Impressions
I’ ve Been Everywhere, Man by Dr. Stephen T. Radack III, Editor
Erie-Annapolis-Southport-Myrtle Beach- Souhtport-Summersville-Erie-Malvern- Annapolis-Southport-Myrtle Beach- Southport-Erie!
Thank you to our Director of Communications and the Managing Editor of this publication, Rob Pugliese, for his patience as he waited for me to get this editorial done. When he asked several weeks ago when to expect it, I told him I would be“ on the road” for a few weeks and would definitely get to it when I got back to Erie the first week of May. So, thank you Rob, and here we go!
One of the many benefits of retirement is that you have the time to travel and take longer trips because you no longer need to get back to the office. I took full advantage of that last month as Mary and I started our journey.
As we did last year, we volunteered to watch our 7-year-old grandson, William, during his spring break since both my daughter and her husband had to work that week. His break this year was Holy Week between Palm Sunday and Easter. We loaded up the car and headed to Annapolis to pick him up on Friday, April 11. The next day we were off to Southport, N. C. to spend time with our younger daughter that week( and oh by the way, I also had an annual trip to play golf in Myrtle Beach that week.) I left Wednesday morning for the golf trip and returned to North Carolina on Friday evening to get ready for a BIG community Easter egg hunt Saturday and then Easter Sunday and our egg hunt at the house. My three grandsons( the rest of Will’ s family had decided to travel south as well) had a blast! They all departed from Annapolis on Monday morning, and after Mary and I cleaned up the house we headed for a night at the LaQuinta Inn and Suites in beautiful Summerville, W. Va.
Tuesday morning, we headed home to Erie. Being away for over a week is nice, especially with family, but there is always so much to do as soon as you get back home. Stacks of mail to open, bills to pay, hay to bale( grass to mow- just a little higher than all the neighbors), unpack, do laundry and then start the list and pack for my next adventure.
Thursday morning, I packed up and headed for Pennsylvania’ s Dental Meeting at the Desmond Hotel in Malvern. Just another six-hour drive for me! After an exciting 2 + days, it was time to head back to Annapolis to babysit the 3 grandsons( 7,4 and 2) while my daughter and son-in-law had a night out. Funny how Mary was worried that I may not be able to“ handle” these three on my own. Heck, I showed them all by feeding, bathing and having them asleep by the time their parents got home! Monday it was time to head down I-95 for a return to Southport and then Thursday back to Myrtle Beach with my fraternity brothers to celebrate one of the guys’ last month as bachelor. Sunday it was back to Southport and then Tuesday I braced the 12-hour drive by myself( first time) straight back to Erie. As I write this, I feel like I may still be in motion, but I can tell you it was really nice to be home, see my wife and sleep in my own bed after 12 days away. It is amazing how fast time can go, especially those three and a half weeks!
As I was driving on Tuesday, I was thinking about my trip and especially my time at the PDM this year. This was a really good meeting and very well attended. There were many milestones to celebrate, including our annual award winners, both ADA and PDA 10 Under 10 honorees and the completion of another PDA president’ s time at the helm. It was a unique pleasure for me to see two of my Pitt Dental Class of 1986 classmates installed as president( Ted Rockwell) and president-elect( Jim Mancini). I am not sure how many classes can say they will have had three PDA presidents!
It was also bittersweet to say goodbye to our long-term PDA treasurer, Sam Selcher, who has served multiple terms over many years. Sam did a great job, as he always let the board know what kind of footing we were on with our finances – and that is coming from a former treasurer! It was also heartening to see multiple new trustees be sworn in as the board increased by four new trustees due to the new governance structure, as well as the trustees who replaced those whose terms expired. Look for their profiles in an upcoming issue.
My highlight of the meeting was the annual past president’ s luncheon( formerly breakfast). This has been a tradition as long as I have been coming to PDA meetings, and that is over 30 years. This is when the members of this“ exclusive club” vote in the newest member, this year Cary Limberakis. I can’ t believe it has been 10 years since that was me. The last few years the attendance has varied. Four years ago, there were almost as many past presidents who needed to be voted in( post-pandemic) as members of the club. You never knew who would be there and
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MAY / JUNE 2025 | PENNSYLVANIA DENTAL JOURNAL 5