Tribute

Remembering a Friend of Dentistry

Jack F. Conley, DDS

Copyright 2002 Journal of the California Dental Association.

In the fast-moving days of the 21st century, it is easy to lose sight of the people and events of the past 50 years that helped to shape the positive aspects of the environment in which dentistry operates today.

When it comes to dental history, most of the names we associate with our profession’s past belong to dentists. Dentists usually are recognized for their contributions to the art or science of dental practice or for their service to the profession, the latter often in administrative roles that served the organized profession locally or nationally.

There have also been notable contributions to the profession by nondentists, usually in administrative roles for groups within the organized profession. Accolades for such individuals have usually been earned from long and dedicated service to an organization while they were employed as an executive director or position of similar standing. Upon retirement, they often were awarded recognition as an honorary member of the organization.

In May, dentistry in California lost a real friend. He was neither a dentist nor an administrator, although he provided service and education that has been of profound value to our profession. He will always be best remembered for his work in Southern California because much of his contribution occurred in the south prior to unification of the two associations in the mid-1970s. He was not awarded an honorary membership in any dental organization to the best of our knowledge, but rather, served as a founding member of the Southern California Society of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, and as the only nondentist member of the Glendale Academy of Dentistry. Both relationships would be considered unusual for a nondentist, let alone a premier dental malpractice defense lawyer! But dentists who knew him best would attest to the fact that Gerald A. Sheppard was a real friend of dentistry, a man who forged many close working relationships with dentist colleagues.

Perhaps Jack Lytle, DDS, MD, characterized Jerry Sheppard the best, based upon the more than 100 cases of alleged dental malpractice he collaborated on with Jerry. "Jerry was the first person many dentists called when threatened with a malpractice suit. I often forgot that he was a lawyer, not a dentist. He understood dentistry, anatomy of the head and neck, neurophysiology, and importantly, he understood how threatened we dentists felt when faced with a lawsuit," Lytle said.

William Haggerty of Ford, Walker, Haggerty & Behar of Long Beach, who practiced with Jerry Sheppard for 14 years when both were with Shield & Smith, one of the original TDIC defense firms, stated very directly, "Most people thought he was a dentist."

Over the years, from the 1950s until 1991 when he retired, Jerry contributed to the education of many dentists, as he served in various capacities on the faculties at all three Southern California dental schools, USC, UCLA, and Loma Linda. Without question, he was one of the first to advise dental students on how to keep out of legal difficulties. He wrote many articles on the legal aspects of dentistry that were published in component society newsletters, and he lectured for both the American and California Dental Associations.

Aside from his direct contributions to dentistry as a pioneer in dental malpractice defense, other lawyers, including dentists with legal training, knew him as a mentor. General practitioner Arthur Schultz, DDS, JD, of Manhattan Beach, worked with Gerald Sheppard for 13 years defending dentists. Art recalled, "Dentists knew that Jerry would do anything he could to help them, with little or no concern for other parties, insurance carriers, or even himself."

David Hillings, a dental malpractice attorney who also worked with Jerry Sheppard during his time at Shield & Smith, remembered, "It wasn’t just about business with him. He knew these people, their families, and he cared about them."

Bill Holmes, a founding member of the TDIC Board, remembered that "Jerry was loved and respected by dentists in Southern California for his activities in defense of dental liability accusations. He was an early supporter of TDIC and responsible for many enrollments that allowed TDIC sufficient numbers to offer policies."

Jack Lytle noted that Jerry continued to attend the meetings of the dental organizations of which he was a member long after he retired. That speaks volumes about the relationships he developed with dentists and dentistry as many dentists pull back from active membership in their organizations after they retire, even if physically able to continue.

In addition to his many dental relationships, Jerry was a philanthropist who served Pepperdine University as a trustee until his death. Those who knew him well also describe him as a true patriot, and a person with great courage and ethics. We often hear colleagues lamenting the lack of these attributes in the contemporary world in which we live and practice today.

California dentistry has been very fortunate. Not only have we had the vision and accomplishments of those who have shaped TDIC over the past two decades, we have also benefited from the dedication and contributions of a pioneer in dental malpractice defense, Gerald A. Sheppard, a true friend of dentistry. He will be missed by the many who knew him as a friend, and by all of the dentists who benefited from his efforts.

As Art Schultz put it, "He was unique in his passion for helping dentists at all costs. He was one of us."

Author

Jack F. Conley, DDS, is the editor of the Journal of the California Dental Association.