I didn't realize when I was young that my parents were middle to upper middle class (kids don't know those designations). My Dad was a CPA, and my Mom was an elementary school teacher, but his constant refusal to buy me or my sister a coke or an ice cream treat made me feel like we were poor. When I was pressured by my parents to attend a distant private school rather than the nearby public school, I started to accept the fact that we were privileged. Having a small summer cottage in upstate New York near a lake seemed like a normal thing to do to escape the heat and cement of Brooklyn where there were really almost no trees! My Dad drove two-year-old Cadillacs, never new. We didn't take expensive vacations. We lived in an old three-level brownstone.

But I never had to pay for my education. My Dad took student loans because they were a good deal interest­ wise. I never had to repay him. College at SUNY Stonybrook was cheap, but dental school at the University of Pennsylvania was very expensive. Plus, living expenses in West Philly were very high. My Dad bought me my first, second, and third cars. The first was stolen in Brooklyn; the second was broken into in a protected garage in Philly; the third was a wedding present when Beth and I married. (Her stories of her childhood taught me what growing up poor was actually like.)

Because of my Dad's generosity during those critical years, I vowed to do the same for our son Cory: cars, University of Pennsylvania undergraduate AND Dental School; and Harvard Medical School. To his credit, Cory willingly paid for two years of education helped by a resident's salary and some student loans. Fun Fact: Cory and I both met our future wives while attending the University Of Pennsylvania Dental School. His future wife, Anthea, was in his dental school class, and I met Beth at a campus mixer! 

We both felt very poor during our first few years in Philly. I had worked at the Concord Hotel during summers and vacations and accumulated a little money. But we were both in Graduate School and had only small part time jobs. I was a typist; Beth taught Hebrew School on weekends. I graduated one semester early which l spent as an unpaid intern in a general practice residency program at Albert Einstein Hospital. My Dad generously gave me the tuition for living expenses.

A big night out for us at that time was splurging on a pizza steak hoagie at the Purple Onion that we shared! I decided to join the Navy not only for the extended dental experience, but also for the paycheck. Boot camp in Newport, RI turned out not to be as much fun as we were led to believe from the class before me. And, I was promised a duty station in Florida, (which was always our final destination), I was, instead, assigned to Norfolk, VA. We were upset at first; since I had always dreamed of living in Florida ever since my parents, my sister, and I drove down there on a few school breaks from NY.

However, my two years in the Navy (since they didn't pay for my education), turned out not to be so bad. I was very lucky not to be assigned to a ship, since I was unaware at the time that I got seasick easily. I was also lucky to be transferred for my second year to a small satellite clinic where I was the sole Endodontist. (That's a story in itself!) Performing root canals for a year gave me a leg up when I started looking for a job: I was almost a specialist! A dentist in St. Petersburg, FL, who never performed his own root canals was looking for someone like me, so I accepted the position, even though my in­-laws lived in North Miami Beach.

That business relationship, that had begun so well in 1978, fizzled suddenly at the end of two years. I wanted to expand, he didn't, so we parted ways like in an acrimonious divorce. We had just bought our first house in Bardmoor (due to the allure of the Harry Hopman tennis facility); our son was less than a year old, and I had to scramble to keep my practice going (talk about stress!). 

A nice guy on Central Ave near my old location, Dr. Mel Cohen, took pity on me and let me rent space. My patients followed and my practice grew. The expansion to Palm Harbor, that I had planned for with my employer and­ hopefully a third dentist, never really took off, and I sold it after five years. That turned out to be a good business decision, as it allowed me to concentrate on one location. I bought an empty lot and built my own office in 1985 on Central Avenue. 

Fifteen years later, I needed help and was truly blessed to be introduced to Vivian Quesada-Fox by our dental supply salesman. A very recent graduate of the University of Florida School of Dental Medicine, she was also from St. Petersburg. With lots of friends and family in the area, she quickly established herself as an excellent practitioner with a strong following. She gave birth to three daughters while she worked full time as my associate, then became a partner and finally purchased the practice and the building and became my employer. The transition was textbook smooth. To this day she is still our dentist, and I often refer my friends and neighbors to her.         

I played a lot of sports in my life: basketball, tennis, racquetball, softball, and now pickleball. As a result, my joints have suffered and still are suffering. I've had lots of joint surgeries, splints, casts, and crutches during my working years. 

More major issues surfaced in 2018 when I had three heart stents placed. I learned that bad genetics (sticky plaque) supersedes a good diet and exercise when, in 2019 just before Covid became widespread, I had a triple bypass. By then I was a part-time employee, so six weeks off, coupled with the office closing during the pandemic, prompted me to retire in 2021.

Full retirement allowed us to leave Florida for the whole summer (instead of two week vacations like we did

for forty years), and we decided on a house in Rhode Island. Our son Cory, daughter-in-law Anthea, and three grandchildren live in Newton, about an hour's drive away. Eight years earlier, they bought a beautiful summer home on Narragansett Bay minutes from our house in North Kingstown, RI. Just as we'd hoped, we get to visit, spend time, and help out when necessary all summer, as well as enjoy some spring and fall trips. 

We're very fortunate that Cory wound up at Boston Children's Hospital, where he practices pediatric maxillofacial surgery, while Anthea practices Orthodontics in Newton. Their lives are very busy which allows us to help out sometimes without interfering. We also visit Miles, our twenty-five year old grandson, and his fiancée Christina, who live in Greenville, South Carolina.

My retirement is filled with sports; trips; changes of location, scenery, and climate; and family time. Except for good health, who could ask for more?

Our son Cory knows this story pretty well. I'm writing it so our grandchildren and their children will know my background when they read it. Wouldn't you like to have your grandkids know your story, too? Email me at JResnickdmd@aol.com.