Response by Philip Edwin Adams to the presentation of the Albert H. Ketcham Memorial Award

Response by Philip Edwin Adams to the presentation of the Albert H. Ketcham Memorial Award

542 American Association of Orthodontists working, and metalworking and also for many civic activities in his community. By now you see the portra...

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542

American

Association

of Orthodontists

working, and metalworking and also for many civic activities in his community. By now you see the portra.it of this many-facebed man. I am sure that Dr. Ketcham would be proud to have Philip Edwin Adams of Boston, Massachusetts, as the twenty-eighth recipient of the honored award that bears his name. As President of the American Board of Orthodontics, and act,ing for tho entire Board and the American Association of Orthodontists, I present to you, Philip Edwin Adams, the 1961 Albert II. Ketcham Memorial Award.

Response by Philip Edwin Adams to the presentation of the Albert H. Ketcham Memorial Award BEING chosen as a recipient of the Ketcham Award could well be considered the apogee in the life of any orthodontist. I conside,r it so since those who decided to confer this high honor upon me have done so with the realization that I have never made a momentous contribution to dentistry or our specialty, such as the promulgation of an imposing law or principle, the development, of a miraculous appliance or device, or some sensational discovery in the field of research. I am grateful that the Award Committee apparently felt that such contributions as I may have been able to make to orthodontics outweigh the abovementioned deficiencies. Were I permitted to include a year that I spent in a dental office before attending dental school and the time spent in dental school, in the same manner that we allow credit for time in training toward eligibility for membership, I would this year be completing 50 years in dentistry. During the last 42 years I have served continuously at various levels in dental societies and associations, frequently holding several assignments at the same time. As a matter of fact, at times I was so busily engaged that I was ready to believe the truth of that amusing first law of Britain’s witty historian, C. Northcote Parkinson-“Work expands to fill the time available.” Nevertheless, my experiences in dental politics have been rewarding. As a young man I was privileged to meet and work with many of the stalwarts of dentistry-sometimes in smoke-filled rooms, sometimes across opposing lines in the arena of dental politics, but always when the issues were resolved differences were forgot,ten and friendships were established that I still cherish. My early interest in orthodontics was kindled by the dynamic teaching of Frank Delabarre, my professor of orthodontics. Soon after returning from military service in World War I, I secured an appointment as visiting instructor in orthodontics. I am not entirely sure what I instructed in, but, as I recall it, I was a super specialist in molar band construction by the indirect method. Shortly after my appointment A. LeRoy Johnson assumed the professorship of orthodontics and sort of inherited me as a staff member. Johnson’s lectnres

were profound and completely beyond the comprrhcnsion of the students and staff. In an effort to understand his lccturcs better, 1 frequently asked him specific questions. I soon came to expect his standard rrpl\~. “Adams, I could tell you the answer, but it would do you no good, as yen st,ill would not know tht, reason for the answer; go read Spencer’s Fi,rst E+i~ci$~s (or some other pcri iIlt~Ilt refcrcnce equally awesome). l-on lvill not only tind the NIlSuw’ lmt tllr I’C’ilson for it.” Frankl,v, at the time I was not too happy with this arrangement, particulai~l~~ as he alvvavs seemed to remember to ask me what 1 had found out. ,1s a conscquence of this situation, it was necessary for me to read many of the books frown which *Johnson had cited references. T,ater, I realized that hc had rcntlcrctl nt(’ ii grcat service by helping me (or forcing me) to help myself. Aohnson’s lectures were the basis of “Basic Principles of Orthodontics.” published in Dental (‘Io.smos in 1923, one of the best expositions of fnndamcntul principles ever presented on the topic of orthodontic biology. It has always seemed to mc that .Johnson was to biologic orthodontics. in his timr, what (‘laude Bernard was to experimental medicine in the last half of the ninctcenth ccntin>-. I bc~latcdl~ make public acknowledgment of m,v very gi’(lat debt to him. T0da.v. 45 years later, I am still on the faculty, enjoying my association with stndcnts and still learning from them. I hop the fact that T am still teaclking, although on a somewhat limited basis, 12 y-cars after being made professor cmcritns, cscludcs me, at least in part, from Professor Miller’s definition of “cmcritus.” Professor Miller says : “Emeritus is l’rom the T,otin, B nlc;rninp wont ) ’ and writus meaning ‘deserves to he.’ ” Any attempt, to express m,v gratitude to the many colleagues who ha\c cont ributed so much to m-y professional life--clinically-, cducat,ionally, and polit icall;--would require far more time than is available. TTowevcr, I would 1JC remiss if T did not indicate my high regard for and indebtedness to the nian whom you arc also honoring today, the late Andrew F. *Jackson. ITis penetrating. sometimes provocative articles on orthodontics, his willingness to share his clinical skills with those less gifted, and his warm pcrsonalit~- have left an indcliblc mark on all of us who were privileged to know him. Acknowledgment of collaboration would bc incomplete without including the very significant assistance that I have rcceivcd from nonprofessional SOLIITI’S: first, my dear wife “Sandy,” whose patience, understanding, and willingness ?(I sacrifice much of her social life have made it possihlc for me to devote untoltl hours to activities other than those routine to the conduct of a private practic(l: second, my office personnel, present and past, who hilts rlm~rfdl,~ asslirrl~(~ added responsibilities far beyond the duties for which thy- w’c~c cmpl~yctl. >I!heartfelt thanks for their great help. The influences and experiences to which 7 lnl\-e lwcn subjcctrd in clinic;~l orthodontics, orthodontic education, and orthodontic politics have evokccl a policv of trying to cvaluatr the problem, to the best of nr- ability. in the light of the available evidence; as a consequence, I have not always adhcrrd to the dictum of that great political figure, the late Speaker Sam Rayburn: “If ;von

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want to get along, go along.” I am thankful that my colleagues apparently forgive my seeming intransigence in these areas at times. I have recounted a few incidents which seemed of significance in the development of a full, and I hope useful, professional life. To the older members of the Association these recollections represent a somewhat familiar pattern to which many of you have been subjected. They should direct the attention of the younger members to their good fortune in having recourse to the sound basic training, the accumulated knowledge of orthodontic problems, and the efficient technical procedures currently at their command. Further, I hope that these remarks might excite a desire in all to take a more active part in the solution of the problems that confront our Association and our specialty, thereby completing their obligations as professional men. In closing, I wish to express my appreciation to Board President Bowyer for his gracious presentation speech and to thank the American Board of Orthodontics and the American Association of Orthodontists for the high honor you have bestowed upon me.

Presentation of the Albert H. Ketcham Memorial Award to Andrew Francis Jackson, posthumously, by Paul V. Reid, vice-president of the American Board of Orthodontics Bowyer’s considerate request for me, because of my close association with the recipient of the second of this year’s Albert II. Ketcham Awards, to make this presentation is deeply appreciated. The gravity of this always solemn occasion is deepened today because this award must be granted posthumously to our respected colleague, Andrew Francis Jackson, who died at the age of 83 just before the 1963 annual session in Miami Beach. To so many of his friends at this meeting it still does not seem possible that “Andy” is not with us. While we are saddened by the fact that this honor has come too late to allow Dr. Jackson the rich satisfaction it never fails to give the recipient, nevertheless, we can take solace in knowing that his name has found a permanent place with the other twenty-eight illustrious names upon this roll of honor. Dr. Jackson claimed only to be a clinician, but he was a clinician with genius and an unmatched enthusiasm and dedication to orthodontics throughout his more than 40 years of specialization. Actually, he was more than just a clinician. For a short period of time he was a formal educator, as head of the Department of Orthodontics at Temple University. As a preceptor to ten or more young dentists, six of whom are Diplomates of the American Board of Orthodontics, he certainly qualified as a teacher throughout his career. He was a lecturer and writer in more than just the casual sense. His more than twenty-five published articles were beautifully written and expressed a philosophy of diagnosis and treatment which actually constituted his major PRESIDENT