Alpha Omega President goes to Montreal Ooh -La- La!

As I have written and said all year, I have committed 2010 for Alpha Omega International Dental Fraternity to be “the Year for our Members.” With that in mind, I have attempted to enhance communication, and to have our members get the most information quickly. For my Montreal presidential visitation, I opted to fly into Burlington Vermont, and drive to Montreal, rather than fly directly into Montreal, because the airfare was much less expensive. No sooner had Rona and Bill Steinman heard we were flying into Vermont that our telephone rang, with Rona insisting that we stop along the way at their lovely home on Lake Champlain,Vermont. Rona and Bill welcomed us with their incredible warmth and hospitality, fed us, and then led us into Montreal via a border crossing that only a “native” would be able to find. After settling into our hotel, Mike Tenenbaum picked us up, and brought him over to his home for an intimate “taste and drink” gathering. Marlene was a perfect hostess, and we enjoyed our small gathering with Marlene and Mike, Rona and Bill, Sam Israelovitch and Sarah Rowniak, and Marvin Steinberg and Gail Caplan. Immediately following, Mike drove us over to the home of incoming Montreal chapter president Allan Lisbona and his wife (also an endodontist and frater) Stacy Abrahams, who gracefully hosted a large chapter barbecue and social gathering. When you visit them,make sure you see their basement!
I had the pleasure of meeting, greeting and speaking to numerous fraters. I particularly enjoyed my lively discussion with Mel Schwartz and his wife Dr. Shirley Schwartz. Mel is a Representative of the Order of Dentists, as well as being on the accreditation committee for foreign dentists desiring licensure in Canada. Shirley is a practicing pediatrician. Along with Jerry Duschkin, also a Representative to AODQ, we discussed many issues including faculty attitudes, new Canadian Laws and AO.
The inimitable Mort Lang and his wife Fidelia, helped give me an historic perspective of Montreal dentistry and Alpha Omega. The Montreal chapter was born about 60 years ago, out of the Mount Royal Dental Society (MRDS). MRDS began 90 years ago, and the AO Montreal chapter is both a fraternity, as well as a dental society. Mort recounted how my father-in-law Eli was very helpful and kind to him when Eli was Marshal of the 1965 New York convention, getting him a better room at the last minute.
It is always a pleasure to meet and talk to the dental students who are the future of AO. I had the pleasure of having a wonderful conversation with Erica Kader, who is beginning her first year at McGill, and Matthew Miller, a recent McGill graduate, who will be entering the Endo program at Nova this Fall. I am sure that our Florida fraters will warmly welcome Matt.All of you will meet him at the 2011 convention in Fort Lauderdale.
The Montreal chapter is an extremely efficient and effective one, that all other AO chapters could point to with pride. Harry Wise, a Past President, has served as Editor of their excellent journal, “The Probe & Mirror,” for a few years. He and his wife Barbara continue their tremendous dedication to the principles of AO and they enjoy the AO Conventions. Harry’s twin brother, Marty Wise coordinates the incredible JIAS clinic that many of the Montreal fraters volunteer and staff.Many members donate their time to treat newly immigrant families at the Jewish Hospital clinic or in their offices.
The next morning, Eli Raviv (Montreal chapter president and Director of the GPR program at Jewish Hospital) picked me up, and escorted and introduced me around, First, we met with Dean of the Faculty of Dentistry at McGill, Dr. Paul J. Allison. We had a very interesting conversation about AO and the community. Dr. Allison showed particular interest in getting involved in the Tomorrow’s Smile program. Dr. John Bloomfield, a former dean, gave us the cooks tour of McGill. Dr Jeff Meyers popped by to show us his cases in the Oral Surgery suite. We went from there to the Universite de Montreal, where the Vice Dean Andre Prevost took us personally on a tour of the dental school. We also had the opportunity to have a meaningful conversation with Professor Dr. Annie St-Georges, and shared some ideas. We followed that by going over to the Jewish Hospital, where Eli proudly showed off his fabulous program and I met his son Dr. Roy Raviv (one of his residents). Eli and I even had the opportunity to see the pro-Israel demonstration, where the Jewish community marched to the Israeli Consulate to demonstrate solidarity with Israel during these trying times. During all this time, Marlene Tenenbaum entertained Richard, by giving him an extensive tour of the city, feeding him, and, of course, entertaining Richard as only Marlene can.
That evening, I had the honor of attending and officiating at the Installation of Montreal chapter’s new officers, and give out Senior certificates. There was a great turnout, and Eli’s words about the importance of Israeli solidarity, and Michael Tenenbaum’s extremely kind and touching introduction of me, were certainly additional highlights. I had so many opportunities to speak to alumni members as well as student members, that I realized why the Montreal chapter is such a success. They have great people/ fraters! One extremely revealing story of what makes AO so very special is the story of Dr. Myriam Feldman. Myriam is originally from Argentina, and she became aware of AO years ago, when there was an active AO chapter in Argentina. When Myriam decided she wanted to emigrate to Montreal, she contacted Alpha Omega fraters in Montreal, who assisted her in facilitating her moving to Montreal. Myriam is a dedicated frater, and presently serves as one of Montreal chapter’s Vice Presidents.
Many of Montreal’s fraters are active and involved females, and it has been that way for quite some time. Dr Linda Schwartz was their first woman president. I could not have been made to feel more welcome!
One of the great things about being International President of Alpha Omega, is that it gives me the opportunity to really get to know so many wonderful fraters around the world. This is precisely why I feel so strongly that the more fraters who attend an AO International Convention, the more dedicated and committed fraters we will have. Attending an AO Convention has many important pluses, but none is more important than getting a real opportunity to observe the full scope of Alpha Omega on an International level. Please consider attending, and look at what it’s all about at: www.aosunnydays2010.ao.org where you can see all that will occur, as well as register. I look forward to seeing you in San Diego this December.


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