Response to Receiving the John W. Knutson Distinguished Service Award in Dental Public Health

pride of the teacher, and that’s the sort of thing I think Dave has done superlatively. Just tonight, for example, I heard of how he went out to Aberdeen, South Dakota, to help one of his former students achieve approval of a residency in dental public health out in what some would call the boondocks, not your usual academic institution. Today, Dave still gets an enormous number of telephone calls and letters from people all over the world because, when they need help and advice, it seems only natural to them to turn to Dr. Striffler. That must be a source of great satisfaction to him, as it is to the rest of us. People have characterized Dave as having an iron hand in a velvet glove. In fact, it ought to be other way around, because Dave Striffler is basically a softi-veryone knows he’s a soft touch. He is intensely loyal, stands up for people, and is always ready to help. The kinds of things he has accomplished bring credit to The University of Michigan School of Public Health, to the dental profession, to the Dental Health Section of APHA, to all of us here, and in the last analysis to Dave Striffler, himself. I ask you to join me in saluting this year’s John W. Knutson awardee, Dr. David Frank Striffler.