As most of my patients know, I’ve had the opportunity to serve the youth for over thirty years of my life in the LDS Church, and other religious groups. It’s the youth of our society who are going to be taking care of us as we all age, and we will depend on them for decisions that will affect our lives, and those of our children/grandchildren. I only pray I have had a positive impact on the young lives with whom I have taught and mentored, which is always a concerning thought for me, as one hopes they only implement my good traits, and not the bad ones. Ugh….
I came across an article in the American Dental Association Newsletter that caught my attention, which has mirrored for years one of the things I am passionate about, and that is the pursuit of education for both men and women, and more specifically women. My Mom was so street smart it always scared me because I was not able to get away with much growing up, and she instilled in me many of the morals and values I hold dear. I later learned in life that my Mom never graduated from High School, let alone attended college, yet I would have never known had she not told me.
It was a different time growing up in the Great Depression, especially in families who didn’t have much. But Mom was “self-taught”, reading any book she could get her hands on. And all my life long, her and Dad instilled the need for me to go to college. I’m grateful to her, and for the fact she survived raising me…
With that all said, I have always been a teacher and mentor with the women in my life, in helping them, and encouraging them, to attend college and pursue fields of interest, including dentistry. Every day I’m surrounded by incredible women who do exceptional work in the dental field, and hope this article inspires all the fantastic women out there to achieve their full potential in any field they pursue, and continue to inspire those who follow in their footsteps…
Dr. Rob
From ‘forgotten womanhood’ to female empowerment: One woman’s pioneering spirit paved the way for women in dentistry
Posted on March 8, 2018, ADA News
Lucy Hobbs Taylor was the definition of a trailblazer. In 1859, the 26-year-old planned to enroll in medical school. However, after being denied admission on the basis of her gender, she pursued dental school. It took another few years before she was finally admitted to the Ohio College of Dental Surgery, and became the first woman in the world to earn a Doctor of Dental Surgery degree in 1866.
Dr. Hobbs Taylor withstood the shock and awe surrounding her ambition, including accusations of “forgotten womanhood,” as she created a career for herself in dentistry. More than 150 years later, graduating dental classes are nearly 50 percent female and the legacy of Dr. Hobbs Taylor lives on through a namesake award that spotlights talented, inspiring female dentists.
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