next week. On Monday of the following week, my phone rang, and it was her assistant. And she said: "Ms. Shriver hasn't heard from you, and she wants to talk with you”. We arranged an appointment and I'll never forget the date. It was on October the 31st, Halloween day. We talked that day for an hour and twenty minutes. It was an unbelievable experi-ence. We were sitting around a small table. She was there, and so was a pediatrician who was interested in the Special Olympics. I think his name was Dr. Robert Parker. He is a pediatrician and the person who created the idea of the Head Start Program. The entire Head Start program. He developed it during Kennedy's term. When Kennedy was assassinated, it was shelved until well into the Johnson administration. Being with Eunice Shriver and the man who thought up and devel-oped the Head Start Program was a stimulating hour and twenty-minute discussion. Dr. Ed Gonzalez: I bet it was. Dr. Heber Simmons: We had been talking for about twenty minutes, and I was sitting right next to her around this little round table, and she just laid her hand over on my arm and she said, "Dr. Simmons, what do you do?”. I said, "Ma'am, I see children in Mississippi every day, but I come up to Wash-ington D.C. once a month to help all the other children." And, that's sort of the way it went. You know, it's gratifying to see these people up on the Hill. I just greet them like a friend. I passed John McCain so many times, and I would say “Hi John.” Even though we had met once, I’m sure that he did not remember me and wondered who this strange man was who would constantly greet him. But I would just speak and keep on walking. Dr. Ed Gonzalez: That's great. That's great. I met some of those people, at least the Floridians, and tried to help with a few things. And, it's always stimulating to talk to them. And, you just hope that what you can say to them can influence them just a little bit. Give me what you think about the future of pediatric dentistry, and how is it going to change in the future? Dr. Heber Simmons: Ed, I think that the future for pediatric dentistry is brighter than it's ever been. I think the golden age of dentistry is really in front of us. We have the tools right now to have a cavity free generation. I think that the pedi-atric dentists of the future must be well rounded and prepared to do all things. Growth and development and orthodontics are a critical part of what they need to learn to do. Every time I have an opportunity to talk to pediatric residents, I tell them, "For heavens sakes, join the AOS. Take these great courses. Learn as much as you possibly can because it enriches what you do”. And, you know, pediatric dentistry has been so good to me. I'm not very good predicting the future other than the fact that I am an optimist and I think it's going to be better. I know that in my personal life when-ever I've found a door that I hoped would open and it was locked, forcing me to walk down the hall to find an open window. In every case, without exception, the window has been what I truly needed and better than the door. I'm a firm believer in giving God the keys to your life. If you do, He will open the doors. It's not always the door we expect to be opened, but He will open the door we need. Going to Wash-ington as part of the Academy’s team has been one of the most rewarding things I've ever done because it has been so gratifying. Hopefully I've left the wood pile a little bit higher than I found it. That has been my goal throughout life. If we all follow the Golden Rule, treat people like we'd like to be treated, treat all our patients and their parents just like they're family, and then try to make things better than the way we found them, then I see nothing but good in the future. Dr. Ed Gonzalez: Absolutely. Dr. Simmons, you know how much I respect you, and all the work you've done over the years, and I consider you a good friend. And, I just wanted to thank you for being part of our Orthodontic Smiles interview. I was so pleased that I could have a person of your prestige be a part of Orthodontic Smiles. www.orthodontics.com Spring 2019 31
Journal of the American Orthodontic Society Spring 2019: Page 31
