Columbia University School of Dental and Oral Surgery - Dental Columbian Yearbook (New York, NY)

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GRAYSON KIRK, Ph.D., LLD. President of the University ADMINISTRATION To the members of the Class of 1961, my sincere congratulations upon the passing of an important milestone in your professional lives! It has not been an easy road for any of you and the degree for which you have strived has been hard won and well earned. The selection of Continuing Education in Den- tistry as your yearbook ' s central theme is appropriate and well timed in this day and age when changes in all aspects of dentistry are o ccurring so rapidly that the very thought of trying to keep abreast is stagger- ing. That you recognize the necessity of continued learning, not only through experience but also through more formal methods, points to your understanding of the responsibilities of the professional man. During your four years in the Dental School you have worked diligently and each one of you has sacrificed a great deal to achieve your goal. You have acquired a strong foundation of ideals and an understanding of con- temporary methods upon which your professional career will be built. If there is a student who feels that he has learned enough in his undergraduate years of dental education to conduct a practice which is both awarding to him and in which his patients can place their utmost trust and confidence, he is a rarity. On the other hand, most of you realize that the training you have rece ived at Columbia has not only provided the basic tools of your profession but has also given to you an acute awareness of how much more there is to learn, and we hope it has created a desire in you to continue your education through every means avail- able.

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If we who are about to conclude our formal dental education will pause for a moment and ask ourselves who will be responsible for enriching our practices with the new and miraculous wonder drugs, the improved methods of treatment, and the host of other advanced dental techniques which we hope to acquire as we con- tinue our dental education, we will not hesitate to think of those seemingly tireless individuals who have literally dedicated their lives to the advancement of dentistry through research. It is to one of these men, Assistant Professor Austin H. Kutscher, that the Class of 1961 proudly dedicates its Dental Columbian. Over the past four years all of us have marvelled at the drive, dedication, and inspirational qualities em- bodied in Dr. Kutscher. He has instilled in each of us a keen interest and appreciation for dental research and has placed this vital aspect of dentistry in its proper perspective. His vast knowledge of therapeutics, much of which was gained through his own observations and painstaking research, was presented to us in a series of stimulating lectures in our junior year. Dr. Kutscher has devoted full time to dental research since giving up his own private practice several years ago and has been faculty adviser to the William Jarvie Society. Through his efforts this society has become, in the past few years, a valuable and dynamic adjunct in the field of under- graduate research, a purpose for which the organization was originally founded but for some reason had become mired in a held of indifference. Dr. Kutscher earned his A.B. from New York Uni- versity and received his D.D.S. from Columbia in 1946. After brief internships at Memorial Hospital and the Guggenheim Dental Clinic, he was appointed to the staff of the School of Dental and Oral Surgery as a Research Assistant in December, 1947. Since that time Dr. Kutscher has held attending positions at the Pres- byterian, Francis Delafield, and New Rochelle Hospi- tals. He has been on the editorial staffs of various dental and scientific journals in New York State and Connecti- cut and has been the Associate Editor of the New York State Dental Journal since 1951. He is presently the editor of the new Journal of Clinical Stomatology Con- ferences published here at Columbia University. Dr. Kutscher has also been extremely active as a member and officer in various societies and research organiza- tions including O.K.U., the New York Academy of Science, the International Association for Dental Re- search, the American Medical Writers Association, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. With all of his activities we feel that Dr. Kutscher is the only man who actually works 25 hours a day. To top it off he depends on the Pennsylvania Railroad to carry him home each day to his lovely wife Helene and their three sons, Harlan, Austin Jr., and Martin. Even on the train he cannot afford to catch up on lost sleep for fear that one nap too many will carry him far past New Brunswick to the outskirts of Philadelphia. It is reliably reported that Dr. Kutscher occasionally offers his family a taste of his Chinese creations which are the epitome of his culinary accomplishments. Thus it is to you, Dr. Kutscher, that our class shows its appreciation and gives its sincere thanks for your friendship, guidance, devotion, and inspiration to us and for the entire profession.

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Throughout your years at Columbia you have also come to realize that this training has been one of quality and excellence. How you develop from here on is entirely up to you. If you rest upon your training, you will probably become enslaved in a dental prac- tice with perhaps adequate monerary compensation but lacking in inspiration and satisfaction to you. However, if you not only uphold the high standards that have been set for you but continually strive to improve them through continuing education, then your life, your school, your profession, and society as a whole will benefit immeasurably. Remember always, the close bond that should exist between Columbia and her alumni — they are and will be judged together. The School will be only as good as her graduates, and the graduates will stand on the reputation of the School. It is our sincere desire that this bond be maintained by all of you through active participation in the affairs of the alumni and of the Dental School. To the Class of ' 61, on behalf of everyone asso- ciated with Columbia, we extend our best wishes and a hope that your future will be happy, rewarding and full of progress! Dr. Gilbert P. Smith DR. GILBERT P. SMITH, D.D.S. Prof, of Dentistry Dean of Faculty Director, Division of Restorative Dentistry