It's always nice to have a place for things that won't fit anywhere else. Those miscellaneous things that are interesting, but may not be pertinent to Dentistry. In Jeopardy they call it Hodge Podge. I thought of calling this section Golash or Ramblings. Extra is a place for good music and fun.
Its GREAT being a Dentist. It has always struck me as paradoxical that even though Dentistry has come out of the "Dark Ages" that people still dread "going to the dentist". We are told that we are the most trusted profession and yet most patients admit they would rather be somewhere else. Dentist's relieve more pain then any other health profession. Cosmetic Dentistry can do wonders to improve a negative self image.
It seems like only yesterday that we moved to Temple. We were married shortly after I graduated from dental school. I served in the State of Virginia Public Health and the Navy before Moving to Temple.
My oldest daughter Leanne has played soccer since the second grade. She received the first Division 1 Soccer Scholarship awarded to a Temple High School Girls Soccer Player. Congratulations Leanne!!!!
My other two daughters areDanielle and Erin. Danielle is a Junior at Temple High School and is active in Choir and Thespians. Erin is also active in Choir and is presently in J.V. Soccer.
Harrison kept me from being alone in a house full of women. He is really a great guy. He is a lot of fun to be with. He has a lot of different interests right now.
Here the family in Florida visiting my Mother (Danielle's taking the picture).
Recently my sister and her family came to visit. Their job brought them to Temple. They made the front page of the Telegram because they have an Interesting Occupation.
Dental humor has been around for a long time. I have run across some pictures that I have placed in my Dental Gallery
Recently, my daughter Leanne decided that she wanted a dog. She researched all of the breeds on the Internet. She finally decided to rescue a dog from the animal shelter. Leanne and Danielle went to the animal shelter one afternoon; that is how we acquired our new family member Buddy.
I love to look at aquariums. I tried for many years to maintain an aquarium but no matter what I seemed to do all my fish would eventually die. Before abandoning the aquarium completely I cleaned it and told anyone who asked that it contained Chinese Invisible Fish. When we moved to my current office we did not set up an aquarium at all. I do miss the fish but through the technology of the internet I was able to set up this Aquarium.
One of the great things about living in Central Texas is the Springtime which is filled with the colors of wildflowers. Thanks to Lady Bird Johnson the states fields and highways have been planted with wildflowers providing a sea of beauty. The best known and probably the most beautiful are probably the Bluebonnets. A visit to Texas is a must for anyone interested in natural beauty. It is very common to see people pulled off the side of the road taking pictures of their children in the flowers.
I have always loved sports but I never considered my self an athlete. I did bowl and carried a 195 average through High School. My senior year in college I was 1 of 5 chosen to represent all of the Universities in the Southeastern United States at the first Intercollegiate Bowling Tournament held in Oakland California in 1964.
In 1969 I had grown to be well over 200 pounds toping the scales at 234 pounds. When I entered the Navy I decided the weight had to come off. In 1969 over an 8 month period I lost 104 pounds and became very thin. It was at that time that I became interested in nutrition and began eating a low fat diet at that time long before it was publicized as it is today. I also became interested in exercise and began running in 1971. I ran between 35 and 50 miles a week until last year when I developed adult onset asthma. In 1985 I decided that I would like to run at least 1 marathon so I entered the first San Antonio Marathon called The Alamo City Run and completed the marathon but because of high temperatures finished slower then I wanted. I wanted to complete another marathon while I was still in good shape and there was only one marathon scheduled in Texas; 2 weeks later I entered and completed the Daybreak Marathon at Wills Point Texas. I had a much better time there but was really sore for about 2 weeks after that.
Everyone who views Central Texas as a hot dry place is in for a surprise. There is a wide variety of weather here from beautiful fall and spring weather to summer days in the 100's. We occasionally even have Snow.
NOSTALGIA!! I have been very fortunate to have a great staff for many years. Everyone on my current staff has been with me at least 6 years, which is truly remarkable. I often think of some of the truly wonderful people who have worked with me over the years. I invite you to visit our Staff Album and see some people you may remember from years past.
In Dentistry I have been very fortunate to have 2 Heroes who have been excellent role models and Mentors. I met them at the Pankey Institute in 1973 at the first annual "Dawson-Fillastre" week. After that week I took every course both Pete Dawson and Alvin Fillastre gave and in the process became personal friends with both. I learned most of the important things I know about Dentistry from them. I am particularly close with Alvin Fillastre and his family. Helga, Alvin's wife did lab work for me before she retired. Al their son took over the lab, and now does laboratory work for me. An article from the Lakeland Ledger, in Alvin's home town, that I received several years ago tells a little about Alvin Fillastre.
