About the North Atlantic Component
The origin of the North Atlantic Component has become folklore to the members of this component. Like many legends, it has been passed down verbally over the past sixty-plus years. All credit for this must be given to Dr. Daniel Subtelny, the legendary former chairman of the Eastman Dental Center Orthodontic Program for 55 years.
It all started in 1964 at the Eastern Component Meeting in Atlantic City, which I attended on the invitation of Dr. Robert Baker. I was interviewed for membership by the examination committee. It was a somewhat disconcerting meeting, and there was a strange undercurrent among a group of seven or eight former University of Illinois orthodontic graduates. We wondered if we fit in this component. Flying home with Dr. Theodore “Ted” Tirk, a private pilot, created more tension as we almost crashed on our landing.
After the Atlantic City meeting, this same group organized and decided to secede from the East and create a new component. We wanted a component with more emphasis on research and scientific based presentations. We wanted more than just plaster and bracket placement discussions. We envisioned future meetings in exotic places and involvement of our spouses.
Dr. Daniel Subtelny
The Founding Nine
- Robert Baker
- Allen Brader
- Dan Subtelny
- Theodore “Ted” Tirk
- Robert Hedges
- Gerald Rose
- C. Elson Burroughs
- Frank Truesdell
- George Sturman
1964–1965: Charter
On May 17–19, the North Atlantic Component held its first meeting at The Marriott Hotel in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The first president was Ted Tirk and the secretary-treasurer was Bob Baker. From October 31 to November 2, the Component held its second meeting at The Williamsburg Lodge in Williamsburg, Virginia, where plans were made for its presence at the Biennial meeting the following year.
The 16th Biennial Meeting of the Edward H. Angle Society of Orthodontics was held on October 10–14, 1965 in Boston, Massachusetts. The North Atlantic Component presented four papers along with two presentations by Dr. Allan G. Brodie, our orthodontic chairman at the University of Illinois Dental School. A permanent charter for the North Atlantic Component was granted at this meeting.
Dr. Daniel Subtelny
Since its inception, the North Atlantic Component has grown from that core group of nine to over 100 members, with a large international membership representing countries around the globe. Its affiliate list is long, and new membership keeps the Component young and thriving. Members include numerous orthodontic chairs and faculty from programs all over the world. The Component established the “Mother Angle” spouse group and involves them in the selection of future meeting locations.
For many decades, George W. Hahn’s 1955 classic account of The History and Philosophy of the Edward H. Angle Society of Orthodontics has been essential reading for every new and prospective member of the Angle Society. He emphasized the question: what have we as a society accomplished… to justify our existence? The North Atlantic Component would answer this way:
Our goal is not only to maintain the standards we have set in education, research, and clinical practice, but to enable our members to raise them even higher.
The past sixty-plus years prove this to be true, and the future of the North Atlantic Component will be a shining example of the mission and goals of the Edward H. Angle Society of Orthodontics.