I m p ressio n s
Thanks to our silent majority
by Dr. Stephen T. Radack III, Editor
Back in early September when Rob
Pugliese, our Director of Communications
and the man behind the curtain of this
publication, and I met in Harrisburg for a
journal production meeting, we were
talking about upcoming issues and an
idea of profiling or highlighting members from locals and
districts who may not be well known outside those areas. This
got me thinking about all the “silent” members in great standing
out there who most of us rarely hear of. Many times we read
about members who are involved in a leadership role at one of
the levels of the tripartite, in an PDA email update, the ADA
Morning Huddle, ADA News or even your Pennsylvania Dental
Journal. What we rarely read about are our member colleagues
who just belong, year after year, and are happy doing just that.
They may or may not come to a dental meeting. You may see
them at a continuing education course and wonder who they
are. I know I have seen that over the years.
I remember years ago being at a Ninth District Annual Meeting
where we award and celebrate our members who have reached
the milestone of 35 years of membership. There were several
60ish gentlemen that day who were being recognized. One by
one they came forward to receive their plaque and make a
few remarks. I knew a couple of them and had seen the names
of the others. I kept thinking that after 35 years, why doesn’t
everyone know these folks? Then I realized that many members
may not have the desire to be a local or district officer, or a
delegate to the former PDA House of Delegates, or a trustee or
officer at the statewide level, or sit on a PDA council or
committee. That is the path I had taken, and many of the folks
that I know in PDA were also those folks who took that path
Many moons ago when I first started attending my local Erie
County Dental Association meetings, I was lucky enough to meet
a few colleagues who were around my age and also in the early
stages of the careers. It seemed like one by one we were asked
to take one of the chairs on the way to becoming president.
There were a couple of those who never took that seat. They had
no interest in going down that path. If you needed help running
an event, such as a golf outing or a holiday dinner dance, or
even help serve on the Annual Session Committee, they would
be right there to volunteer their time and talents. I thought
about letting you know who they are, but they would not want
the publicity. Being behind the scenes is just fine.
During my time as a PDA trustee and then as PDA president-
elect and president, I attended the ADA’s Recruitment and
Retention Conference in Chicago. There were delegations from
almost every constituent dental society of the ADA in
attendance. As you can imagine by the name of this conference,
it was all about membership and how to recruit and keep our
members. It was both interesting and enlightening to hear
what our colleagues from across the country do to attract and
retain members. With so many other groups and study clubs
and the internet vying for the dentists’ attention, it has become
more and more important to deliver some return on the
investment of the members’ dues, especially our new colleagues.
The old idea that you graduate and you belong because it was
the right thing to do was no longer the status quo. But what
about all those silent members? I wonder what belonging to
the dental association means to them or why they write a check
every December?
I am now on my second go-round as the secretary/treasurer
of the Ninth District Dental Society. One of my duties is to keep
our mailing list and roster up to date. At the end of every
quarter the membership department at PDA sends to me the
most up-to-date roster of our members. I am always pleased to
see a new member or one who has been reinstated, but
disappointed to see a non-renew. In between those highs and
lows are the names of the hardcore, staunch members who
keep on keeping on. I want to thank all of you, those in my
local, my district and the entire PDA. Your name may never turn
up in the pages of a journal or a newsletter, but without you
and your ongoing commitment to this association we may not
exist. THANK YOU!
On a final note, I want to put on my hat as a member of the
ADA Committee on Annual Meetings and thank everyone who
made the long journey to Honolulu to attend America’s Dental
Meeting, especially our Third ADA District delegation from
Pennsylvania. It was a great meeting in paradise. I hope you
will lock in September 5-8, 2019 for the next meeting in
San Francisco. This will be a joint meeting with the FDI World
Dental Federation and should be one of the largest dental
meetings in the world.
Happy Holidays to you and your families and best wishes as we
turn the calendar to 2019!
— STR3
N OVEM BER/DECEM BER 2018 | P EN N SYLVAN IA DEN TAL JOURNAL
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