The Award of Excellence

The Award of Excellence is given to an individual who has made great contributions and/or reached a high level of technical skill in the field of Operative Dentistry. The 2014 Award of Excellence goes to a very deserving recipient Dr. Richard D. Tucker. He has contributed immensely to furthering the cause of exquisite, refined operative procedures by simplifying many of the steps in fabricating direct and cast gold restorations. He has made cast and direct gold restorations practical and economical for patients to afford, desire and appreciate. He has also developed techniques to make gold restorations extremely esthetic which in todays world seems to be the driving force. Many of you who have seen Dick operate at various national and local meetings, can attest to the fine results that he is able to achieve in a timely manner.

He has furthermore developed practical methods to move teeth with a suckdown appliance, to practically make stents for simple implant placements and an extrusion technique for restoring fractured teeth.

Dick was born in 1949 to Dr Richard V. and Elaine Tucker in Bellingham, WA and spent his youth in Ferndale, WA graduating from Ferndale High School in 1967. He attended Western Washington University where he graduated with a degree in Chemistry in 1971 and an Education degree in 1972. He was accepted that same year to the University of Washington-School of Dentistry Class of 1976.

Upon graduating, passing the state boards and taking a two week foil course, he started his private practice in Bellingham, Washington that Fall. He also in the same year joined the George Ellsperman Gold Foil Study Club, which he has been a member of for many years before becoming the mentor. He is or has been a member of four other study groups during his time in private practice.

Dick is a member of the ADA and its constituent societies as well as the American Academy of Gold Foil Operators, Academy of Operative Dentistry, Restorative Academy, Associated Ferrier Study Clubs, and CAIC, as well as a Fellow in the ACD and ICD. He has also held offices in his local study clubs and dental society, the Academy of Gold Foil Operators and as a councilor for the AOD.

This year's recipient has given over fifty lectures on both direct and cast gold in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Germany. He has presented more than thirty-five clinical demonstrations and table clinics on gold foil and cast gold at meetings in the USA, Canada and Germany. He has received the Clinician of the Year Award from the American Academy of Gold Foil Operators and the Distinguished Member Award in 2011. Dick has done several research projects on the hardness and expansion of die stones and the wear resistance of gold foil versus platinized gold foil.

He is currently mentoring two operating cast gold study clubs, one in Seattle and the other in Vancouver, Canada as well as two operating gold foil in Vancouver, BC. He has conducted a yearly undergraduate elective cast gold course at the University of Washington - School of Dentistry for the past fifteen years. He is currently the primary instructor for the Tucker Institute Course held each year in June in Seattle at the University of Washington - School of Dentistry.

Dick's other passions are mountain climbing, skiing, fishing and sailing. He has summited five of the highest peaks on five continents. He is very active in the National Ski Patrol at Mt Baker Ski Area both in instructing classes in First Aid and Avalanche Training as well as on-the-hill patrolling. He has twice raced his dad's former sailboat from Victoria in British Columbia, Canada to the island of Maui in Hawaii.

He has also been involved with the Big Brothers and Sisters Organization and has actively been helping and mentoring a young man for the past three years. He is mentoring him in areas that will be useful to him presently and also later in life.

Dick and his lovely wife Christina have two grown children Christopher and Laura. The family will be expanding soon as they will be gaining a son-in-law in August of this year. They also have a lovely home overlooking Chuckanut Bay just south of Bellingham where the evening sunsets and the crab feeds are spectacular.

It is my distinct honor at this time to present the 2014 Award of Excellence to my good friend and colleague Dr. Richard D. Tucker.

Submitted by Dr Warren K Johnson, DDS

Presented at the 2014 AOD Meeting

Chicago, Illinois February 21, 2014