Richard and Judy Kozal (photograph by Shirley Brophy)
PFA's Secretary General Richard A. Kozal died Wednesday, 11 March 2009.
He died of cancer complications with his wife by his side. Past PFA President Carl Lundgren summed it all up for us in saying, "Richard Kozal has always been the heart and soul of the Academy." And at this moment in time, he has been that and more. But, it was not always that way. Richard started out on the South Side of Chicago where he learned his principles, morals, and values growing up in institutions, like Loyola University of Chicago. He observed the unique brand of Chicago politics and the "how" and "why" it worked. He graduated from the Chicago College of Dental Surgery and went on to become a Professor there, then called the Loyola School of Dentistry.
Upon graduation in 1959, Capt. Richard Kozal spent two years on active duty with the U.S. Army Dental Corps and went on to continue to serve in the Army Reserves, eventually earning the rank of Colonel with such honors as Commander of the 149th Dental Unit at Fort Sheridan and Deputy Commander of the 88th Medical Brigade. Richard was always very proud of his military service.
As was the custom of the unique Chicago style of dental politics, he became a member of the Progressive Organization, part of the court-mandated tri-party system of office rotation for the Chicago Dental Society and the Illinois State Dental Society. Richard chose to move through the Chicago Dental Society to become its President. From there he was selected as ADA Vice President. By this time, he had maintained a general dentistry practice in Summit, Illinois, for 36 years. Along the journey he amassed many other honors such Omicron Kappa Upsilon; Fellowship in PFA, ICD, ACD, and ADI; and President of the Loyola Dental Alumni Association.
He did outstanding service as ICD Regent, ADI Executive Secretary, and eventually settled in as PFA Secretary/Treasurer in 1980, when the two jobs were combined. He would tell the story of becoming PFA Secretary and being handed a box of 3x5 cards that contained all the names and addresses of the PFA members. That was the start of the magnificent job he and his wife, Judith, did to where today the office, now called Executive Secretary, is computerized and runs efficiently. About 1997, Richard and Judith moved the office to Las Vegas into the Community College of Southern Nevada, where he taught in their dental hygiene program for nine years and established a dental museum there. Richard went on to build another dental museum at the new University of Nevada--Las Vegas School of Dentistry. In 2006, the office was again moved to Mesquite, Nevada, to gain more space.
During the recent San Antonio PFA General Board Meeting, Richard discussed that he had a tumor about his kidney that needed to be removed the next week. But he did not anticipate any complications. The Central Office would run smoothly without missing a beat. Then it was discovered that the cancer had metastasized to the lungs and would be treated with a new drug. Somewhere that did not work, and Richard is now reorganizing a Celestial PFA Section with our founder Elmer Best. He died just 15 days before his 74th birthday.
Richard Adam Kozal is survived by his dear wife Judith; sons Paul, David, and Rick; and stepson Michael. Also remaining are his sister, Arlene Tilghman; brother, Donald Kozal; and three grandchildren; as well as a host of international friends all over the world. The Pierre Fauchard Academy that he built is a living tribute to the man's energetic character and zeal in continuing the work he was so dedicated to. He was a unique person to us who knew him for four decades. He will be impossible to replace. But we must preserve his legacy.