REFLECTIONS ON AN ACADEMIC CAREER IN TEACHING AND RESEARCH

It is alleged that Coenraad Moorrees retired last January. I do not be lieve it. That he has retired as Professor of Orthodontics at Harvard and as Director of Orthodontics at Forsythe, yes, but that he truly re tired, never. Coenraad came to the United States from the Netherlands ''to do a bit of orthodontics.'' He surely did do a bit and more. Prof . Moorrees is a leading authority on the development of the dentition, for his papers and those of his colleagues constitute the very bedroc k base of our knowledge in this field. He designed and conducted one o f the few longitudinal studies of twins dedicated to dental and cranio facial growth and development. His students chair a disproportionately large number of the orthodontic departments in the world. Whether in teaching or clinical practice, you will find that all of his students display the same quiet fervor for new ideas. To Coenraad and his stude nts, teaching and practice are simply different ways to apply and deli ver new ideas and research findings. He has a rare trait that is much appreciated, namely, the ability to confront important topics with the courage which provides directness and objectivity which grants fair p resentation, while his quiet, courtly, poise guarantees ready listener s. Think how many times in orthodontic discussions Coenraad's calm Dut ch charm has captured our attention, while his easy irrefutable logic cleared the air of a debate going nowhere until he rose to talk. In th is generation of academic orthodontists, Coenraad Moorrees has set sta ndards few others have met. Ladies and gentlemen, Professor Coenraad M oorrees of Harvard.