Lowcountry Profiles

Dr. Jim Holden

Ever since his boyhood on a small farm in rural Upstate South Carolina, Dr. Jim Holden’s dream was to be a veterinarian. His parents were shaped by the Great Depression; and although they were poorly educated themselves, they instilled in young Jim an appreciation for a good education as well as hard work.

Graduating from Easley High School as a National Merit Scholar, he completed his undergraduate studies at Clemson University in just two years and entered into veterinary school at the University of Georgia at age nineteen.

Upon graduation in 1983, he began his career in private practice in Savannah. He married his classmate from veterinary college, Deborah; and in 1986 they moved to Beaufort and bought Holly Hall Animal Hospital on Lady’s Island soon afterwards.

Twenty-five years later in 2011, he closed Holly Hall and moved his office to his current location on North Street in downtown Beaufort, where he concentrates on wellness care for companion animals. Dr. Holden opened Sea Island Animal Hospital in 1999 in order to better serve the needs of pet owners across the Lowcountry. His vision for Sea Island was comprehensive and advanced veterinary medicine, diagnostics, and surgery easily accessible for local pet owners. Five short years later in 2004, Dr. Holden recognized the industry trends and benefits of corporate ownership and direction for large veterinary practices, and National Veterinary Associates bought the practice and continues to expand its scope of service to the community today through advanced technology and training.

Dr. Holden expresses great appreciation to his country and his community for providing the platform and support necessary for these accomplishments:  “The people of Beaufort welcomed Deborah and me with open arms, and we have developed many lifelong friendships here. We are truly blessed.” Dr. Holden has attempted to give back to the community and region through various avenues of community service. He has served on a number of local and charitable boards. He has been a member of the Rotary Club of Beaufort since shortly after his arrival here, serving as Club President in 1997. He was a founder and organizing director of Coastal Banking Company and CBC National Bank in 1999, and he continues to serve as the Board Secretary and Chairman of the Governance Committee. In 2008, he was an organizing director of Select Laboratories in Manning, S.C., a human clinical laboratory serving rural physicians and their practices across the state of South Carolina.

One of the most unique experiences in Dr. Holden’s career in Beaufort came in the early 1990s with the filming of Walt Disney’s live-action production of “The Jungle Book” on Fripp Island. It began when Holden received a call “like a lightning bolt out of the blue” from a Disney Co. vet in California who asked if he would like to work with the some 200 exotic animals that would be included in the production. The vet went on to explain that Disney would be bringing “elephants, lions, tigers, monkeys and all sorts of other things,” to Fripp where the jungle setting of the film would be created.

Holden initially thought that he wouldn’t be up to the challenge because he hadn’t worked with exotic animals before, but the vet explained that these were “animal actors” that were well cared for, and much the same as human actors, they had agents who booked their jobs, handlers who watched out for them and even in some cases had trailers to retire to in between filming their scenes. Soon the animals began arriving from all over North America at a compound on Fripp Plantation off Seaside Road for the shooting schedule that lasted three or four months. Holden would typically go there in the evening after seeing his own patients, to help care for the animal actors.

A baby elephant was born during the production and a wolf that had appeared in “Dances With Wolves” gave birth to a litter of puppies. There was also a pair of black-spotted leopards from South America, litter mates less a year old that had been bottle raised and grown to 70 or 80 pounds. Holden recalls that the deep, low frequency of their purr would make his chest vibrate. Holden counts himself lucky in his career choice and location. “It has been a wonderful place to live and work,” he said of Beaufort. “I’ve been very fortunate to do what I wanted to do where I wanted to live.” He enjoys spending time in the beautiful environs of the Lowcountry and surrounding region, whether on land or water. He feels equally at home whether in the mountains or on the coast of his native state. He most especially enjoys backcountry and wilderness hiking and backpacking. “I feel most at peace when I’m surrounded by Nature.” he said. “There’s nothing quite like it.”

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