Arthur C. Jermyn, Jr.

The Academy lost one of its charter members and possibly the last of its great pioneers and innovators, Dr Arthur C. Jermyn, Jr.

Many of you may never have heard of Art. He hadn't been too active in our Academy's affairs recently, but there weren't many meetings that he failed to make. Even in recent years, although he sat quietly at our meetings, there was scarcely an issue or topic concerning the improvement of our Academy about which he did not make a suggestion.

Art was born in Rochester, New York and started his career after high school as a machinist. His skills at the bench with machine tools and the lathe were a miracle to behold. I had the pleasure of watching him make a complete set of miniature stainless steel bowling pins, each no larger than 5 mm. And he performed these works of skill with such joy and precision that the entire room seemed to become illuminated with his skill.

Although I don't recall the event or person that influenced him to study dentistry, it was to the benefit of all of us that he did so.

Almost immediately, he realized that there was a need to disseminate the information that he and others were discovering and accruing about the new science of implantology. He visited Drs Goldberg and Gershkoff in Providence. He traveled to Scandinavia to learn from Gustav Dahl. He spent time in Paris with Rafael Chercheve. There were few pioneers in Europe whom he failed to interview.

Upon his return to New York, he began to practice implant dentistry and unselfishly taught it to all colleagues—first at home, and subsequently in a variety of locations around the country and world. For the faint of heart, he introduced the use of the intramucosal insert, to this very day a simple, modestly invasive technique that has served as a surgical introduction to the more sophisticated techniques that have followed. He contributed to the design of subperiosteal implants, radically changing the placement of their support mechanism, and contributed to the education of Lenny Linkow in his heroic contributions to improve the values of the root form implants. Despite his 7-day-a-week schedule in operatory and machine shop, he insisted on sharing what he learned with others.

Shortly after the American Academy of Implant Dentistry was established (1950, St. Louis, Mo. by Drs Frank Strake, Marshall Mueller, Gershkoff, Goldberg, Jermyn, and several others), Dr Jermyn recognized the importance of legitimizing a learned society by having it sponsor a publication. This publication was started within months of the organizational meeting, and Dr Jermyn as its first editor called it the Journal of Implant Dentistry. Without question it was the first noncommercial scientific journal worldwide devoted to our field and, in the eyes of many, remains the best.

Art Jermyn brought imagination, skill, leadership, and a dynamic approach to directing the AAID in its mission. He was the educator sine qua non who set us on the path 54 years ago, that created the image and the reputation that we wear so proudly to this day.

To Dr Jermyn's family members and friends and to all who were fortunate enough to have known and loved him, this Journal and the American Academy of Implant Dentistry extend its deepest heartfelt sympathies. Those of us who knew him and learned from him will remember his brilliance, his skill, and his humility.