Dr. Charles Eller

Greetings once again to all of the nearly eight thousand PFA Fellows in 50 countries--and counting!!

Korea--Yes, the PFA is alive and well in this beautiful country. Our Fellows in South Korea are very well-educated, dedicated and sophisticated.

The South Korean Fellows, about 50 in number, flew to Jeju Island, the "Honeymoon Island," located an hour southeast of Seoul. This was an excellent venue for the occasion.

The group was greeted by KPFA President, Prof. Dr. Kim Jong-Won, DDS, MS, PhD, an Oral/Maxillofacial Surgeon. The Occasion--it was the 30th Anniversary of the KPFA held in honor of the Founder, Prof. Dr. Kim Hong Ki, DDS, PhD. The Scientific Program began in the morning with a violin, cello, and piano trio playing for us.

Dr. Kegler, Dr. Acuna, Dr. Antonio Nicolas Pangrazio (89 years young). Dr. Eller

Prof. Dr. Wilfried Schilli (Germany), President of the International Humanitarian Aid and of his SIC Implant Company was the first Lecturer. His lecture was entitled "The State of the Art of Implant Dentistry." This was the theme of the day. Two of Dr. Schilli's associates accompanied him, and they exhibited the products of the company.

Three lectures were presented in the morning. After a lunch break, four more lectures were presented by Ko-rean and Japanese PFA Fellows, all experts in the field of Implantology.

The Korean PFA meets during the summer, and the Japanese PFA during the autumn months. Fellows from both countries are in attendance with translators, of course. Dr. Kim Hyoun Chull, Secretary-Treasurer of the KPFA, translates in Korean and Japanese. His sister-in-law, Kim Jin Young, has lived in the U.S. and was my English/Korean translator.

The Reception/Dinner Party in the evening was a tribute to the elegance of our Korean Fellows and their guests, nearly 100 in attendance.

Dr. Ernesto Acuna, Dr. Joe Harris, Drs. Emilio and Nilse Kegler, Dr. Eller

Dr. Victor Raul Vera-Viererci, Dr. Acuna, Dr. Eller

Iguasu Falls, Paraguay

Drs. Keigler, Dr. & Mrs. Acuna

The PFA Korea Section 30th Annual Meeting

The evenings' ¬entertainment included an opera singer with a marvelous voice and a well known poet who gave a very expressive reading (translation on a big screen in three languages). Both the singer and the poet are Korean PFA Fellows. Next, 12 gorgeous Korean ladies who escaped from North Korea (they certainly must have had a great story to tell!), dressed in beautiful traditional Korean silk dresses, performed elegant dances and traditional Korean songs followed by one of the ladies who played the accordion for a sing-along. It was a festive evening. Another excellent example of what other PFA Sections are doing, world-wide!

Prof. Dr. Kim Hong Ki was presented with the PFA Certificate of Merit for all of his efforts for the Academy. Fifteen new Fellows were installed. Each Fellow was given a new briefcase and an umbrella, the latter a nec-essary adjunct to your personal wardrobe in Korea. Fortunately, not needed at this time!

Dr. Lee Soo-Ku, President of the Korean Dental Association, wished to meet us to learn about our Academy. We spent a pleasant time with him in his office at the Korean Dental Association Headquarters building.

The Koreans are a very "giving" people. They conduct dental humanitarian trips to Cambodia, Vietnam, Ubekistan, Mongolia and North Korea. The latter is on hold for the time being because of the "present ten-sion." They have lived with this for over 60 years and do not appear to be concerned about the present situa-tion.

As a personal note, my wife, Gloria, and I have visited Korea about ¬fifteen times over the years and I can say this without contradiction. The Koreans and the Japanese are the only people whom we have met in our world travels who make the rest of us look lazy.

Next stop--Paraguay, a country where tourists from the U.S. rarely travel. You should know that the Para-guay PFA is a very active and vital Section of our Academy. It is an excellent example of who and what we represent.

The Installation Ceremony was held at the Yacht and Golf Club Paraguayo, a magnificent 5-Star setting com-plete with a Casino. The emcee for the evening festivities was a local television celebrity. There were close to 100 Fellows and guests in attendance.

Dr. Emilio Kegler, the Paraguay PFA Section Chairman was introduced and gave the Welcome address. Trus-tee Ernesto Acuna (Region 7) gave a powerful Power Point presentation about the PFA, its organizational structure, its purpose and aims. It was extremely informative and well-received. Trustee Acuna will be able to use this production in all of the Latin ¬countries.

As your President, I gave an overview of the Academy and the Foundation, including the Scholarship and Grant Program as well as telling how other Sections of the Academy function.

Dr. Victor Raul Vera-Vierci, the Founder of the Paraguayan PFA Section, was presented with a plaque in rec-ognition of his work with the Academy and our Profession.

Twenty-four new Fellows were inducted into the Academy. An excellent banquet was enjoyed by all.

The surprise of the evening--Dr. Kegler's wife Nilse, also a dentist, inducted her father, Dr. Antonio Nicolas Pangrazio, as a new Fellow. He is 89 years young and still practices Dentistry. A real charmer! She also in-ducted her brother, Natalio Pangrazio-Ruoti as a new Fellow.

The twin sons of the Keglers are dentists also. Marcello is just finishing his Implant Specialty Program in Brazil and his brother, Emilio, recently graduated from the University of Detroit, Mercy Orthodontic Pro-gram. There are now 10 dentists in the family.

The family is eagerly looking forward to being in their new dental offices with seventeen operatories, white marble floors, a full two-story glass front and two two-story waterfalls facing the operatories. The Kegler family has set a new high standard for the practice of dentistry in Paraguay.

Those are the gracious hosts who took the time to take the Acunas and the Ellers to visit Iguasu Falls, one of the mighty Wonders of the World.

During the past two years, your PFA Academy has united the Latin Sections, thanks to the efforts of Trustee Acuna. The European Sections were united in March at the huge Cologne Dental meeting due to the efforts of Trustee Jose Dahan (Region 1) and German Section Chair Frank Braun. These groups will continue to meet every other year.

Our current challenge is to unite the Asian Sections as well. If Korea hosts the FDI in Seoul in 2013, they have promised an all Asian PFA Congress. We wish them well in this project!

Still on our schedule is Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, for a new PFA contingent from the North and Western parts of the country and then to Poland to present the Elmer S. Best Award to recipient Prof. Dr. Zbigniew Janczuk.

Then it is to Hawaii for the annual meeting of the PFA. By that date, I will have personally contacted every Section Chairperson in the U.S. Hopefully, I have inspired them to have a better understanding as to their po-sition as Section Chairpersons and to heighten their dedication to our Academy, unique in our beloved profes-sion as the largest dental honorary ¬philanthropic Academy in the world.

It has been an honor and a privilege to have been able to serve you as President of the Pierre Fauchard Acad-emy International. I am certain that we are now truly

"Dentistry's Handclasp Around the World"

My wife, Gloria, and I send our very Best Wishes to each and every one of you.