Mr. Watkins

Mr. Watkins is Shelby's father and the owner of Watkins Ice Cream. He is a self-made entrepreneur who always dreamed of having his own business.[21] Shelby's father deeply loves his daughter, but wishes she would focus more on her studies than on her obsession with paleontology.[22] To this end, he encourages her to study business in the hopes that she will one day follow in his footsteps. However, he eventually comes to realize that he is forcing his daughter to follow his passion rather than her own, and backs away from his efforts to force her to do so.[21]