Volume 8 • 2021 • Issue 3

Dr. Joanne Stewart We met on the first day of dental school. I’d heard of him before that, and I’d met his mom. I worked in the box office of the Confederation Centre of the Arts, where you can see the Anne of Green Gables show, and his mom had come in to get tickets. She knew I was going to dental school and told me her son would be my classmate. The first time we treated patients in dental school, we were paired together. I remember dabbing his forehead with paper towel. We were both nervous to be working with patients for the first time. Out of our class at Dalhousie, three of us started practising in PEI. When we went to dental association meetings, we went together. The night he proposed to me, we were in Montreal. We spent the day walking around the city and going into shops and, in the evening, we had tickets to see Phantom of the Opera . He had plans for a nice dinner, but we were running late, because I wanted to shop longer. Believe me he didn't want to shop! So I said, “Let's just go to Wendy's.” Then when the cab was waiting for us downstairs to take us to the theatre, he gave me the ring. I couldn’t even pay attention to the play as I was looking at my new shiny ring. Raising the kids, sometimes when I had to work late, Richard did the baths and the bottles and all that kind of jazz by himself. When I had our third child, I had started a root canal in the morning, but, in the afternoon, I went to see my doctor and he admitted me to the hospital the next day. I ended up having our son, while Richard had to finish my patient’s root canal. Not only was he a new dad, but he was also taking over all my emergencies. Doing double duty. Richard is caring, soft spoken, and conscientious. He has a big heart. In dentistry, he thinks a lot about people who don’t have access to care for whatever reason, financial or otherwise. He wants to bring this issue to the forefront because there's a huge part of our society that isn't able to access dentistry in the way that they should. Richard believes there should be equal access to everybody. No one should feel like a burden or like their situation is hopeless. He wants everybody to be treated with the same care and respect, no matter where they come from or what their situation is. Dr. Michael Connolly We went to the same high school, but he was a year ahead of me. We had friends in common, but I knew him better once we were in dental school together. Then we’ve worked in the same building for more than 30 years. We are in the same study group today that we all started in 1989. We have kids that are around the same ages. Richard is one of the kindest people I know. A good friend. Even if I don’t see him for a few weeks, when we sit down again, the connection is instant. When I think of his career, I think one of his proudest moments was helping to host the DAPEI/CDA conference in Charlottetown in 2018. It was a rare opportunity to share our home with the national dental community. Dr. Terry Foreman I met Richard at orientation for Dalhousie dental school in 1985. He was one of the friendliest people there. He was always more interested in talking about you and others, rather than talking about himself. In other words, he was the same then as he is now. Richard always thinks about what is best for the patient, group or the profession first. Ethics are his priority when making decisions. He is great at enabling others to work with him toward a common goal. Throughout his career, Richard has worked in the hospital OR for required cases on Fridays. He treats patients who can’t be cared for in a regular office setting. This is typically a task nobody else wants. It’s inconvenient, it doesn’t pay well, and it can be difficult. But Richard considers it a privilege to help. I’m proud to call Richard my friend. He is humble, kind and loyal. He cares deeply about the patients in our care, the integrity of our profession, and the wellbeing of our colleagues. Dr. Calvin MacPherson Richard's wife Joanne was my dentist when I was growing up, but I didn’t meet Richard until I became his coworker. He is always in a good mood and a joy to be around, in and out of the office. Anyone who knows Richard knows that he's always up for a chat, whether it be about dentistry or anything in life. He has been a good mentor to me for the last four years. As Richard begins his new role with CDA, he has had to cut some clinic hours. As a result, I have interacted with and treated more of his patients, who clearly admire him. His staff members, many of whom have worked with him for a very long time, share this admiration. I appreciate his ability to connect, relate, and empathize with people. CDA at W ork