PAST EDITOR'S MESSAGE | SUMMER 2008

Camille Mayorga, DRT
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I am officially resigning from my editorial position as of the end of this year. Since this will be my last editorial, I thought I would give a little history of the Currents Newsletter. Approximately 8 years ago, I was asked by the AADMRT board of directors if I would take over the position as editor for the Newsletter. At that time, Devery Wallace had been producing the newsletter since its conception with Dennis O'Dell in 1984, with the exception of a brief turnover to Dick Germond, for only a few issues. Devery took the newsletter duty back, and had been doing a great job, but after 16 years of the sole responsibility, she was getting ready for some much deserved time off from publishing it. We now have a new editor, Joanna Peck-Rashid, and I look forward to receiving the Currents Newsletter and seeing the new look and ideas.

Back in the spring of 2000 I was an AADMRT board member filling the Nominees chair position. During that time, I would occasionally submit news pieces to Devery for her to place in the newsletter. During one of the Board meetings the topic of the newsletter was discussed and the board members and I were tossing around ideas to enlarge the content. I suggested having an article in every newsletter featuring an AADMRT member's lab. I volunteered to oversee this project and get this information to Devery.

This is when I began doing what the members now know as the "Spotlight Lab". My first "Spotlight Lab" featured Angie Saviez, and our correspondence was done with a telephone interview. Angie told me about her beautiful lab in Monterey California. We made a special connection, and I have a soft spot in my heart for Angie as I know so many AADMRT members do. After helping Devery with the newsletter by submitting a "Spotlight Lab" a few times, it was suggested that I should take over the editorial position. The Board knew that Devery wanted to step down, but only after a replacement could be found, because Devery was committed to the continuing production of the Currents.

The first newsletter that I published was in December of 2000, and the headline article was by Dr. Kavas Thunthy on the subject of the then F Speed Film in comparison to the D speed film. Since this first issue, we have had subjects on Radiation Saftety, Direct Digital Imaging, Complex Motion Tomography, Imaging for Impactions, Cone Beam CT, 2D and 3D Cephalometrics, Infection Control, Implant Planning, Printer Image quality, 3D Modeling, and Clinical Photography. Articles came from local radiologists and dentists and international authors from Italy, Japan, and Amsterdam.

I would not have accepted the position of editor had it not been for the support and creative talents of Craig Dial. I have had the great pleasure of working with Craig for over 15 years, and he has been a huge supporter of the AADMRT for 23 years plus. He has served just about every board position including president through out the years. Craig found the cover articles written by a dentist or radiologist for the newsletter, and he also came up with the Lab products. Craig updated the AADMRT website with future events and will continue to do so. I compiled the Spotlight Lab and New Product areas, along with working with our advertisers to keep their ads updated in the newsletter as well as their logos on the website. Working together, Craig and I produced the News and Trends section and the general newsletter layout we now use.

I have many AADMRT members to thank for their help with the newsletter. Matt Kroona, Merry Hampton, Duane Perry, Don Croall, Jeannie Herriott, Phil Abel, and Dan Halpert to name only a few. These members were always there to help with the Currents to continue to make it first-rate. My thanks to all the dentists for submitting educational articles and to the members who shared their stories and personal lives with us in the Spotlight Lab feature.

I have enjoyed producing this newsletter, it has been a very rewarding endeavor and it is with bitter-sweet emotions that I give up my position as editor.