In memory of Blaine S. Clements

Blaine Snow Clements, one of the most highly esteemed members of the Edward H. Angle Society of Orthodontists, departed this life on May 21, 2017, in Holladay, Utah. Blaine was 91 years old. He was born August 9, 1925, in Park City, Utah, the third child of loving parents, Anna Snow and Thomas Earl Clements (Earl), and the scion of Mormon pioneers. Unlike today, at that time Park City was a depression-era, hard-working blue-collar mining town, and his father was the local dentist. Blaine was educated in the Park City public schools, where he excelled in academics and sports, captaining his high school basketball team, competing for the state high school football championship as an all-state quarterback, and being selected valedictorian of his high school class.

After military service in World War II, Blaine resumed his studies at the University of Utah, where he met his future spouse, Jacquelyn Woodruff. Blaine graduated in June 1949, with a B.S. in Psychology and minors in Chemistry and Biology. Jackie delivered the couple's first child, Michael, in July 1950, and a month later, the young family left for San Francisco and the predecessor of the University of the Pacific Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry, which was then called the College of Physicians and Surgeons (P&S). There, Blaine encountered role models and mentors who would influence and participate in his entire professional career. One of the most notable was a young and talented operative instructor, Arthur Dugoni. By far the brightest star in the pantheon of dedicated and talented instructors for Blaine was Dr Fred West. He treated Blaine like a son and was the inspiration to continue into the orthodontic specialty. It was his suggestion that the University of Washington would be the best place for someone with Blaine's talents to reach his potential as an orthodontist. By the time Blaine received his degree as valedictorian of his class, the family had grown by one. Jackie had given birth to a daughter, Sharie, during their junior year.

In contrast to the old factory building that was P&S, the University of Washington Dental School was brand new. Instead of the bustle of a working-class section of San Francisco, the University of Washington campus had a parklike setting overlooking lakes and mountains. Some of the past century's most illustrious orthodontists were on the faculty. Alton Moore was the consummate educator and professional role model to orthodontists. Richard Riedel implanted an acute vision for the scientific merits of an idea and a skeptical, inquiring mind in his protégés, and Paul Lewis was already legendary in the profession. An acquaintance who was to have a major impact on his professional development was Dr Reed Holdaway, the speaker at one of the Angle Society meetings attended by the residents, with whom Blaine had a brief encounter. Paul Lewis introduced the two men, and Dr Holdaway graciously offered to assist him if he decided to return to Utah after graduation.

As strong as family and professional ties may have been for Jackie and Blaine to return to Utah, the couple had become enchanted by San Francisco and its environs. They had enjoyed weekend visits to Jackie's aunts in Palo Alto and Atherton while in dental school. Palo Alto, a college town in the then-pastoral beauty of an agricultural Santa Clara Valley, and just a short drive from cosmopolitan San Francisco, was irresistible.

With a $5,000 loan from Crocker Bank, Blaine set up his practice in Palo Alto and later moved it to Atherton. Two more children soon arrived. Their son Jordan was born in 1957, and daughter Joni followed 2 years later. It was not long before the practice began to show a profit, and Blaine became able to devote more time to community, church, dental society, and Pacific Coast Society of Orthodontists (PCSO) activities. He served as president of the Mid-Peninsula Dental Society and later served as president of the Central Component of the PCSO. Through talent and hard work, he became a distinguished orthodontist—technically exacting, innovative in his approach to difficult cases, and with an artistic eye that set him apart in a growing, competitive profession. Considered an “orthodontists' orthodontist,” he was one of the best liked and most respected orthodontists in the greater San Francisco area. His colleagues and contemporaries believed he represented the best qualities of his upbringing and his profession.

One accomplishment in which he took a particular amount of pride was his role in the formation of his study club. Having maintained contact with Dr Holdaway since their first meeting, Blaine made a point of visiting his friend whenever he was in Utah and consulted with him about treatment dilemmas by sending patient records through the mail. The senior orthodontist was always generous with his advice and insight. In visits and through correspondence, he came to admire the protocol and productivity of the Utah Tweed Study Group of which Dr Holdaway was a senior member. This study club was the model on which the Peninsula Orthodontic Research Group (PORG) was organized in 1962, with Blaine and Don Rudee as the founding senior members. Today, PORG is still a thriving entity. New members have come on board, and the study club is as vibrant, vital, and committed as the first day it met. As such, it is a lasting legacy to the vision and dedication of its founders.

Over his career, Blaine served orthodontics in a number of capacities. He was the general chair for the 1981 annual PCSO meeting in San Francisco. He was president of the Northern California Component of the Angle Society in 1974 and chairman of the component's clinical evaluation committee for a score of years. In 1977, he became the Angle Northern California representative to the Central Body board of directors. Handpicked by Alton Moore to follow him as secretary for the Central Body, Blaine served in that capacity from 1984–1995. As secretary, he expanded the Angle Society Newsletter, making it more informative and serving as editor from 1985 to 1995. From 1977 to 1995, he was the Angle Society's historian. His extensive knowledge of Edward Angle and the Angle Society was grist for many a fascinating yarn. In 1983, Blaine gave a presentation at the biennial meeting at The Homestead in Virginia on the history of the Angle Society. Subsequently, he presented his continuously revised and updated program on numerous occasions and was routinely called upon by various organizations. A renewed interest in the history of the Angle Society followed, and thanks to Blaine, a greater appreciation for our Society now exists.

The 1991 Angle Biennial meeting held in Sun Valley, Idaho, was dedicated to Blaine and his friend Norm Snyder. In some respects, he considered this to be the pinnacle of his Angle Society experience. Also, throughout his career, he devoted time to orthodontic education, instructing at the Tweed course in the mid-1960s and giving seminars for the orthodontic residents at both San Francisco programs, even years after his retirement. He had papers published in several scientific journals and presented papers before professional organizations throughout the United States, Europe, and South America. In addition, he was a Fellow of the American College of Dentists and a Diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontists.

Balancing family activities, work, and professional involvement with recreation, Blaine developed diverse interests, including photography, oil painting starting at age 75 and cataloging more than 200 beautiful pieces, music, golf (sporting a 10 handicap well into his retirement years), gardening, and travel. With all of his accomplishments, the most important to those who loved him was that he provided a solid foundation for a happy home. Although not outwardly promoted, Christian principles were exemplified in daily acts of kindness and service. He loved his family and exuded compassion, good humor, and gratitude. A legacy of hope, hard work, integrity, and faith handed down from their forefathers provided a rich and full life for Blaine, Jackie, and all the Clements, including 18 grandchildren and 32 great-grandchildren. His was a life well lived.