Dentist of the Year Devoted to Family, Profession, Community

(reprinted from Today's FDA, December, 2001)

By Gary Herbeck, DMD                    
Scientific Editor, Today’s FDA

Cover of December issue of Today's FDA

This 1972 photo of Dr. Garlitz is similar to one that appeared in Radio Japan News the next year.

Dr. Garlitz (right center) and his family, Dustin, Randi and Janine (left to right), vacation in Montreal, Quebec.

3. Dr. Garlitz, president of UF-CD’s Alumni Association, speaks at the college’s 2001 Commencement Ceremony.

WB4ZVF: KOSHER HAM. Secret code? Expiration date on top of some food can? Something printed on a T-shirt? If you guessed the latter, you may know the Florida Dental Association’s 2001 Dentist of the Year, Dr. Jay Garlitz. That cryptic phrase reveals a bit about Jay’s hobbies and passions — amateur radio and his faith.

Jay was born in Miami in 1958. Thirteen years later, his life would change forever when someone gave him a short-wave radio at his bar mitzvah. He’s had his own call sign — first WB4ZVF, now AA4FL — ever since. Jay holds amateur radio’s highest license — an "extra class license" — which requires operators to key 20 words per minute in Morse code and know advanced radio theory.

"I developed a ham-radio mentality that helped develop my electronic obsession," Jay said. "Ham radio is such a challenge. You have to know frequency theory, geography, time zones, how to talk to people. It appealed to the part of me that is a hard worker."

Jay Volunteers Countless Hours

When you look at Jay’s leadership history, it’s easy to see he works hard. Jay is past president of the Alachua County Dental Association (ACDA) and chairperson of its Public Relations Committee. He also serves as chairperson of the FDA’s Council on Communications and Task Force on Continuing Dental Education. In November, Jay stepped down as president of the University of Florida College of Dentistry Alumni Association.

The UF-CD Alumni Association is only the most recent organization that improved during Jay’s tenure as president. He also is strongly involved in serving his community. Jay is treasurer and past president of the Hawthorne Lion’s Club and the Hawthorne Area Chamber of Commerce; past president of the Gator Amateur Radio Club; and past president and a board member of Temple Shir Shalom of Gainesville.

"When I take on leadership, I want to leave the organization better than when I got there," Jay said. "I lead by example."

Sense of Commitment Rooted in Family

His father, who held a master’s degree in music, was an elementary-school teacher and professional musician. His mother was an interior decorator for many years. Jay learned how to play alto saxophone and drums, but never progressed enough to make music a career. It’s Jay’s children who seem to have the "music gene" in their DNA.

Jay’s son Dustin was born while Jay was a junior in dental school. Dustin is a student at School of Jazz and Contemporary Music at New School University in New York City. He lives near the famed Apollo Theatre in Harlem and plays tenor sax at clubs such as The Knitting Factory in Greenwich Village, and at free-form "beatnik-style" poetry readings.

Janine, Jay’s daughter, is dual-enrolled in Buchholz High School and Santa Fe Community College. She’s a club disc jockey who’s well known on the Gainesville music scene as "Lady Inertia."

But jazz and club music aren’t Jay’s style. He’s a fan of classic rock and anything by his all-time favorite band, Led Zeppelin.

School Days

In fact, Led Zeppelin was on the radio when the 1975 graduate of North Miami Beach High School moved to Alachua County in 1976 to attend the University of Florida.

At age 19, after graduating cum laude with a chemistry degree, Jay entered UF-CD as a member of the Eta Class. He graduated when he was 23 and is UF-CD’s youngest graduate to date.

"We had Vietnam vets, people with families … and Jay," remembers Dr. Jim Ruskin, a fellow class member and chairperson of the UF Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Diagnostic Sciences. "He was the youngest in the class, the fresh-faced, wet-behind-the-ears kid. He is one of the kindest, nicest people you could meet. The strangest thing about him was his car. It had a radio antenna on it that was almost as big as the car."

Jim and Jay still work together. Jay is a courtesy assistant clinical professor in the UF Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Diagnostic Sciences.

Hawthorne is Home

How did the man who grew up in the metropolis of Miami end up in rural Hawthorne?

"One of my patients was a pharmacist who worked in Shands. He was dispensing meds to the mayor of Hawthorne, Dr. James Matthews, a dentist who was terminally ill with cancer. My patient arranged for us to meet.

"Dr. Matthews decided after spending some time with me that we shared a focus on civics and community service. Before he died, he made me a very generous offer that was impossible to refuse, although I was still in school. Luckily, my classmate, Dr. Mark Coican, was an early graduate and kept the practice going until I got my license."

On Aug. 2, Jay celebrated 19 years in Hawthorne. He was the only dentist in town until 1995, when he formed Gator Dental Associates, PA. His first associate was Dr. David Maxwell, now of Ormond Beach. Jay practices now with Dr. Shelly King.

"Dentistry is perfect for me. I can be psychologist, physician, artist and technician, all folded into one, especially in family dentistry," Jay said. "I get a lot of gratification in my work, particularly in a small town, where I can develop close, personal relationships with my patients. In a small town, they are my friends as well as an extended family."

Jay’s interest in computer technologies and high-tech equipment has helped create an office where patients can expect the best. With voice-controlled periodontal probing, dental-image capture, voice-recognition software and full computerization, Gator Dental Associates offers state-of-the-art dentistry.

As a result, Jay’s office is popular with dental students. They regularly visit his office on weekends, not only to see what "real-life dentistry" is about, but also to get first-hand experience with dental-office technology. His generosity does not go unnoticed.

"It’s no surprise to me that Jay Garlitz was selected (for this award)," UF-CD Dean Frank Catalanotto said. "He serves as an exemplary model of participation in organized dentistry for any young dentist."

Jay Not the Only Garlitz

Who Works Hard, Volunteers

Participation in the Garlitz household doesn’t begin and end with Jay. His wife, Randi, also makes personal, professional and social commitment a focus of her life. She teaches disadvantaged first-graders at Williams Elementary on Gainesville’s east side. She also is a regular at Dentists Day on the Hill, working with the Alliance of the Florida Dental Association to deliver toothbrush kits and articulate organized dentistry’s positions to Florida legislators.

Randi and Jay have a long history together, going back to around 1960. As toddlers, they went to the same daycare in Miami. Randi jokes that not many wives can say they started taking naps with their husbands when they were 3 years old.

Jay’s Contributions to FDA

One of Jay’s greatest assets is his communication skill. As the dental profession moves into the next century, the ability to communicate quickly, concisely and efficiently will grow more important every day.

Jay’s self-described "electronic obsession," coupled with his communication skills, has given the FDA a sense of direction and vision as it enters the 21st century. Without fanfare, Jay created two online continuing dental education courses that helped the FDA increase its membership value. As Webmaster of several notable dental sites — including the Central District and West Coast District dental associations, the Florida chapters of Alpha Omega Dental Fraternity and the Dental Alumni Association of the University of Florida — Jay has set the framework that will be followed for years to come.

"His niche in communication systems has been a wonderful and timely contribution to the FDA," said Dr. Sam Low, the FDA’s secretary and 1997 Dentist of the Year.

Dr. Richard Chichetti, FDA immediate past president, was pleased to participate in choosing Jay as the FDA’s 2001 Dentist of the Year.

"He is pragmatic, thoughtful and makes good decisions for the dental profession. His dedication to the FDA is phenomenal and appreciated," Richard said.

Dedicated is an excellent word to describe Jay. But the Dentist of the Year hopes that one day, people will call him "Elmer."

"In radio circles, this title is given to someone who introduces one to ham radio, someone who acts as a mentor, a teacher, a ‘Yoda,’" Jay said. "To be called an ‘Elmer’ is an honor. It shows that person to be worthy of both trust and respect."

In the FDA’s circles, being named the Dentist of the Year is an honor that shows the dentist is worthy of trust and respect. Jay’s accomplishments and dedication to his family, patients and organized dentistry have certainly earned him this distinguished title.

To learn more about Dr. Jay Garlitz, visit his Web site, http://www.gatordental.com/.