Dr. Georgette Samuelson’s Path to Becoming One of Culver’s First Female Veterinarians
Photographer / Jubilee Edgell
Georgette Samuelson always wanted to be a veterinarian. Since growing up as a young girl on Staten Island, she knew that working to help animals was what she wanted to do with her life. She achieved her goal 46 years ago and has been helping animals ever since.
While growing up, Samuelson liked to spend time at the nearby zoo, where she met the female veterinarian. The woman became a mentor for her, and she inspired Dr. Samuelson to work hard to achieve her dreams, no matter who tried to stand in her way.
“She held classes every Saturday [at the zoo] there, and her mentorship really drove me on, the fact that she was a woman in a man’s world. I was really fascinated,” Samuelson says
In 1973, Georgette saw her dream come true, earning her degree as a veterinarian. Achieving the goal did not come without its challenges, though. Entering the field in the early 1970s, she was met with stiff opposition from the great number of males in the field. Despite the naysayers, Dr. Samuelson continued to do what she loved.
“I was a woman. They didn’t like women in [the profession] back then,” she says. “I just didn’t think about it and kept working.”
After growing up in New York, Samuelson became ready to move out and see someplace new. She was looking for somewhere less populated, and Indiana seemed to be the perfect fit. She moved to the Plymouth area and fell in love with the community.
“[There were] too many people in New York,” she says. “I wanted to move to where there weren’t as many people.”
She started working in Plymouth at the Parrot Vet Clinic, and less than a decade after earning her degree as a veterinarian, Samuelson became her own boss, taking over a family member’s practice in 1982. Originally owned by her husband’s uncle, the practice opened in the late 1950s. In the early 1980s, however, he started thinking about retiring. In 1982, he approached Dr. Samuelson and her husband about purchasing the business.
“He was ready to retire, and he asked if we wanted to buy the practice from him, so I took over in 1982,” she says.
Today, her practice has grown, garnering a great response from the community. The Culver Animal Hospital prides itself on being there to help and serve animals. They are currently only accepting cats and dogs as patients, but they also work with a wildlife rehabilitator to help those animals they cannot accept.
If you are interested in contacting the Culver Animal Hospital and Dr. Samuelson, you can visit them at 1111 N. Lakeshore Drive in Culver. You can also give them a call at 574-842-3155, or visit them on Facebook by searching for “Culver Animal Hospital.” They are open from 9 am to 5 pm on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. They are also open on Thursday and Saturday from 9 am to 12 pm. Doctor’s hours are available by appointment only.
