- Email: [email protected]
Keep your eye on the star
Keep y o u r eye on the star Norman Wahl
Thousand Oaks, Ca~if. Moderator: Good morning, Mr. and Mrs. America! This is Paula Janeway coming to you "live" over PBN. This morning we are privileged to have as our guests four women who made it in the man's world of orthodontics. They got their DDS degrees, completed their specialty training, and developed successful orthodontic practices despite an apathetic--and sometimes host!le--professional environment. And it all happened before women's lib. The four women are Dr. Emily T. ("Teed") Hicks, a 1924 graduate of the Baylor University College of Dentistry; Dr. Carlotta A. Hawley, a 1936 graduate of the Baltimore College of Dental Surgery, Dental School, University of Maryland; Dr. Alice T. Peak, a 1943 graduate of the University of Southern California School of Dentistry; and Dr. Ruth D. Carter, who graduated from the Meharry School of Dentistry in 1948. In just a few minutes, they are going to tell us what it was like breaking the sex and color barriers in the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s; being the only female in their dental class; and being ostracized by fellow professionals for something we would not even blink at today. Most of us are probably not aware that lady "wire benders" have been around since the early part of the century. At least six were trained by Dr. Edward H. Angle, the "father" of modern orthodontics, before he moved to the west coast. That was in the days of "suffragettes." In most states, women still did not have the right to vote. Of these six women, Dr. Angle's wife, Anna, was the first secretary of the newly organized American Society of Orthodontists in 1902. In 1904 Jane Bunker became a founding member of the Eastern Association of Graduates of the Angle School and in 1907 was one of the founders of the European Orthodontia Society. Two or three others, including some nonAngle graduates, were charter members of regional orthodontic societies and, by the early twenties, several were teaching. And two, Guilhermena Mendell Stallard and Josephine Abelson Riesner, even got their husbands to go into orthodontics. Our guests are here to tell you that, despite these early breakthroughs, for a woman to get into dentistry in those days it was, well, like pulling teeth. ~o'rE: Statements made by the four orthodontists were taken from separate interviews. 811128950
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Now, two of you had fathers who were pioneers in orthodontics. In fact, you could call them two of the profession's greats. Carlotta, your father was Charles A. Hawley, one of the early Angle graduates, a prolific writer and inventor and, as all dentists know, the originator of the retainer that bears his name. Alice, your father was Charles H. Tweed, one of the last Angle graduates, who brought the house down when he suggested four-premolar extractions, but was finally recognized as the one who gave the specialty cephalometric guideposts when it was desperately seeking answers. So if I were to ask you, how did you become interested in orthodontics, the answer might seem obvious. But is it? Let's find out what Carlotta has to say. What kind of influence did your father have on you? Dr. Carlotta Hawley: I greatly admired my father, but he did not encourage me to go into dentistry. In fact, he wanted me to study m u s i c - - h i s avocation. He thought it would be too hard a life for a woman. It was my mother who encouraged me to go into orthodontics after my father died when I was 15. Moderator: What was your first exposure to orthodontics? Dr. Hawley: When I was 5, I attended my first orthodontic meeting at the Edgewater Beach Hotel in Chicago. It was 1918, and I remember I had to eat my cereal without sugar because of the war. And I got to dance with Dr. Bill Fisher. I also met many other orthodontic pioneers who were guests in our home: John Mershon, J. Lowe Young, Benno Lischer, Paul Simon, Henry Ferris, Harry Kelsey, and Ralph Waldron. Other than that, and wearing appliances myself and watching his lab technicians at work, I knew him mostly as a wonderful father. Before compound came out and impressions were taken in plaster, I was told that he could take an impression, remove the pieces, and assemble them without getting a speck of plaster on his dark blue carpet. Dr. Alice Peak: C h a r l i e - - m y d a d - - u s e d my sister, Pat, and me as guinea pigs. He learned to take plaster impressions on us for 10 cents a set. We would sit there with a mouthful of plaster, getting hotter by the minute, while he searched for a hammer and chisel. I used plaster for the first year or so after I got out of dental school. The new materials were just coming out while I was in school, so I was familiar with them. My father squelched my suggestions that we try them until some of his buddies, like Cecil Steiner, told him about them. After he tried them, we switched to alginate. But to answer your question, Paula, my situation was completely the opposite of Carlotta's. I got into
Voh,,,,e 102 Number 3
ortho after considerable arm twisting by my father. He had three daughters and no sons. I was the middle sister. The other two gave him a firm no, so he concentrated on me. Besides, I made the best grades and was good with my hands. In other words, I sewed! I also knew the Angles since I was about 6. Cecil Steiner and some of the others were like uncles to me. Mrs. Angle was a remarkable w o m a n - - o n e that I greatly admired. We would see them whenever we went to California or when they came to Arizona. Later, when I practiced in San Marino, I saw a great deal o f her. M o d e r a t o r : How did you others get into ortho? Dr. Emily Hicks: When I was in high school, I spent my summers working for Dr. Oscar Busby. At that time, I think there were only two orthodontists in Dallas. The other one was a Dr. White. Dr. Busby took his training under Dr. Martin Dewey [in 1915]. Dr. R u t h C a r t e r : I guess I have always had the ambition o f being a doctor. I was my mother's first girl. Her own unrealized ambition was to become a doctor. Right after I was born, she began telling everyone that I was going to be a doctor. M o d e r a t o r : Did you have any trouble getting into dental school? Dr. C a r t e r : In my senior year at Ohio State, my faculty advisor told me that the dental school would not even consider admitting a black female and suggested that I try Meharry, which had a predominantly black student body. Besides, ifI was going to be thrown in with a bunch of males, I preferred that they be black males! M o d e r a t o r : Did anything materialize out of that? Dr. C a r t e r : Well, I secretly married a student from Tennessee State [both schools are in Nashville], but we were later divorced. M o d e r a t o r : And, Teed, didn't you meet your husband in dental school? Dr. Hicks: Yes, Hardy [H. Hicks] and I were classmates and were married right after graduation. M o d e r a t o r : Carlotta, how did you get along in dental school? Dr. Hawley: I was the only girl in my class. Incidentally, I could not get into Georgetown, near where I lived, because their charter forbade the acceptance of women. So, at considerably more expense and inconvenience, I applied and was accepted at Baltimore. Anyway, when my instructors picked on me under the pretense of failing me early to save my mother further tuition, they were actually doing me a favor. I had to work twice as hard, so that I "fell ahead" instead of behind. M o d e r a t o r : How did your classmates treat you? Dr, Hawley: They were very sympathetic and did
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Fig. 1. The Charles H. Tweed family visiting the Angles in Pasadena, Calif., 1927. Mrs. Angle is at left. Alice Tweed is in the front row left. [Courtesy Dr. Alice T. Peak.]
Fig. 2. Charles A. Hawley and Carlotta, July 4, 1929, just 19 days before his death. [Courtesy Dr. Carlotta A. Hawley.]
not hold being a girl against me. But I was so shy that, for the first 2 weeks, I was too embarrassed to ask for the ladies' room. When lunch time finally came around, I practically ran over to the YMCA to use their facilities.
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~YL~R STREET. PAMPAS, TE• Fig. 3. Pampa, Texas, 1936, where Dr. Hicks practiced for over 50 years. Note misspelling of Cuyler and Pampa. [Courtesy White Deer Land Museum.]
Fig. 5. Ruth D. Carter.
Fig. 4. Emily T. Hicks. [Courtesy Amarillo Globe News.]
I finally discovered there was a place on the second floor for the librarians and the dean's secretary. I was totally unprepared for the anatomy dissection lab. We were standing around before class one day and I barely noticed the long tables draped in canvas and the odor of formaldehyde. So, when I turned around and discovered the cadavers, nay head started to reel.
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Fig. 6. USC Dental Clinic, late 1940s. [Courtesy University of Southern California Archives.]
Just then, my attention was diverted by a commotion in one of the other groups. They were trying to revive one of the fellows who had fainted! That gave me a chance to get myself under control, and it saved me from fainting, too. Dr. tlicks: I was treated beautifully, but I did get teased a lot. Some of the boys called me "sister." And every now and then I would cry if it got too rough. But by the time we were seniors, I was class president. In those days, women dentists were not accepted even by members of their own sex. I think this poem, written by my friend, "Sam" Newcom, says it all. To Teed Of all the doings of women, I've heard of great and small. But a woman becoming a dentist, Well--that just beats them all! I'd be afraid to trust one With a poor lame tooth of mine. It might be all right, But--well, I'm just not that kind. In the middle of extracting a tooth, She'd surely think it her duty To take out her mirror and powder puff And tend right there to her beauty.
Fig, 7. Alice Tweed as a naval dental officer, 1945.
Teed, dear, please believe me: I'll do all for you that 1 can. But if ever I should need a poor tooth mended, I shall surely go to a man!
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OI'['OII'I'I[!NITI' }'O|1 ',,~.'O;.IEN IN 113ENTI~TII:'~': A .~,IEIIAI{I(Y O | k l E C T I V E
Fig. 8. Oral Surgery Clinic, Meharry School of Dentistry, late 1940s. [Courtesy Meharry Medical College.]
~ I ^ I N U.I'F'I1ATIVg C L I N I C
Fig. g. Main Operative Clinic, Meharry School of Dentistry, late 1940s. [Courtesy Meharry Medical College.]
Dr. Peak: I was teased a lot, too. But m y f a m i l y life was full of teasing and practical joking, so I felt right at home. After all, if you are used to hearing your legs called "starched swan's necks," it comes almost
as a compliment to have them referred to as "greenstick fractures." Our class graduated in March 1943, so the men could get into the service. I had one weekend to get
Volume 102 Number 3
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Fig. 10. Columbia Medical Building (right) and Annex, Washington, D.C., where Dr. Hawley practiced for 28 years. [Courtesy Martin Luther King Memorial Library.]
ready for the Arizona board after taking the one in California. Arizona has no dental school, so the exam was set up in the state capitol with army field equipment: rudimentary chairs and motors, no running water, a cuspidor on the floor, and no suction to aspirate for those Class III foils. On top of that, the examiners were about evenly divided between friends and foes of Charlie Tweed, so the betting was close on my chances of passing. M o d e r a t o r : But of course you passed? Dr. Peak: I passed three boards on the first t r y - California, Arizona, and T e x a s - - a n d I have practiced in all three states. M o d e r a t o r : What was your father's office like? Dr. Peak: He had a reception room; a small private office; a closet and hall; and a two-chair operatory with a portable x-ray machine, soldering nook, secretary's desk, and lab all out in the open. Charlie worked from 8 A.M. to 6 P.r~l., with an hour for lunch, and from 8 to 12 on Saturday. He was a fanatic about neatness and cleanliness, which was not always easy to achieve when doing models. I will have to admit that plaster takes the best impressions, but the lab work is horrendous.
M o d e r a t o r : How did you get along with your father? Did he treat you an.y differently than his other associates? Dr. Peak: O f course! He expected a great deal of me. I was expected to know things by osmosis. Fortunately, I had worked in the office for several summers and knew the routine. As far as postgraduate courses were c o n c e r n e d - - f o r g e t it. My father was a very determined man and he wanted me to learn ortho his way. M o d e r a t o r : Carlotta, how did you get your orthodontic training? Dr. llawley: I interned at the Forsyth Dental Infirmary for Children. Next, I took my postgraduate work in orthodontics at Harvard Dental School. I was the first woman ever to have been accepted into the ortho department and for 2 years, the only girl in the whole school. There were three men in the class, and we were referred to as "Goldilocks and the Thrce Bears"! My classmates treated me with great respect. In fact, they called me "Miss Hawley," and were most apologetic when a few curses slipped out. M o d e r a t o r : Ruth, didn't you also break a few records on your way to becoming a qualified orthodontist?
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Fig. 11. Valley National Bank Building, Tucson, Ariz., where Dr. Peak practiced with her father, Charles H. Tweed, in 1943 and 1944. [Courtesy Arizona Historical Society.]
Dr. Carter: I was the first member of my class to take the [Missouri] state board. That came about because my high grades at Meharry allowed the board to waive my degree as a prerequisite. And I was the first black female to take that board. After 8 years of private practice in oral surgery and general anesthesia, I began to check out the specialties for one that would provide a generous income with the least amount of stress, and orthodontics won out. That was 10 years since my admission to Meharry,.and schools were beginning to accept more blacks. My sister was at the time employed in the graduate school office [at St. Louis] and approached her boss,
Father Henley, who was the dean. He urged me to apply. Well, out of 475 applicants, I was one of the six to be chosen. I was the first black and the first female to be admitted in the school's 115-year history. Moderator: How did you get started in practice.'? Dr. Carter: On a visit to Los Angeles during my Christmas break in 1957, I learned that one of the dental groups in Wilmington was looking for an orthodontic associate. At that time, there was only one black orthodontist west of the Mississippi [Dr. Wendell N. Cotton in Lompoc, Calif.]. I worked with the group for a couple of years and finally made plans to open my own office where I could
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be my own boss. When the group learned of this, they were furious! Even though I intended to give them the required 30-day notice, they ordered me to pick up my belongings and leave at once. M o d e r a t o r : Teed, did you limit your practice when you first got out of school? Dr. Hicks: I did not start specializing until about the mid-thirties. At that time, the university courses were sort of limited, so I took a course with Dr. John Mershon, the labiolingual man. And whenever I got into a tight spot, I would go down to Dallas and spend a week in Dr. Murphy's office. I used Sam Lewis' technique for a while and then went to the Johnson twin arch. The twin arch is my favorite because it has such an easy, controlled movement. In 1937 1 became the first woman member of the Southwestern Society of Orthodontists. Dr. Hawley: I was probably the first woman orthodontist a n d pedodontist in the Washington area when I set up in August 1940. Because so many of the young men were going into the service then, there was a shortage of dentists in the Washington area, particularly those who wanted to bother with children, so for the first 4 years, I combined ortho and pedo. For the first 7 years, I shared an office with a GP in the Columbia Medical Building, using only one operatory. The first office of my own had one operatory, a lab, business office, reception room, and receptionist area. It was about 500 square feet. My staff consisted of one girl who did everything except the lab w o r k - that I did myself, since there were no commercial labs at that time, except for a few that made Hawleys. M o d e r a t o r : When we talk about young men going into the service, let's not overlook the w o m e n that served. Alice, weren't you a dental officer during World War II? Dr. Peak: I served from about August 1944 to 1946 at the San Diego Naval Hospital. Sara Krout and I were the only women dentists in the navy during the war. In fact, Sara was the very first woman dentist in the American armed forces. But I must tell you the navy did not make us feel very welcome. They had an officers' rest room, but it was only for males. There was one for Waves, but they did not want me either. I finally pulled rank on the Waves. I wore my hat insignia upside down for 2 months before anyone noticed. My uniform, by the way, was only available at Robinson's Department Store in exchange for a navy voucher. The first person I saluted was a chief petty officer because he had so many h~sh marks I thought he was an admiral! 1 am sure I made his day.
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Fig. 12. Carlotta A. Hawley.
M o d e r a t o r : After you were discharged, did you go back to Charlie's office? Dr. Peak: No, I decided to stay in Southern California and try to make it on my own. But it was slow. Cecil Steiner was especially helpful. He referred a patient and let me start her in his office while I was awaiting office space in San Marino. I had just turned the comer financially when I met Joe [D. Peak of Texas] at the first Tweed seminar. In those days, you know, a woman had to follow her man, so I was off to Texas for another state board. At first I only practiced sporadically because we had three children within a 4-year period. In the late sixties Joe was a director of the ABO, and in 1980 we both retired. He passed away 5 years later. M o d e r a t o r : So with their grandfather an orthodontist, and both their parents orthodontists, did any of your children follow in your footsteps? Dr. Peak: I am afraid the closest they have come is that our youngest daughter is an orthodontic lab technician. M o d e r a t o r : Teed, how did you get patients? Did you have what we now call "marketing"? Dr. Ilicks: When I opened up in Pampa [in the Panhandle], I got a thousand Japanese bamboo-handled tooth brushes at a nickel apiece, then I went out to the schools and gave the children toothbrushing techniques. I received small sample tubes of toothpaste, and I gave each child a brush and a tube of paste. I would tell them a story, then take them outside the classroom for brushing drills. Dr. C a r t e r : That sounds like what I did. I began my public relations program by visiting, lecturing, and
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examining students in the Catholic school where my two daughters were enrolled. During the visit, 1 gave each child a toothbrush and a card indicating by check that they should visit their dentist for a cleaning, filling, or whatever. Both items had nay name imprinted. When one of the patients presented this card to the dental office where I once worked, they immediately brought it to the attention of the local dental society. Remember, this was the early sixties when the code of ethics was different from that of today. The society ruled that the use of my name on the card was sufficient grounds for dismissal. I appealed the decision and the state reversed it. Then the local appealed at the national level and it was upheld. As a result, I was also expelled from the orthodontic association. However, I was gratified to find that many dentists sided with me. Even though they would not take a stand publicly, they flooded my office with phone calls, anonymous letters, and clippings, along with notes urging me to take legal action. Moderator: How we've changed! Dr. Peak: Just look at the yellow pages. Dr. Hawley: . . . and the T-shirts, jeans patches, and the "diplomas" they give to kids. Moderator: Speaking of kids, do any of you have children who became dentists? Dr. Hicks: One of my sons, Jon K. Hicks, is a dentist. Dr. Carter: My younger daughter, Bekka CarterOberstone, is a periodontist in San Francisco and teaches at UCSF. Moderator: What fees did you charge when you started out? Dr. Hawley: I charged $350 for the appliance and $ 2 5 a month, on an open-end fee. Moderator: In your twin wire appliance, Teed, which teeth were generally banded? Dr. Hicks: All the anterior teeth and the molars, and premolars, if indicated. I used precious metal in the beginning. I bought the first nickel's worth of stainless steel from Jack Mehan, who later became president of Rocky Mountain, and who at the time was introducing chrome banding material. That was in the late
1930s. And, of course, I got a spot welder and the rest. Dr. Hawley: I was taught the labiolingual technique at ltarvard, but I was not happy with it. My father used the ribbon arch while he was treating me. It seems like every time I got a new tooth, he put on another band. Then, after I took Dr. Strang's 2-week course, I started using edgewise. Moderator: What were the most important changes you saw during your career? Dr. Hawley: I would say the introduction of cephalometrics. Dr. Iticks: There were so many things: adult treatment; insurance protection--litigation seems to be skyrocketing!; awareness of the TMJ problem; bonded brackets--now ceramic, even invisible braces; and, we never heard of management experts in our day. Moderator: Which qualities of women do you think help make them good orthodontists? Dr. Hicks: Their patience, their understanding, and their love of children have a lot to do with it. Moderator: What about gentleness? Dr. Ilicks: I should hope so. Dr. Peak: To me, women seem to be better able to cope with tedious, repetitive tasks. That did not bother me. And some children feel more at ease with a woman. Moderator: Do you think it is still a good field to go into? Dr. Hicks: I think it is terrific. Moderator: Carlotta, what would yotl say to a young woman considering a career in orthodontics? Dr. Hawley: I would say go for it! Things are so much better, or easier, for women than they were years ago. Dr. Carter: Keep your eye on the star and do not deviate until you have reached your goal. It will make a marvelous living for you, and at the same time open the door to success, happiness, and financial independence. Moderator: Ladies, thank you for being with us today and sharing your combined 174 years in the profession. I am sure that your efforts have paved the way for the thousands of women we now have in dentistry and the hundreds in orthodontics.
Thousand Oaks, Ca~if. Moderator: Good morning, Mr. and Mrs. America! This is Paula Janeway coming to you "live" over PBN. This morning we are privileged to have as our guests four women who made it in the man's world of orthodontics. They got their DDS degrees, completed their specialty training, and developed successful orthodontic practices despite an apathetic--and sometimes host!le--professional environment. And it all happened before women's lib. The four women are Dr. Emily T. ("Teed") Hicks, a 1924 graduate of the Baylor University College of Dentistry; Dr. Carlotta A. Hawley, a 1936 graduate of the Baltimore College of Dental Surgery, Dental School, University of Maryland; Dr. Alice T. Peak, a 1943 graduate of the University of Southern California School of Dentistry; and Dr. Ruth D. Carter, who graduated from the Meharry School of Dentistry in 1948. In just a few minutes, they are going to tell us what it was like breaking the sex and color barriers in the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s; being the only female in their dental class; and being ostracized by fellow professionals for something we would not even blink at today. Most of us are probably not aware that lady "wire benders" have been around since the early part of the century. At least six were trained by Dr. Edward H. Angle, the "father" of modern orthodontics, before he moved to the west coast. That was in the days of "suffragettes." In most states, women still did not have the right to vote. Of these six women, Dr. Angle's wife, Anna, was the first secretary of the newly organized American Society of Orthodontists in 1902. In 1904 Jane Bunker became a founding member of the Eastern Association of Graduates of the Angle School and in 1907 was one of the founders of the European Orthodontia Society. Two or three others, including some nonAngle graduates, were charter members of regional orthodontic societies and, by the early twenties, several were teaching. And two, Guilhermena Mendell Stallard and Josephine Abelson Riesner, even got their husbands to go into orthodontics. Our guests are here to tell you that, despite these early breakthroughs, for a woman to get into dentistry in those days it was, well, like pulling teeth. ~o'rE: Statements made by the four orthodontists were taken from separate interviews. 811128950
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Now, two of you had fathers who were pioneers in orthodontics. In fact, you could call them two of the profession's greats. Carlotta, your father was Charles A. Hawley, one of the early Angle graduates, a prolific writer and inventor and, as all dentists know, the originator of the retainer that bears his name. Alice, your father was Charles H. Tweed, one of the last Angle graduates, who brought the house down when he suggested four-premolar extractions, but was finally recognized as the one who gave the specialty cephalometric guideposts when it was desperately seeking answers. So if I were to ask you, how did you become interested in orthodontics, the answer might seem obvious. But is it? Let's find out what Carlotta has to say. What kind of influence did your father have on you? Dr. Carlotta Hawley: I greatly admired my father, but he did not encourage me to go into dentistry. In fact, he wanted me to study m u s i c - - h i s avocation. He thought it would be too hard a life for a woman. It was my mother who encouraged me to go into orthodontics after my father died when I was 15. Moderator: What was your first exposure to orthodontics? Dr. Hawley: When I was 5, I attended my first orthodontic meeting at the Edgewater Beach Hotel in Chicago. It was 1918, and I remember I had to eat my cereal without sugar because of the war. And I got to dance with Dr. Bill Fisher. I also met many other orthodontic pioneers who were guests in our home: John Mershon, J. Lowe Young, Benno Lischer, Paul Simon, Henry Ferris, Harry Kelsey, and Ralph Waldron. Other than that, and wearing appliances myself and watching his lab technicians at work, I knew him mostly as a wonderful father. Before compound came out and impressions were taken in plaster, I was told that he could take an impression, remove the pieces, and assemble them without getting a speck of plaster on his dark blue carpet. Dr. Alice Peak: C h a r l i e - - m y d a d - - u s e d my sister, Pat, and me as guinea pigs. He learned to take plaster impressions on us for 10 cents a set. We would sit there with a mouthful of plaster, getting hotter by the minute, while he searched for a hammer and chisel. I used plaster for the first year or so after I got out of dental school. The new materials were just coming out while I was in school, so I was familiar with them. My father squelched my suggestions that we try them until some of his buddies, like Cecil Steiner, told him about them. After he tried them, we switched to alginate. But to answer your question, Paula, my situation was completely the opposite of Carlotta's. I got into
Voh,,,,e 102 Number 3
ortho after considerable arm twisting by my father. He had three daughters and no sons. I was the middle sister. The other two gave him a firm no, so he concentrated on me. Besides, I made the best grades and was good with my hands. In other words, I sewed! I also knew the Angles since I was about 6. Cecil Steiner and some of the others were like uncles to me. Mrs. Angle was a remarkable w o m a n - - o n e that I greatly admired. We would see them whenever we went to California or when they came to Arizona. Later, when I practiced in San Marino, I saw a great deal o f her. M o d e r a t o r : How did you others get into ortho? Dr. Emily Hicks: When I was in high school, I spent my summers working for Dr. Oscar Busby. At that time, I think there were only two orthodontists in Dallas. The other one was a Dr. White. Dr. Busby took his training under Dr. Martin Dewey [in 1915]. Dr. R u t h C a r t e r : I guess I have always had the ambition o f being a doctor. I was my mother's first girl. Her own unrealized ambition was to become a doctor. Right after I was born, she began telling everyone that I was going to be a doctor. M o d e r a t o r : Did you have any trouble getting into dental school? Dr. C a r t e r : In my senior year at Ohio State, my faculty advisor told me that the dental school would not even consider admitting a black female and suggested that I try Meharry, which had a predominantly black student body. Besides, ifI was going to be thrown in with a bunch of males, I preferred that they be black males! M o d e r a t o r : Did anything materialize out of that? Dr. C a r t e r : Well, I secretly married a student from Tennessee State [both schools are in Nashville], but we were later divorced. M o d e r a t o r : And, Teed, didn't you meet your husband in dental school? Dr. Hicks: Yes, Hardy [H. Hicks] and I were classmates and were married right after graduation. M o d e r a t o r : Carlotta, how did you get along in dental school? Dr. Hawley: I was the only girl in my class. Incidentally, I could not get into Georgetown, near where I lived, because their charter forbade the acceptance of women. So, at considerably more expense and inconvenience, I applied and was accepted at Baltimore. Anyway, when my instructors picked on me under the pretense of failing me early to save my mother further tuition, they were actually doing me a favor. I had to work twice as hard, so that I "fell ahead" instead of behind. M o d e r a t o r : How did your classmates treat you? Dr, Hawley: They were very sympathetic and did
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Fig. 1. The Charles H. Tweed family visiting the Angles in Pasadena, Calif., 1927. Mrs. Angle is at left. Alice Tweed is in the front row left. [Courtesy Dr. Alice T. Peak.]
Fig. 2. Charles A. Hawley and Carlotta, July 4, 1929, just 19 days before his death. [Courtesy Dr. Carlotta A. Hawley.]
not hold being a girl against me. But I was so shy that, for the first 2 weeks, I was too embarrassed to ask for the ladies' room. When lunch time finally came around, I practically ran over to the YMCA to use their facilities.
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~YL~R STREET. PAMPAS, TE• Fig. 3. Pampa, Texas, 1936, where Dr. Hicks practiced for over 50 years. Note misspelling of Cuyler and Pampa. [Courtesy White Deer Land Museum.]
Fig. 5. Ruth D. Carter.
Fig. 4. Emily T. Hicks. [Courtesy Amarillo Globe News.]
I finally discovered there was a place on the second floor for the librarians and the dean's secretary. I was totally unprepared for the anatomy dissection lab. We were standing around before class one day and I barely noticed the long tables draped in canvas and the odor of formaldehyde. So, when I turned around and discovered the cadavers, nay head started to reel.
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Fig. 6. USC Dental Clinic, late 1940s. [Courtesy University of Southern California Archives.]
Just then, my attention was diverted by a commotion in one of the other groups. They were trying to revive one of the fellows who had fainted! That gave me a chance to get myself under control, and it saved me from fainting, too. Dr. tlicks: I was treated beautifully, but I did get teased a lot. Some of the boys called me "sister." And every now and then I would cry if it got too rough. But by the time we were seniors, I was class president. In those days, women dentists were not accepted even by members of their own sex. I think this poem, written by my friend, "Sam" Newcom, says it all. To Teed Of all the doings of women, I've heard of great and small. But a woman becoming a dentist, Well--that just beats them all! I'd be afraid to trust one With a poor lame tooth of mine. It might be all right, But--well, I'm just not that kind. In the middle of extracting a tooth, She'd surely think it her duty To take out her mirror and powder puff And tend right there to her beauty.
Fig, 7. Alice Tweed as a naval dental officer, 1945.
Teed, dear, please believe me: I'll do all for you that 1 can. But if ever I should need a poor tooth mended, I shall surely go to a man!
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Fig. 8. Oral Surgery Clinic, Meharry School of Dentistry, late 1940s. [Courtesy Meharry Medical College.]
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Fig. g. Main Operative Clinic, Meharry School of Dentistry, late 1940s. [Courtesy Meharry Medical College.]
Dr. Peak: I was teased a lot, too. But m y f a m i l y life was full of teasing and practical joking, so I felt right at home. After all, if you are used to hearing your legs called "starched swan's necks," it comes almost
as a compliment to have them referred to as "greenstick fractures." Our class graduated in March 1943, so the men could get into the service. I had one weekend to get
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Fig. 10. Columbia Medical Building (right) and Annex, Washington, D.C., where Dr. Hawley practiced for 28 years. [Courtesy Martin Luther King Memorial Library.]
ready for the Arizona board after taking the one in California. Arizona has no dental school, so the exam was set up in the state capitol with army field equipment: rudimentary chairs and motors, no running water, a cuspidor on the floor, and no suction to aspirate for those Class III foils. On top of that, the examiners were about evenly divided between friends and foes of Charlie Tweed, so the betting was close on my chances of passing. M o d e r a t o r : But of course you passed? Dr. Peak: I passed three boards on the first t r y - California, Arizona, and T e x a s - - a n d I have practiced in all three states. M o d e r a t o r : What was your father's office like? Dr. Peak: He had a reception room; a small private office; a closet and hall; and a two-chair operatory with a portable x-ray machine, soldering nook, secretary's desk, and lab all out in the open. Charlie worked from 8 A.M. to 6 P.r~l., with an hour for lunch, and from 8 to 12 on Saturday. He was a fanatic about neatness and cleanliness, which was not always easy to achieve when doing models. I will have to admit that plaster takes the best impressions, but the lab work is horrendous.
M o d e r a t o r : How did you get along with your father? Did he treat you an.y differently than his other associates? Dr. Peak: O f course! He expected a great deal of me. I was expected to know things by osmosis. Fortunately, I had worked in the office for several summers and knew the routine. As far as postgraduate courses were c o n c e r n e d - - f o r g e t it. My father was a very determined man and he wanted me to learn ortho his way. M o d e r a t o r : Carlotta, how did you get your orthodontic training? Dr. llawley: I interned at the Forsyth Dental Infirmary for Children. Next, I took my postgraduate work in orthodontics at Harvard Dental School. I was the first woman ever to have been accepted into the ortho department and for 2 years, the only girl in the whole school. There were three men in the class, and we were referred to as "Goldilocks and the Thrce Bears"! My classmates treated me with great respect. In fact, they called me "Miss Hawley," and were most apologetic when a few curses slipped out. M o d e r a t o r : Ruth, didn't you also break a few records on your way to becoming a qualified orthodontist?
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Fig. 11. Valley National Bank Building, Tucson, Ariz., where Dr. Peak practiced with her father, Charles H. Tweed, in 1943 and 1944. [Courtesy Arizona Historical Society.]
Dr. Carter: I was the first member of my class to take the [Missouri] state board. That came about because my high grades at Meharry allowed the board to waive my degree as a prerequisite. And I was the first black female to take that board. After 8 years of private practice in oral surgery and general anesthesia, I began to check out the specialties for one that would provide a generous income with the least amount of stress, and orthodontics won out. That was 10 years since my admission to Meharry,.and schools were beginning to accept more blacks. My sister was at the time employed in the graduate school office [at St. Louis] and approached her boss,
Father Henley, who was the dean. He urged me to apply. Well, out of 475 applicants, I was one of the six to be chosen. I was the first black and the first female to be admitted in the school's 115-year history. Moderator: How did you get started in practice.'? Dr. Carter: On a visit to Los Angeles during my Christmas break in 1957, I learned that one of the dental groups in Wilmington was looking for an orthodontic associate. At that time, there was only one black orthodontist west of the Mississippi [Dr. Wendell N. Cotton in Lompoc, Calif.]. I worked with the group for a couple of years and finally made plans to open my own office where I could
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be my own boss. When the group learned of this, they were furious! Even though I intended to give them the required 30-day notice, they ordered me to pick up my belongings and leave at once. M o d e r a t o r : Teed, did you limit your practice when you first got out of school? Dr. Hicks: I did not start specializing until about the mid-thirties. At that time, the university courses were sort of limited, so I took a course with Dr. John Mershon, the labiolingual man. And whenever I got into a tight spot, I would go down to Dallas and spend a week in Dr. Murphy's office. I used Sam Lewis' technique for a while and then went to the Johnson twin arch. The twin arch is my favorite because it has such an easy, controlled movement. In 1937 1 became the first woman member of the Southwestern Society of Orthodontists. Dr. Hawley: I was probably the first woman orthodontist a n d pedodontist in the Washington area when I set up in August 1940. Because so many of the young men were going into the service then, there was a shortage of dentists in the Washington area, particularly those who wanted to bother with children, so for the first 4 years, I combined ortho and pedo. For the first 7 years, I shared an office with a GP in the Columbia Medical Building, using only one operatory. The first office of my own had one operatory, a lab, business office, reception room, and receptionist area. It was about 500 square feet. My staff consisted of one girl who did everything except the lab w o r k - that I did myself, since there were no commercial labs at that time, except for a few that made Hawleys. M o d e r a t o r : When we talk about young men going into the service, let's not overlook the w o m e n that served. Alice, weren't you a dental officer during World War II? Dr. Peak: I served from about August 1944 to 1946 at the San Diego Naval Hospital. Sara Krout and I were the only women dentists in the navy during the war. In fact, Sara was the very first woman dentist in the American armed forces. But I must tell you the navy did not make us feel very welcome. They had an officers' rest room, but it was only for males. There was one for Waves, but they did not want me either. I finally pulled rank on the Waves. I wore my hat insignia upside down for 2 months before anyone noticed. My uniform, by the way, was only available at Robinson's Department Store in exchange for a navy voucher. The first person I saluted was a chief petty officer because he had so many h~sh marks I thought he was an admiral! 1 am sure I made his day.
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Fig. 12. Carlotta A. Hawley.
M o d e r a t o r : After you were discharged, did you go back to Charlie's office? Dr. Peak: No, I decided to stay in Southern California and try to make it on my own. But it was slow. Cecil Steiner was especially helpful. He referred a patient and let me start her in his office while I was awaiting office space in San Marino. I had just turned the comer financially when I met Joe [D. Peak of Texas] at the first Tweed seminar. In those days, you know, a woman had to follow her man, so I was off to Texas for another state board. At first I only practiced sporadically because we had three children within a 4-year period. In the late sixties Joe was a director of the ABO, and in 1980 we both retired. He passed away 5 years later. M o d e r a t o r : So with their grandfather an orthodontist, and both their parents orthodontists, did any of your children follow in your footsteps? Dr. Peak: I am afraid the closest they have come is that our youngest daughter is an orthodontic lab technician. M o d e r a t o r : Teed, how did you get patients? Did you have what we now call "marketing"? Dr. Ilicks: When I opened up in Pampa [in the Panhandle], I got a thousand Japanese bamboo-handled tooth brushes at a nickel apiece, then I went out to the schools and gave the children toothbrushing techniques. I received small sample tubes of toothpaste, and I gave each child a brush and a tube of paste. I would tell them a story, then take them outside the classroom for brushing drills. Dr. C a r t e r : That sounds like what I did. I began my public relations program by visiting, lecturing, and
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examining students in the Catholic school where my two daughters were enrolled. During the visit, 1 gave each child a toothbrush and a card indicating by check that they should visit their dentist for a cleaning, filling, or whatever. Both items had nay name imprinted. When one of the patients presented this card to the dental office where I once worked, they immediately brought it to the attention of the local dental society. Remember, this was the early sixties when the code of ethics was different from that of today. The society ruled that the use of my name on the card was sufficient grounds for dismissal. I appealed the decision and the state reversed it. Then the local appealed at the national level and it was upheld. As a result, I was also expelled from the orthodontic association. However, I was gratified to find that many dentists sided with me. Even though they would not take a stand publicly, they flooded my office with phone calls, anonymous letters, and clippings, along with notes urging me to take legal action. Moderator: How we've changed! Dr. Peak: Just look at the yellow pages. Dr. Hawley: . . . and the T-shirts, jeans patches, and the "diplomas" they give to kids. Moderator: Speaking of kids, do any of you have children who became dentists? Dr. Hicks: One of my sons, Jon K. Hicks, is a dentist. Dr. Carter: My younger daughter, Bekka CarterOberstone, is a periodontist in San Francisco and teaches at UCSF. Moderator: What fees did you charge when you started out? Dr. Hawley: I charged $350 for the appliance and $ 2 5 a month, on an open-end fee. Moderator: In your twin wire appliance, Teed, which teeth were generally banded? Dr. Hicks: All the anterior teeth and the molars, and premolars, if indicated. I used precious metal in the beginning. I bought the first nickel's worth of stainless steel from Jack Mehan, who later became president of Rocky Mountain, and who at the time was introducing chrome banding material. That was in the late
1930s. And, of course, I got a spot welder and the rest. Dr. Hawley: I was taught the labiolingual technique at ltarvard, but I was not happy with it. My father used the ribbon arch while he was treating me. It seems like every time I got a new tooth, he put on another band. Then, after I took Dr. Strang's 2-week course, I started using edgewise. Moderator: What were the most important changes you saw during your career? Dr. Hawley: I would say the introduction of cephalometrics. Dr. Iticks: There were so many things: adult treatment; insurance protection--litigation seems to be skyrocketing!; awareness of the TMJ problem; bonded brackets--now ceramic, even invisible braces; and, we never heard of management experts in our day. Moderator: Which qualities of women do you think help make them good orthodontists? Dr. Hicks: Their patience, their understanding, and their love of children have a lot to do with it. Moderator: What about gentleness? Dr. Ilicks: I should hope so. Dr. Peak: To me, women seem to be better able to cope with tedious, repetitive tasks. That did not bother me. And some children feel more at ease with a woman. Moderator: Do you think it is still a good field to go into? Dr. Hicks: I think it is terrific. Moderator: Carlotta, what would yotl say to a young woman considering a career in orthodontics? Dr. Hawley: I would say go for it! Things are so much better, or easier, for women than they were years ago. Dr. Carter: Keep your eye on the star and do not deviate until you have reached your goal. It will make a marvelous living for you, and at the same time open the door to success, happiness, and financial independence. Moderator: Ladies, thank you for being with us today and sharing your combined 174 years in the profession. I am sure that your efforts have paved the way for the thousands of women we now have in dentistry and the hundreds in orthodontics.