This is the first of a three-part series.
After 53 years of offering excellent dental service to this community, Dr. James Vollmer retired. April 6 was his last day in the office.
I remember the first time I saw him, he came in Nichol’s Department Store looking for Faye Sherrill in the summer of 1973.
Faye worked part time at the store, but worked as the dental assistant for Dr. Larston Ezzell, from 1959 until he died in October 1972. Dr. Vollmer was taking over his practice and hired Faye to work for him.
“I had worked for Dr. Ezzell for a long time, and I did not know what to expect from a new young dentist, but everyone loved him from the start,” Faye said.
In July 1973, Faye started booking appointments and Dr. Vollmer hired me as his first chairside assistant, upon Faye’s recommendation as I worked with her at Nichol’s Store on weekends. The first patient Dr. Vollmer worked on was Fred Barton before the office was even completed.
Faye told the story about Doyle White coming to her house in the middle of the night with a terrible toothache so she called Dr. Vollmer and he told them to meet him at the office. Faye left with her hair in brush rollers and when they got there, they sat Doyle down in an old chair, because the new dental equipment had not been delivered yet. So, Faye held the flashlight while Dr. Vollmer pulled his tooth.
Faye eased the transition for Dr. Vollmer to step into a new practice because she knew all the ropes. Faye took care of all the appointments, impressions and other work that needed done in the lab, as well as assisting when needed.
I remember Faye warning Dr. Vollmer about pulling teeth unless it was an emergency, when the signs were in the heart or the head. He did not much believe that stuff at first, but after a string of “dry sockets” and being called out in the middle of the night for bleeding, he finally came around and would ask where the signs were. Faye kept an almanac calendar in the office for that reason.
In an interview for the Andrews Journal, Faye was quoted, “Dr. Vollmer liked to talk, so we stayed behind most of the day with our appointments, and sometimes when we could not find him, he would be next door, out in the garden with Grady Hogsed, getting a few tips on how to plant a garden, but that is why everyone loved him, he was so friendly and interested in the people.”
Everyone loved Dr. Vollmer’s wife, Sandra, who was a dental hygienist and worked at the office. I can honestly say that she was the most talented person I have ever seen.
She was artistic, the best seamstress ever, a great cook and the bread she baked would just melt in your mouth. She was simply joy and happiness. I remember thinking, how could someone so beautiful be so sweet natured.
The couple’s son, Matthew, was born on May 25, 1974, and Sandra took up her role as a “stay at home” mom. She was a devoted mother to Matthew and their daughter, Carrie, who was born three years later on Dec. 31, 1977.
Kandy Barnard is a columnist for the Cherokee Scout. Email her at kandybarnard@gmail.com.