Impressions
This Is 60 ! by Dr . Stephen T . Radack III , Editor
I remember back when my grandmother turned 60 . We had a party for her to celebrate that BIG day . I was 19 , but remember that 60 sounded very old . Granted my grandma didn ’ t look old because she still dyed her hair jet black , but she walked and talked slower than my parents so that must have been one of the signs of turning 60 . All I know is that birthday seemed a LONG way away at the time and then BOOM , it finally came for me in June . Wow – this is 60 !
I told my wife all along I never wanted a party to celebrate that milestone . I had surprise parties for both 40 and 50 and I always felt like she would try to get me back . This was a unique year for our family though . Not only was I turning 60 in June , but my son-in-law turned 40 in June , my grandson turned 1 on the Fourth of July and my mom turned 80 on July 7 ! That is a lot of millstones and I wanted to just have everyone together and have one large celebration with our family together , especially after all the limitations of the last year . Could that actually happen ? If so , we would need to get family to Erie from Florida ( mom ), Illinois ( brother and his wife and two daughters and dog ), Maryland ( daughter and her husband and two boys and dog ) and North Carolina ( daughter and her boyfriend and his two children )! Well indeed it did over the Fourth of July week . At one point we had 15 people and two big dogs at our house . Thank goodness for the great weather and the ability to be outside . It was awesome to celebrate these milestones , especially one little boy turning 1 and my mom turning 80 .
Celebrating these milestones really got me thinking about what my 60 years on this earth have been all about . When I graduated from dental school in 1986 , I was fortunate enough to purchase a private practice from a dentist who planned to retire at the end of that year . He was 60 . So for so many years I looked at 60 as THE age to finish my career . After all , Dr . Steg was able practice for 35 years , sell his practice and then retire . It sounded like a plan to me . Well I hit both milestones this year , 60 and 35 years in dentistry , yet here I am still getting up and going to the office everyday just like I have the last three and half decades . For years he would always tell me he retired too soon and believed he would run out of money . He lived a great life until 91 and that never happened .
If one takes the time to reflect back on the years , I believe we all can find those high points or low points or the accomplishments we are most proud of . I believe almost every dentist I know would put graduating from dental school as one of those high points . For me it finally meant that the 13-year-old boy ’ s dream had come true . I am sure not everyone knew what they wanted to be at that age , but I sure did ! If you are married and have been lucky to have found “ the one ” then you can certainly count that as one of the high points . I met Mary when I was 25 on a blind date and we have been together ever since . My journey as a dentist and with her started at the same time . Lucky me !
As you can see , many of these milestones are not unique to me , but to many of us . I would also consider having children one of the most special milestones in my life . Mary and I were lucky enough to have two happy and healthy girls who have grown up to become talented , successful , independent women ( 30 and 28 ) who now have their own families . I am not sure anything makes a parent feel more accomplished and proud .
And like in every life , there have been a few low lights . The last year and half of the global pandemic had been a low light I could have never imagined in my lifetime . Obviously , saying goodbye to loved ones : family , friends , patients , a pet , but especially a parent , is the lowest . These seem to get more frequent the older we get and I guess that is inevitable , but as long as these low points remain few and far between , this is still a great life .
I can ’ t take a look back and not include my professional life and the high points that being a dentist has provided me . Being a member of organized dentistry from the start of my career and being asked to serve the dental association started me on a path of profession high points . Whether it was serving at the local or district level and being president of both , to serving as a delegate to both the PDA and ADA HODs and being asked to serve on councils and committees at both , to serving as a PDA trustee and an officer , each felt like a step climbing a ladder . The top of that ladder and the obvious high point of my career was serving as your PDA president . The past presidency bonus though was being asked to be the editor of this publication . It has been a true honor and privilege to be able to write and share my thoughts .
So this is my 60 . It has so many great things to look back on through the years and celebrate , but I ’ m also looking forward from here on to the future and trying to enjoy every minute of it . Cheers to the next 60 and to you all !
— STR3
P . S . – Please be sure to take the time to read about our new PDA Member Advantage Program in this journal on page 32 and consider supporting our vendors !
SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2021 | PENNSYLVANIA DENTAL JOURNAL 5