The Mirror, December 2019 The Mirror December 9, Rev Dec 9 | Page 25

In Remembrance of Dr. Gerry Z. Wright
A note from Dr. Gregory Westman.
Dr. Gerald Wright's recent passing has prompted me to reflect on his influence on my career
as a Pediatric Dentist.
My first exposure to Pediatric Dentistry was a lecture by Dr. Wright to my first year dental
school class at the University of Western Ontario, 41 years ago. GZ certainly commanded our
attention and respect.
I have many memories of Dr. Wright in the Pediatric Dental clinic during my third and fourth year. He always
provoked thought and treated me with respect. Because of Dr. Wright’s lead, the pediatric dental program at
Western was very strong. Four of the fifty graduates of my Class of 1982 went on to become pediatric dentists.
Following graduation I did a dental internship at Victoria Hospital in London, Ontario. At this time Dr. Wright practiced
in the dental clinic at Victoria Hospital. As in dental school, I felt that Dr. Wright took a personal interest in my
training. He requested that I manage the dental treatment of a 12 year old girl with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.
I was privileged to accompany him in the OR to treat her. On a personal note Dr. Wright “suggested” that I take one
of the clinic dental assistants to a staff wedding. This led to a two year relationship with the dental assistant.
Upon deciding to specialize in Pediatric Dentistry, it was with Dr. Wright’s input and influence that I applied to the
program at Indiana University, his alma mater. Dr. Wright had been a classmate of the program director, Dr. David
Avery, and I’m sure his reference bolstered my application. While at Indiana University, I learned that Dr. Wright
was well respected by the American Pediatric Dental community as well as being an honoured Indiana University
Pediatric Dental Alumni.
When I completed my program in Indianapolis in July 1988, I consulted with Dr. Wright with respect to career
opportunities. I preferred the private practice option and he directed me to a few offices in Southern Ontario. This
included Dr. Keith Morley in Barrie Ontario, a fellow RCDC examiner with Dr. Wright. I moved to Barrie in 1988 and
I'm still practicing there today.
The last time I had the pleasure of speaking with Dr. Wright was at the CAPD meeting in Niagara-on-the-Lake in
2012.
Throughout my career when presented with a behaviour management dilemma, I often think “what would GZ do?
Dr. Lawrence Yanover added some details to the obituary on Page 24. He concluded by remarking that “The dental
community has lot a giant”.
Dr. Wrights obituary is posted on the website and includes the French version of Dr. Raymond Lee’s remarks. Please see
https://www.capd-acdp.org/In-Memoriam or https://www.capd-acdp.org/FR/memoriam