Gerald Denehy, DDS MS
In 1968, I was a senior in dental school, trying to decide where I wanted to practice but not finding anything that was satisfactory. Several months previously, someone from the University of Iowa contacted me to ask if I was interested in a teaching job. At the time I did not express any interest since I had never thought about teaching. But as a last resort, I decided to call them and see if the job was still available. Turns out it was, and I took it. At the time, I had no idea how fulfilling that decision would be for me over the next 50 years.
My dental class was in the transition where we had just advanced to the air rotor high-speed handpiece and sit-down dentistry. Most dental schools at that time had an Operative Dentistry Department that was responsible for a major share...