Pacific Coast Society of Orthodontists Bulletin Winter 2023 - 74

My Style
JP: First-generation college students often point to a
mentor or cheerleader of sorts who encouraged their
ambitions. Can you acknowledge such persons who
saw your potential and supported your dreams?
WC: I am the first in my family to graduate from high
school! My first mentor was my mother, who craved
education. Her education was cut short in seventh
grade due to the recession in the 1930s. She was a
single parent of three children and worked several
jobs cleaning houses, babysitting, and doing laundry
or ironing to support her kids. My first memory of
home was a one-car garage with a dirt floor and no
bathroom. We used an outhouse and a friend's home
for a bath once a week. My mother struggled and
succeeded in moving us into a one-bedroom house
with a kitchen and bathroom. She stressed that the
ticket out of the barrio was an education, which to her
meant a high school education. We were fortunate
to live next door to a great family of achievers and
goal setters. Two of the sisters used to play school
with me and taught me to read by the time I was four
years old. They both went on to become educators.
When the barrio school we attended recommended
that I skip one or two grades, my mother asked one
of the women she cleaned houses for about this. My
mother shared her dilemma of knowing that the only
reason I would be advanced was the lack of quality
education at the school. This woman (widow of one
of the brothers who founded the Fluor Corporation)
admired my mother's work ethic and dedication to
her family. I didn't know at the time that she was quite
wealthy and influential in the Catholic diocese in our
county as a generous benefactor. She sponsored
my younger brother and me in Catholic school and
developed a named award for me as a math honoree
to a Catholic high school.
My brother and I were loners and really didn't fit in;
we were singled out as the sponsored poor kids from
the " other side of the tracks. " LaVonne, a mother of one
of my classmates, befriended us and would go out of
her way to greet us warmly and make us feel special.
I, with crazy ideas and a big personality, was a perfect
complement to her introverted daughter, who I still
count among my friends today. LaVonne's guidance
in my life cannot be understated. When I won a scholarship
to attend a 6-month secretarial program, my
mother could not have been more pleased. I would
always have a good job available to me with those
skills. In contrast, LaVonne advised in no uncertain
words against taking the scholarship. As a high
honors student I should be bound for college. College
would never have entered my mind if it weren't for
LaVonne. She paid for postage and application fees
for me because I earned enough to pay for only gas,
clothes, and personal items. My mother was adamantly
opposed to college because of the expense. She
felt it was more important to begin working to help
with family expenses, but she kept an open mind if
there were a way to finance college. A year or two
could only improve my future job prospects. I was
shocked to gain acceptance to all schools to which I
applied. LaVonne guided me through the process and
paid for transportation and a hotel for my mom and
me to visit the University of California, Berkeley, which
offered me the highest scholarship. My lack of confidence,
lack of worldliness, and fear of not being able
to get back home pushed me to choose a college in
my hometown instead. It was the best decision; there
I met my husband of 49 years. LaVonne saw potential
in me early on and cleared the way. My second
daughter has LaVonne as her middle name in honor
of this giant of a woman in my life!
JP: Your participation in organized dentistry is laudable,
serving as president of the California Association
of Orthodontists (CAO) among several other organizations.
Share some of those involvements.
WC: My involvement began in dental school as a
representative for the American Student Dental
Association and the American Association of Women
Dentists. As a general dentist, I became involved in
the two-county dental society, joining the board and
working my way to president. After starting my ortho/
pedo practice in Irvine, I was active with the UCLA Orthodontic
Alumni Association and the Orange County
Dental Association. Dr. Ron Jawor introduced me to
the Bioprogressive Study Club founded by Drs. Bench
and Ricketts. Later, I served and led the board as its
president. Simultaneously Dr. Terrie Yoshikane, the first
women president of the CAO, sought my involvement
in CAO, where after several years I too served as
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PCSO Bulletin Winter 2023
Pacific Coast Society of Orthodontists Bulletin Winter 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pacific Coast Society of Orthodontists Bulletin Winter 2023
