 Ken
Hutchinson '78 has been running his own dental practice in Gwinnett
County, Ga., for over two decades.
While watching the "sleepy little town" of Snellville turn into a
booming Atlanta suburb, he has also gained professional recognition,
being named a Fellow of the Academy of General Dentistry and the
International College of Dentists.
Three years ago he began what he considers his most rewarding
work, joining an annual mission trip to South America.
"It's a very humbling experience to see people in abject poverty
who have none of the creature comforts we take for granted," he
said. "And yet, they're tremendously happy people. It helps you look
at priorities in your own life."
The trips are organized by a church in Augusta, Georgia, and
include a handful of dentists and many students from the Medical
College of Georgia, where Ken completed his dental training in 1982.
This summer, the group traveled to Peru after taking two previous
trips to Ecuador.
"This is often the first clinical experience for these students,"
Ken said. "They have a lot of trepidation in the beginning, but it
can bolster their confidence when they get back to school."
Ken, whose father and grandfather were both physicians, chose
dentistry as his career path while still in high school. "I knew I
wanted to do something in the medical field, but I also wanted to
work with my hands," he said.
He came to Oglethorpe to study biology while playing in a rock
cover band that played "frat parties and sock hops. Oglethorpe was a
tremendous undergraduate experience that prepared me well for dental
school," Ken said.
When Ken works with students searching for a college, he
frequently encourages them to check out Oglethorpe. Maybe he can
persuade his South American patients to make the journey to Atlanta.
Ken hopes to continue his mission trips - "God willing."
-by Mark DeLong (Carillon, Fall 2005)
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