Monday, March 30, 2020

Milliron Monday: AJ's New Tattoo

"AJ's New Tattoo" 
Photo Courtesy AJ Smith, Dr. Smith's Grandson
Abbott "Pete" Smith, D.V.M.
June 16, 1938 - February 22, 2010


I look at tattoos as a commitment to life.
Jeff Hardy, Professional Wrestler


Welcome to Milliron Monday where every Monday we celebrate the legacy of Pete Smith, D.V.M., and  Milliron: Abbott “Pete” Smith, D.V.M. The Biography (Monday Creek Publishing 2017). A graduate of Colorado State University and a well-known veterinarian in southeast Ohio, Dr. Smith continues to motivate and inspire. 

On July 28, 1959, Pete applied for his own brand - the Milliron brand. Living in Ft. Collins, Colorado, attending Colorado State University's (then Colorado A&M) Veterinarian College, Pete kept his own herd of cattle to help pay for his schooling and living expenses. Pete needed the brand to mark his herd. He was a self-made man, rising from barely nothing to esteemed veterinarian.

The Milliron brand was Pete's icon. Over sixty years later, the Milliron brand is still significant. Pete's first grandson, AJ (Abbott Pliny Smith V), has a new tattoo on his arm (see photo above). The Milliron brand is proudly displayed in and through the heart of a phoenix.

AJ writes, "I’m not really sure how to put in words why I got the tattoo... obviously to symbolize my love for grandma and grandpa, but also because my grandpa was a legend in my mind; his farm, his land, his daily routine. It was all pretty amazing. I guess I got the tattoo to remind me to keep going even when I’m not sure I can... and try and be half the man my grandfather and father are."


At (former) Milliron Clinic - in the waiting room.
Pete's Milliron brands on the wall.


Have a great week ahead. Stay well.


Through captivating, powerful, and emotional anecdotes, we celebrate the life of Dr. Abbott P. Smith. His biography takes the reader from smiles to laughter to empathy and tears. Dr. Smith gave us compelling lessons learned from animals; the role animals play in the human condition, the joy of loving an animal, and the awe of their spirituality. A tender and profound look into the life of a skilled veterinarian.

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