VIGNETTE Robert Murray Ricketts, DDS, MS Bob Ricketts was born in Kokomo, Ind, on May 5, 1920. He graduated with honors from Indiana School of Dentistry in 1945. After graduation, he served as LTJG in the Navy Dental Corps from 1945-47. In 1950, he received his Master’s Degree in Orthodontics from the University of Illinois Graduate School. Upon graduation, he immediately began the ABO certification process and is a Diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics. He has always been an outstanding teacher. Dr Ricketts received the Albert H. Ketcham award from the ABO in 1975, was chosen to present the John Mershon Lecture during the annual session of the American Association of Orthodontists in 1976, and was selected for the Associated Journals of Europe Award in 1983. He has received many additional honors worldwide and continues his research and teaching in many disciplines on the university level throughout the world. He presented the Joe Peak Honor lecture during the Southwestern Society of Orthodontics annual session in 1999. His main interests are growth, structural variation of the face and jaws, arthritis of the jaw joint, cleft palate diagnosis, and orthodontic treatment from surgical, orthopedic, and prosthetic protocols. He helped develop many contemporary equipment mechanisms currently used internationally in orthodontics and continues to conduct several educational seminars annually. In 1981, he founded the American Institute for Bioprogressive Education. He has conducted computer research since 1964 and is presently Vice President and Director of Research for Rocky Mountain Data Systems. His research and experiences at the university as well as his private orthodontic practice continue to bring forth discoveries and innovative advances in orthodontics. Since 1971, he has served as a visiting professor at Loma Linda University School of Dentistry. In addition, he is Clinical Professor of Orthodontics at the University of Illinois and the University of Texas, and Clinical Professor of Occlusion at the University of Southern California School of Dentistry. Dr Ricketts has always been a prolific author and lecturer. Many orthodontic study groups throughout the world bear his name. He continues to publish his writings on CranioFacial Orthopedics (3 volumes that include 9 books). His per- Robert Murray Ricketts sonal narrative, The Reappearing American, was published in 1993. Currently, his latest publications include 10 manuals for use in the practice of orthodontics. He is an active or honorary member of 17 professional societies, and in 1996 was selected by the Pacific Coast Society of Orthodontists to be their Annual Session Honoree. He resides in Scottsdale, Ariz, and continues his research in the fields of biologic and physical sciences. Through his prolific and dynamic lectures and publications, he has opened new vistas in orthodontics. His work is a tour de force in dentistry, orthodontics, oral surgery, and medicine. Patients and practitioners all over the world continue to benefit from his untiring efforts. What a role model for the new millennium! William F. Stutts, DDS Dallas, Tex American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics/February 2000 239
