Well I have to begin this one with an apology and correction. I was informed that Wayne did not lose all his teeth at 16 but when he was in his early twenties. He did have partial denture earlier though. Thanks Eloise for straightening me out about Wayne's teeth. Still a shame to loose your teeth so young.
Now to tell you how I wound up working for Dr. Charles Burgess. Momma was having all her teeth pulled and since she was sort of a free bleeder she had a hard time stopping the bleeding when she would have some pulled. One night she could not get it to stop and Daddy had to call Dr. Burgess to meet them at his office and get it stopped. When they go back home, I had a job as a DO student dental assistant. I do not know how they wound up talking about me and that I would be a Junior that year and that Dr. Burgess would let me work and learn dental assisting working for him. I had never, ever even thought about working in a dental office. I had no idea what I wanted to do, but I am glad I got to do that. I enjoyed it and went back into it when we closed the Big"R" many years later. (That story will come later, not in this blog however). I only had two classes besides the DO class in the mornings and then I went to the dental office and worked in the afternoon. I was receptionist, dental assistant and made appointments, answered the phone and any other things that Dr. Burgess wanted me to learn to do. I made and developed x-rays, cleaned teeth, assisted Dr. Burgess with filling teeth, extractions, sterilized instruments, anything we had to do, I had to learn. I especially liked doing surgical extractions, trimming bone, and helping him sew up people's mouth, loved it! Eventually Dr. Burgess had his accountant teach me accounting and keeping books. Then I kept his books as well as the other jobs. I did not do his income taxes though. I worked for him from September 1952 until October 1965.
I was very shy when I started working there, but I had to overcome that plenty fast!!! I had to know how to put on a smile the second I opened the reception room door and greet patients. I got really good at it. Dr. Burgess' wife said one day, "she thinks she has to smile all the time!" I still smile a lot. I am mostly an upbeat, happy woman.
Dr. Burgess had others working for him as well. The second year I was there he had two DO dental assistants. Patsy Bonner started working there. She later married my cousin Bobby Davis. We all became really good friends and when I was married to L.G. we became a foursome and did lots of things together.
I only made $15 a week until I graduated, then I went to work full time for $30 a week. I helped Daddy pay for a new dinette set for the house. Then I bought myself my very first watch and paid on it til I got it paid for. I think Juanita got her first watch that same Christmas!! Kind of bothered me, but oh well. When I was working full time I used to LOVE to eat lunch at the Sweet Shop on Main St. A little hole in the wall place, but they had the best food and their cherry pie was my favorite!!! Yum!
I never did even get to think about learning to drive until after I got married. Wayne was older and he was a boy, so he got that privilege. Don't know if Juanita did or not.
Lots of years to cover yet.
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