we were thrilled to have Sam join, completing the lineup of The Company I Keep (http://www.companyikeep.com). It was a perfect fit for our group, given Sam?s instrumental prowess and given the fact that I had known him for nearly 30 years, having worked for him (and played music with him) while I was in college.

Although Sam and I practice in the same community and compete with each other, we?re old enough to realize that life is more than professional achievement. As a result, our love of music is not threatened by our professional relationship. Rather, we both agree that our professional relationship is enhanced by our musical collaboration. We swap the occasional clinic war story and discuss cases now and again, but the truth is, the music is too much fun to waste time on business.