thedrifter
04-19-07, 09:04 AM
William Thomas eyes retirement
By Jaine Treadwell, The Messenger
Next week, Dr. William Thomas will take down the shingle at his Troy dental office that has hung proudly for 50 years. Maybe.
Thomas shook his head as if he couldn't believe the time has come for him to enter the calm, relaxing world of retirement. Or, maybe, he was saying, “No, not yet.”
Thomas smiled.
“I'm just not sure,” he said. “I will really miss the people, but I guess it's like that with any job you've had for a long time. You meet so many nice people that you enjoy, and it's hard to give that up. When you've been doing something as long as I have, it's hard to stop.”
Thomas was silent for a minute, but then he smiled again as he thought about the opportunities before him.
“I'll have more time to spend with my family and especially the grandchildren,” he said. “And, we have a tree farm down at Gantt and a house we built. I like to hunt and fish, boat and do other things outdoors. I'll have plenty to do, but I will miss the people. It's all about the people.”
Thomas has been a Trojan from day-one. He was born in Troy and is a third generation Trojan. His grandparents owned a boarding house in Troy, and his dad was an educator and was also in the insurance business. He attended the college laboratory school and Troy High School.
“I was accepted at Vanderbilt but couldn't afford to go,” Thomas said. “So, I went to the University of Alabama with plans to pursue a career as a medical doctor. But Dr. Volker got me interested in dentistry. So, no. I didn't grow up wanting to be a dentist. Probably, very few people grow up wanting to be dentists.”
Thomas graduated from the University of Alabama with degrees in chemistry and biology and earned a D.M.D degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
After graduation, he wanted to fulfill his military obligation, so he elected a naval internship at Parris Island, S.C.
It was there at Parris Island that Thomas had the most difficult and trying experience that he would face as a dentist.
“A drill instructor took a platoon of Marines out on a Sunday night by himself,” Thomas said. “It was high tide at Ribbon Creek, and the water was about 8 or 10 feet deep. If I remember right, eight Marines drowned that night. Some of them lost their dog tags, and I had to identify them. I was young and right out of college. That was really hard on me. I couldn't sleep at night for a long time.”
Thomas came home to Troy and worked in a dental office in Luverne while his office at 403 E. Elm St. was being built.
He opened his office in Troy in January 1957 and immediately began serving the needs of his patients.
Over the years, Thomas said dentistry, like most other things, has become much more sophisticated as technology has brought changes that he could never have imagined when he first began his private practice.
“Equipment like high-speed drills and suction devices have made coming to the dentist much more pleasant,” he said. “People aren't afraid of the dentist the way they used to be.
Thomas, laughingly, said that he has the upper hand when he has a patient in the chair with his or her mouth rendered speechless.
“Most of the conversations are one-sided, and I do a lot of talking,” he said. “When I talk, it seems to relax my patients by helping keep their minds of the procedure.
“I try to talk about something I know they are interested in. And, I learned the hard way that sometime s you can say the wrong thing. Experience teaches you not to do that.”
All of Thomas' patients have been very special to him, and he appreciates their patronage and their friendship. He said every patient who sat in his chair was a VIP to him.
However, he did have one universal VIP to sit in his dental chair.
“Dr. Edward Tiller, the father of the nuclear bomb, was in Tuscaloosa and came to Troy for a visit,” Thomas said. “He lost a filling and came to me. He stayed and talked for a long time. He was a very interesting man, but he also showed an interest in me and my family.”
Thomas has tried to always show a sincere interest in his patients and his very competent staff, which includes his wife, Hilda. Every day has been a sunny day at William Thomas's dental office. It will be hard for him to leave.
“I've heard that the choices that you make that are the hardest on you are divorce and retirement,” he said. “I guess I'll soon know about retirement.”
Ellie
By Jaine Treadwell, The Messenger
Next week, Dr. William Thomas will take down the shingle at his Troy dental office that has hung proudly for 50 years. Maybe.
Thomas shook his head as if he couldn't believe the time has come for him to enter the calm, relaxing world of retirement. Or, maybe, he was saying, “No, not yet.”
Thomas smiled.
“I'm just not sure,” he said. “I will really miss the people, but I guess it's like that with any job you've had for a long time. You meet so many nice people that you enjoy, and it's hard to give that up. When you've been doing something as long as I have, it's hard to stop.”
Thomas was silent for a minute, but then he smiled again as he thought about the opportunities before him.
“I'll have more time to spend with my family and especially the grandchildren,” he said. “And, we have a tree farm down at Gantt and a house we built. I like to hunt and fish, boat and do other things outdoors. I'll have plenty to do, but I will miss the people. It's all about the people.”
Thomas has been a Trojan from day-one. He was born in Troy and is a third generation Trojan. His grandparents owned a boarding house in Troy, and his dad was an educator and was also in the insurance business. He attended the college laboratory school and Troy High School.
“I was accepted at Vanderbilt but couldn't afford to go,” Thomas said. “So, I went to the University of Alabama with plans to pursue a career as a medical doctor. But Dr. Volker got me interested in dentistry. So, no. I didn't grow up wanting to be a dentist. Probably, very few people grow up wanting to be dentists.”
Thomas graduated from the University of Alabama with degrees in chemistry and biology and earned a D.M.D degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
After graduation, he wanted to fulfill his military obligation, so he elected a naval internship at Parris Island, S.C.
It was there at Parris Island that Thomas had the most difficult and trying experience that he would face as a dentist.
“A drill instructor took a platoon of Marines out on a Sunday night by himself,” Thomas said. “It was high tide at Ribbon Creek, and the water was about 8 or 10 feet deep. If I remember right, eight Marines drowned that night. Some of them lost their dog tags, and I had to identify them. I was young and right out of college. That was really hard on me. I couldn't sleep at night for a long time.”
Thomas came home to Troy and worked in a dental office in Luverne while his office at 403 E. Elm St. was being built.
He opened his office in Troy in January 1957 and immediately began serving the needs of his patients.
Over the years, Thomas said dentistry, like most other things, has become much more sophisticated as technology has brought changes that he could never have imagined when he first began his private practice.
“Equipment like high-speed drills and suction devices have made coming to the dentist much more pleasant,” he said. “People aren't afraid of the dentist the way they used to be.
Thomas, laughingly, said that he has the upper hand when he has a patient in the chair with his or her mouth rendered speechless.
“Most of the conversations are one-sided, and I do a lot of talking,” he said. “When I talk, it seems to relax my patients by helping keep their minds of the procedure.
“I try to talk about something I know they are interested in. And, I learned the hard way that sometime s you can say the wrong thing. Experience teaches you not to do that.”
All of Thomas' patients have been very special to him, and he appreciates their patronage and their friendship. He said every patient who sat in his chair was a VIP to him.
However, he did have one universal VIP to sit in his dental chair.
“Dr. Edward Tiller, the father of the nuclear bomb, was in Tuscaloosa and came to Troy for a visit,” Thomas said. “He lost a filling and came to me. He stayed and talked for a long time. He was a very interesting man, but he also showed an interest in me and my family.”
Thomas has tried to always show a sincere interest in his patients and his very competent staff, which includes his wife, Hilda. Every day has been a sunny day at William Thomas's dental office. It will be hard for him to leave.
“I've heard that the choices that you make that are the hardest on you are divorce and retirement,” he said. “I guess I'll soon know about retirement.”
Ellie