Here we continue a Pankey founder’s life story …

Meeting Dr. LD Pankey

The 1950s held many experiences that shaped Dr. Anderon’s personality, inventiveness, and professional growth. He formed the Saunders Milwaukee study club with Dr. David Hoffman. They began studying Practice Management and brought Dutch Wohler in from California to spend a life-changing week with the group.

This led to an invitation for John to attend a Practice Management Meeting at the University of Michigan in ’52. It became the founding meeting of the American Academy of Dental Practice Administration (AADPA). Its speaker was none other than Dr. LD Pankey.

Study Clubs and Teaching

John continued to seek out Dr. Pankey’s philosophy courses, where he met Dr. Loren Miller. In 1957, Drs. Pankey, Mann, and Schuyler invited John Anderson and other dentists to be part of the Oral Rehabilitation Seminars (ORS).

The major purpose of the ORS was to create the Teaching Manuals. They used Dr. Anderson’s Case Slides in their presentations. This ORS group traveled and taught the PMS Technique and Course to study clubs from ’58 to ’72. These study club members became early adopters and LD Pankey Foundation supporters later on.

The experience of teaching ignited in John a passion for learning about how people learn best. He wondered, what is the best process?

Sit-Down Dentistry

During the ’55-‘65 time period, Dr. Anderson and Dr. David Hoffman were studying “Time and Motion” principles in dentistry with memo-motion photography.

In the 40s and 50s, John had not yet met Dr. Henry Tanner, who was part of the development of the High-Speed Air Turbine Handpiece at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. Dutch Wohler introduced them in ‘62, while John and his family were spending vacation time in California – small world!

Henry and John found ways to teach together over the next 16 years. Henry joined The Pankey Institute’s Faculty from ’74 to ’80.

Communicator and Educator

By the time I entered my pre-dental education at North Park College in ’60, John was in his second office across the street from Swedish Covenant Hospital. This was five blocks from my dorm.  

I saw his innovative efforts with sit-down dentistry and four- and six-handed dentistry. During this period, John was continuing to develop as a communicator and educator. Twice a year he would spend an evening with dental students at NUDS talking about “The Profession You Are About to Enter”!

His time commitments to the ORS group, Chicago Mid-Winter Meeting, and Branch Chicago Dental Society meetings featured his cutting edge concepts. These included restorative dentistry, dental materials selection, practice management, and equipment selection for sit-down dentistry.

At the end of my second year at NUDS and starting the summer clinic in ‘64, John was moving into his third office in Glenview, IL. The new office was based on his research involvement, which came from the aforementioned Time and Motion Studies.

Curious what happens next in the history of a Pankey founder? Check out Part 3 in this series …