Temple University School of Dentistry - Odontolog Yearbook (Philadelphia, PA)

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LE.TTEJ2. 6mk tUm EDITORS The Odontolog lYio It is hard to believe that our dental school years are now history. It seems like only yesterday that we were greeting each other in Lecture Rooms A B in August of 1993. We have now survived hundreds of exams in those same hallowed halls and shared the best and worst of times together. The memories, friendships and unbelievable accumulation of knowledge were worth the challenges that we endured and have set us in good stead to be the dentists of the next century. We can now fondly recollect our excitement at tearing open our letters of acceptance from Mark Lombard, our first day of lectures sitting amidst 115 strangers learning a completely foreign language of dental anatomy, peering through a micro scope at minute epithelial cells and taking alginate impressions for hours on our alphabetical neighbors whom we spent hundreds of hours entertaining in the following years. The lab was a mess, but the bond were formed and the impressions will last a lifetime. The maze of the dental school from old and new building to FSU and Anatomy at Kresge became second nature to us and we have since mastered the different colored clinical floors. Did our backs appreciate the special NASA floors and our hands the ergonomic drills in the Pre-Clinic?—only time will tell. Our stomachs certainly built a tolerance to vendeteria lunches, pizza, hoagies and snacks. We will never forget the hours of lectures—the entertaining and the sleep-evoking professors. The seemingly subjective grading of lab practicals, the hours of custom tray making, porcelain application and partial denture fabrication will live in our minds forever, as will the pungent odor of formaldehyde from our daily hikes to Kresge in the ice and snow. Our colorful waxed central incisors, jars of extracted teeth, screw-on manikin heads, blue lockers, big lockers, dietary analyses. EKG results, parking tickets and challenges, first patients, duty days, recall visits, gold window' encounters. chair reservations frustrations, no-shows and more no-shows, miscasts and missing instruments are all memories that may fade but helped to form the dentists we became. The number of faculty faces decreased and changed dramatically in our four years, but our desire for a change at the veryr top did not. We appreciated the hard w'ork and dedication of a minority of our faculty who truly cared and shared with us. Their teaching and love of dentistry we will cherish for years to come. We worked together to initiate change for future students making clinical and didactic life easier for them. We sought extracurricular activities not only for the dental education, but also for socialization and enjoyment. We studied together and for the most part tried to help each other to survive. We celebrated engagements, weddings and births and consoled one another at times of loss. We became a family and these memories will last a lifetime and were well worth the hardships that wfe endured. Halloween costumes, Summit Park parties, Holiday Secret Santas, bowling, softball, ping-pong, volleyball. FSU gym and other events are etched in our minds. Our class officers over the years helped to make life a bit more enjoyable—changing exam dates, vending Temple sweats, pens, fleeces and more, organizing celebrations and working behind the scenes to make it easier for the entire class and their efforts were are much appreciated. We could not have reached our dreams alone. A very special thank you goes to our friends, spouses, parents, siblings, children and faculty who gave us their support and endless love and encouragement. Their proud sea of smiles at graduation was testament to four years of hard work, sacrifices, dedication and accomplishment. The production of this book was a challenge greater than any of us expected—financially, organizationally and mentally. More than a year of time and effort wrent into gathering the photos and stories, with little cooperation form others and weeks of work at home from the Trio. We would like to thank Mr Frank Colgan at Cooke Publishing for his time and endless patience and for the help of a select few others at school. The following pages are testament to what we survived and show the fond memories of our tenure at Temple Dental— years w'e will never forget. We hope that you will enjoy this memory book for years to come, reminiscing about the stories and glories. (We also hope that it wras worth the wait.) It is a tribute to our perseverance, dedication and the challenge of trying to maintain a balance and a sense of humor. We wish our classmates the best of luck in making every dream come true, in soaring to new heights and happiness. Please keep in touch!! Most Sincerely, Holly Leandri-May. Leigh-Ann Maltz-Dichter and Sheelpa Shah Odontolog Editors 5

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The Class of 1997 is memorable for many reasons—and yes, I actually prefer activists, rather than docile, passive students—but I will especially remember you for your outstanding turnout at the University-wide Commencement. Commencement is more than fun, however, as it marks your step forward into the ranks of your chosen profession. I trust you will always perform at the highest levels of knowledge, skill and ethics, delivering your services with understanding, compassion and confidence. I know many of you are unsure of your readiness to enter the profession; however, returning students verify that our graduates are more than ready to meet the challenges of the real world and I have every confidence you will do so as well. My best wishes to each of you for a long and successful career and a fulfilling and happy life. Sincerely, (,jC o -] Martin F. Tansy, Ilh.D. Dean 4

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Though the Years 6 Happy Holidays