NSDHS Celebrates 40th Anniversary
The North Suburban Dental Hygienists' Society was chartered by the Illinois Dental Hygienists' Association in 1966, and became the first component in the state of Illinois. The group celebrated its 40th anniversary at the Oct. 18 component meeting.
Twenty-three of the 34 NSDHS past presidents attended the event and were recognized. Seven IDHA past presidents, who were all members of NSDHS, were also recognized. Laura Burke, NSDHS immediate past president and chair of the 40th anniversary celebration, presented a short history of ADHA and IDHA.
Ms. Burke then read a portion of an article written by Anne Guignon, which appeared in the January 2006 issue of RDH magazine. Irene Newman wrote this fictitious letter to her cousin, Dr. Alfred Fones. It discussed the changes in our dental hygiene profession since the 1920s. During a portion of the program, Laura donned her white dental hygiene cap with the purple stripe. While many laughed in remembrance of the "good old days," the newer dental hygienists weren't quite sure what to think about this awkward hat.
Laura talked about belt-driven handpieces, making your own pumice, along with the many changes in the profession and its new directions for the future. Total attendance for the evening was 98. Many of the NSDHS presidents from the 1970s had not seen each other in nearly 30 years. It was a wonderful evening!
The NSDHS presidents who attended the celebration included (years served listed after each name): Christina Newkirk (1971-1972), Patricia Avigliano Reese (1972-1973), Dorothy Parise (1974-1975), Nancy Lynn (1979-1980), Noel Angerame (1980-1981), Mary Beth Fleischhauer (1981-1982), Jane McGinley (1982-1983), Jan Dykstra (1983-1984), Pam Brunk (1984-1985), Geralynn Huffman (1985-1986), Wendy Mineau (1987-1988), Bonnie Klos (1989-1990), Bonnie Lyons (1990-1991), Laura Hennessey Aguilar (1991-1992), Marcia Swanson Schattauer (1992-1993), Susan Kopij (1993-1994), Lori Murphy Remiker (1996-1997), Michelle Browder (1997-1998), Dona Schulz Gabzdyl (2000-2001), Gina Strelecki (2001-2003), Joyce Aguinaldo Grubb (2003-2004), Laura Burke (2004-2006), and Jill Gauss (2006-2007).
Sadly, two past presidents are deceased: Olof Egilsson (1968-1969) passed away on March 14, 2006, and Carin Kofron (1986-1987) passed away on May 30, 2006.
The IDHA past presidents who attended included: Diane Rannin (1969-1970), Loretta Purcell (1970-1971), Christina Newkirk (1973-1974), Nancy Lynn (1982-1983), Jane McGinley (1983-1984), Mary Beth Fleischhauer (1985-1986), and Gina Strelecki (2003-2005).
