Gary L. Wilkes was born and raised in Dothan, Alabama. He graduated from Dothan High School in 1964. He attended Chipola Junior College in Marianna, Florida from 1964 to 1966. Dr. Wilkes later graduated from Auburn University, College of Veterinary Medicine, in 1972. He started practicing with Dr. H.G. Blalock in Augusta from 1972 to 1977. Dr. Wilkes began his own private practice in Augusta, Georgia called Westside Animal Hospital in 1977, and practiced there until 2018, when he sold his practice. After only one week of selling his practice in Augusta, he came to work at Thomson McDuffie Animal Hospital in Thomson, Georgia. Dr. Wilkes lives on a small horse farm in Harlem, Georgia with his wife of fifty years, the former Margaret Owens, also from Dotham, Alabama. They have three children Scott, Tara, and Chad. They have also been blessed with eight grandchildren and two great grandchildren. All their children and grandchildren live in Harlem, Grovetown, Evans, and Summerville South Carolina. He enjoys being a Joint Master of Belle Meade Hunt where he has 3 generations of family members that ride horses together. Dr. Wilkes is a member of Harlem Baptist Church in Harlem, Georgia. He has also been a member of National Hills Lions Club in Augusta, Georgia for over forty years. He also served as President and Melvin Jones Fellow of National Hills Lions Club.