Dr. Richard Weinberg: Extraordinary dentist cares about his hometown

Dr. Richard Weinberg decided a long time ago that the world of corporate dentistry wasn't his world.

He retired last week from a 35-year Du Quoin practice with that mindset and an extraordinary personal and professional caring intact.

His career, his family and his life are nothing short of stunning.

His retirement is numbing to hundreds of Southern Illinois patients, but it is part and parcel of a "perfect storm" that surrounds him. "I know there will be some people upset," he said.

But in life, our hearts and minds are presented with choices and we do the best we can in navigating to the right decision.

His makes sense.

He refuses to be part of, nor compete against, corporate dentistry. "Dentists sign up and they are given quotas to meet," says Weinberg. His "quota" is simple: care about every hometown patient the same and all the time. "When I started, the worst thing we had to worry about was the size of our sign," he smiles. "It could only be THIS big!"

Secondly, Richard's wife of 24 years, Jan Bailey Weinberg, is retiring, as well, from the Du Quoin school system this year. He feels blessed to have been married to an educator whose career embodies small group learning instead of wholesale teaching. "Jan loved what she did." For her, as well, "it's time."

And, finally, Richard admits to a high school-era arrogance which over the decades has mellowed into a humble appreciation for life. The last installment came during a fall down the steps at his daughter's home in Lexington, Ky. last Dec. 23 just before the holidays. The fall began at the top of the staircase and in putting his right foot down to try and stop the fall he shattered the leg so badly that his foot was laying next to his leg. Seven hours of surgery and five months later he has to take breaks in treatment of his patients to prop his foot up on the arm of a leather chair in his office.

The last several months have been filled with adjusting appointments around his own rehabilitation during a career of being "all in" with his patients.

"It's just time to turn this over to younger people," he says. It certainly isn't haunting, but it is a fact that his father died too early in 1964.

His professional friendships in Du Quoin after graduating from the University of Pennsylvania School of Dentistry included practicing alongside Dr. Bill Leach for two years before opening his own private practice. He became very close friends to Dr. David Marsden and Dr. Russell "Rusty" Klein. They practiced what Richard calls "mutual dentistry".

They were friends, not dental competitors. They traveled to conferences together and supported each other's practices.

It was the same kind of medical fellowship enjoyed by his father, world renown orthopedic surgeon Dr. Julius Weinberg, and wife Irma Jean. Dr. Weinberg's career began during the war years and included teaching promising young surgeons at Jefferson Barracks Hospital, a VA hospital.

"Medicine was personal to him," says Richard. "It's personal to me."

Richard, David and Rusty subscribed to an ethic that something called "patient abandonment" is forbidden, and years ago they agreed among themselves that even through retirement or death that would never happen.

That's why he went through a St. Louis-based professional practice transition broker to arrange for the sale of his practice to Du Quoin dentist Dr. Isaac Davison. All of his records become Dr. Davison's records, then his former patients can ultimately choose who will be their future dentist. "I have confidence in Isaac," Richard said, without a hint of hesitation.

He remembers hiring his office manager and assistant of 33 years Beth Sims Pyatt largely sight-unseen and it was one of the best decisions of his career. "Beth has extraordinary skills with the resolve to get them done," Richard said. She will join husband Kevin Pyatt to contribute to the work at Pyatt Funeral Homes.

Chair-side assistant of 21 years, Kathy Gendron is thinking through her career path.

Hygienist Keely Craig (12 years) and Debra Harsy (seven years) are already working for Dr. Davison.

Richard's well-lived life began in a great family--the Weinbergs on his father's side and the Kellys on his mother's side.

As editor-in chief of "The Magnavox" in high school he has a deep-seated appreciation for what it takes to be in the newspaper business. "We proofed stories and got up at 6 a.m. on Saturday to come down to the Du Quoin Evening Call to put the The Magnavox together. The melting pots of the old type-casting machines, the encouragement he got and the stories told by the late publisher and Weinberg family friend L.S. Smith Jr. made the old composition room at the newspaper the warmest place on earth on a cold winter morning.

He was a member of the math club and the German Club and the Latin Club and a member of two play casts in what is now Hibbs Auditorium. And, God, he was head and shoulders above the classmates around him.

In deciding on dental school, the University of Pennsylvania was his clear choice. "That was a great place. I was the country boy from Du Quoin, Ill." So much so that classmates referred to him as "Grizzly Adams."

But, here's what they didn't find out until later. When grades were posted each student had a numerical identity and one student kept blowing everybody else away with his grades. Finally, somebody had to ask, "Who is this guy?"

"It's Grizzly Adams!", one stunned classmate discovered.

Richard learned dentistry there from 1975 to 1979 and came back to Du Quoin to practice because "my family was here."

He shared that thing called "The Weinberg Way" with sister Nancy and brother Tom, a Bronze Star recipient during the Vietnam War who at the age of 71 teaches at the Tom Brook Army Medical Center and has started work on building his second kit airplane.

The success stories continue into the next generation. Richard's son Matt has his Ph.D. in economics and son Charlie teaches in Champaign. Jan's daughter Kate works as a financial manager for Morgan-Stanley in Lexington and her husband is an accomplished coach. Son Adam enjoys a decorated career as a Navy seal and is currently in Belize training others. Daughter Rachel is in health information management and her husband is a corporate pilot.