Judith D. Kozal

The Central Office has been busy with preparations to send out second notices for U.S. and Canadian annual dues and new 75th Anniversary Fellowship certificates for several upcoming Section meetings, where new Fellows will be inducted. Much to their credit, quite a few Section Chairs have already started this year off with a bang through their dedicated hard work in inviting quality dentists to join our PFA International "Family." Congratulations and a really big thank you to all of you!

Along with the annual request that has been sent to Life Fellows for a voluntary contribution to the Academy's scholarships and educational programs, a letter was enclosed to thank them for their many years of support as active dues-paying Fellows and now as our esteemed Life Fellows. Many of them became Fellows in the 1980s and have truly earned our respect and admiration, not only for their support of the Academy, but also for their many contributions to the profession of dentistry. Congratulations to all of our Life Fellows for having achieved "Life" status, and thank you! As a reminder, the three basic requirements for attaining Life Fellow status are (1) having attained the age of 65 years or older, (2) being fully retired from practice and not earning income from the practice of dentistry (this includes a teaching position), and (3) having been a Fellow in good standing for at least 10 consecutive years. Life Fellow status also may be granted on a case by case basis for those who become disabled and are no longer able to work or teach.

We already have received requests from several dental schools for the Senior Undergraduate Certificate of Merit Award in response to our annual letter to dental school deans. In recognition of our 75th Anniversary, every recipient of this award will receive a specially designed anniversary certificate.

Don't forget we will have a PFA 75th Anniversary Celebration in Mexico City. During the Worldwide FDI meeting, PFA Vice President Ernesto Acuña has arranged for a special evening event on September 13 at the French Embassy in Mexico.

Preparations for our October 8-11 Board Meeting and functions in Las Vegas are still in the early stages. As updated information becomes available, it will be posted on our Web site, so take advantage of this service offered by the Academy. Our PFA headquarters hotel is the Four Seasons, and our reservation codes will be available by the time this issue is printing. As soon as I know, everyone will know!

I will close with these two little thoughts: "Attitude is a choice made daily" (Sue Raye) and "The greatest things in life aren't things" (Stella Kugler). Excellent advice!

Judith D. Kozal
Executive Director of the Pierre Fauchard Academy