PDA ANNUAL AWARD WINNERS
Outgoing president Dr . Nancy Rosenthal presented Dr . Trice ’ s daughters with his Public Service Award .
Bill loved to serve others and cared deeply about mentoring the next generation and encouraging them to join organized dentistry . He had a profound impact at all levels , serving as president of Ninth District Dental Association , Erie County Dental Association our PDA president in 1979-80 and as ADA First Vice President in 1991-92 . He also served as president of the Academy of General Dentistry and the American Academy of Dental Electrosurgery .
He was a dedicated community leader , an active fundraiser for the American Heart Association and past Chairman of the Board of the Pennsylvania Heart Association and Northwestern PA Heart Association . He was a founder , member , and Past President of Presque Isle Rotary . He was a member of the Board of Directors of United Way of Erie County as well as a board member of the Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwestern Pennsylvania .
Honoring him posthumously with the PDA Public Service Award is a fitting tribute to Dr . Trice ’ s legacy , recognizing one more time his outstanding contributions to our profession .
I am honored to present his award to Bill ’ s daughters , Dr . Angela Trice Borgia , who I remember from Temple Dental School , and Harvard Law School graduate , Sheila Trice Bell . I ’ d like to invite his daughters to come up to receive this award for their father .
PDA PUBLIC SERVICE AWARD Dr . William B . Trice
It ’ s my privilege now to present the PDA Public Service Award posthumously to Dr . William Trice . For those of you who would think about Dr . Trice , the first thing you would look for would be his red or his green sports jacket … the famous sports jacket that you would always know meant you had a friend in Pennsylvania .
He was one of the most extraordinary leaders in the PDA .
Dr . Bill Trice passed away earlier this year , on January 13 , 2023 , after a life of unmatched devotion to organized dentistry , dental research and community service . During his 62-year career he achieved an endless list of honors , notably PDA ’ s Distinguished Service Award ( then known as the Annual Award ) in 1990 .
In nominating Bill for this honor , Dr . Andrew Kwasny reflected the feeling of Bill ’ s friends and colleagues when he said , “ He will be greatly missed by our Ninth District Dental Society for his opinions , advice and experience with issues related to our community , dentistry and the challenges that life presents to all of us .”
Bill was a World War II veteran , having served with the Seabees of the U . S . Navy in the 141st Battalion . After the war , he returned home and earned his Bachelor ’ s Degree and DMD from the University of Pittsburgh . He was a devoted Pitt alumnus who was active in the Pitt School of Dental Medicine ’ s Board of Visitors , Executive Board and Alumni Association Board , and he received numerous awards from the university over the years .
Dr . Trice Borgia ’ s acceptance speech :
Thank you , President Rosenthal and officers of the PDA . On behalf of my family that is with me here today , I am honored to accept this Pennsylvania Dental Association Public Service award for my dear father , Dr . William B . Trice . Thank you to the PDA ’ s annual awards committee , the Ninth District Dental Society , and especially Dr . Andrew Kwasny for his fine nomination letter for my father .
Thank you all for recognizing my father ’ s life of service . He helped and mentored countless individuals and organizations . He loved being a dentist and he loved the University of Pittsburgh . He was proud to represent the PDA , be it at the state meetings or in Washington , DC . I know that Dad would have thanked my mother , Dr . Mildred Trice , for supporting him over 74 years of marriage .
He was bigger than life and we still all miss him . Again , on behalf of my sister , attorney Sheila Trice Bell , Esq ., and her husband Howard W . Bell , Jr and my husband Samuel J . Borgia , we thank you all for this award .
16 JULY / AUGUST 2023 | PENNSYLVANIA DENTAL JOURNAL