Building special relationships that last a lifetime

There are certain times in our lives that we build special relationships with people because we are sharing similar experiences. Dental school is one of those times; another is military service, even as a dentist. During my two years in the U. S. Navy, I was assigned to the Fleet Marine Force at Camp Lejeune, N.C. As newbie dentists and Naval officers, we became a tight group and made instant, long-lasting friendships.

One of those friends, Dr. William T. Malone, died on April 15. After leaving the Navy, Bill started a practice in Columbia, Tenn., where he became a leader in his local and state dental societies. Bill was a trustee of the Tennessee Dental Association and served for many years on the Tennessee Board of Dentistry. He was a member of the Southern Regional Testing Agency, Inc. (SRTA) for 12 years. As an examiner, he earned the key role of Scoring Area Coordinator, a position he held for the past six years. Bill served as president of SRTA from 2005 until 2006, and as a member of the Board of Directors of SRTA from 2006 until his passing.

Bill was a mentor to everyone that came on board with SRTA. His sudden death has left a void in SRTA that will not be filled for some time. He had such an impact on so many people in SRTA, as well as on dentists in Tennessee, and nationally through organizations such as the AADE and the ADA.

I had the most fun with Bill at our summer study club meetings in Destin, Fla. Six of us and our families met in Florida to study and play together. Those were great times since all of our children were the same age and seemed to get along so well. The last time I saw Bill was at a TDA meeting in Nashville. Even though we had not seen each other for years, we picked up right where we had left off. I will miss him! Please say a prayer for Bill and his wonderful wife, Sue, and their children, Mollie, Bill Jr., and Mike.

Next year, the 46th annual meeting of the Jamaica Dental Association will be held Feb. 10-13, 2010, at the Holiday Inn Sunspree Resort in Rose Hall, Montego Bay, Jamaica. This is a new resort in an area close to the airport, so there is not a long drive to the resort. Go to www.caribbeanhi.com/jamaica to get more information on this beautiful resort.

The outstanding program will include Dr. Robert Genco speaking on periodontal disease, Dr. Stanley F. Malamed on emergency medicine, Dr. Barbara Steinberg on treating patients with medical problems, Dr. Joseph Massad on implants with removable prosthetics, Dr. Dan Fischer on restorative and endodontics, and Dr. Jaleena Fischer-Jessop on preserving today for a healthy tomorrow.

Most of the courses are lecture and hands-on. For more information, contact Mary Sorum at (876) 968-0120 or [email protected].

Remember, make every day your very best one! You never know how many days you have!

Joe Blaes, DDS, Editor — e-mail: [email protected]
Toll-free phone number: (866) 274-4500