Dr. Lancione’s acceptance speech:
Thank you Dr. Boyle
for your very kind
introduction and
presentation.
I am deeply honored
and humbled to have
been nominated and
selected as the
recipient of the 2019
Pennsylvania Dental
Association
Distinguished Service
Award. In 1957, when I graduated from the University
of Pittsburgh School of Dentistry, I never thought that
at this time in my professional career, I would be the
recipient of such a prestigious award. Before I reflect
on those years following graduation, I must recognize
some special and devoted people who helped to
make it possible for me to be able to extend my
service to our great profession. I want to thank the
officers and staff of my Tenth District for the
nomination, Dr. R. Donald Hoffman and his Annual
Awards Committee, and the PDA officers and staff.
I was an ADA student member and a tripartite
member dentist since graduation in 1957. I wasn’t
involved with committees/offices in dental school or
my early years in practice. I was working two jobs after
school and busy building a practice following
graduation. In the early 1960s, my local branch
appointed me to the Tenth District Board of Directors.
That was followed by a series of committee
appointments in the 1970s. From the early 1980s to
2004, my involvement was with a series of tripartite
offices, council and committee appointments,
university appointments, ICD, ACD, Allegheny County
Health and the Medical Bureau of Pittsburgh. The
journey was not always a smooth one. My wife, Jessie,
was always tolerant of my busy meeting schedule
because she was heavily involved with the Alliance.
In 1989, she started to display symptoms of an illness
diagnosed to be incurable. In 2006, she passed away.
Some may remember her as an active member of the
dental family.
There are those special people that I have worked with
through the years who deserve to be mentioned.
Some are no longer with us. The late John B. Lathrop
and Nicholas D. Saccone were mentors when I was
with ICD. Rich Galeone was my editor for the premiere
edition of the ICD College Call. The late Kay F. Thompson
was a mentor and special friend throughout my
professional career until her untimely death in 1998.
When I was elected PDA secretary in 1995, the late
Bob S. Runzo, another special friend, replaced me as
Tenth District secretary. And now, Cindy Schuler, an
individual that I mentored, is the Tenth District
secretary and doing a great job. Donald Sarandria, my
friend and classmate, was always there for me when I
needed to transport Jessie to respite care on our way
to the PDA annual meeting. I’ve been very fortunate to
have had the opportunity to serve under a PDA CEO
and an executive director. I served as vice president
and trustee under the late Esther F. Richwine, CAE. In
my term as PDA secretary, I served under Camille
Kostelac-Cherry, Esq., CEO. And finally, many thanks
to our retired Dental Society of Western PA executive
secretary, Janice Buzzelli, who was my communications
link through my busy years.
As I look back over the years, there have been so many
colleagues, educators, friends and especially family
who have made it possible for me to receive this
award. They have all helped, in their own way, to assist
in making my involvement possible. Some are no
longer with us, but the memories remain.
In closing, I just want to express my inner most
gratitude for being able to have served the public,
profession and community over the past years.
Thank you for the honor.
JU LY/AU G U ST 2019 | P EN N SYLVAN IA DEN TAL JOURNAL
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