Lake Country This Month

By Katherine Michalets Special to The Freeman PEWAUKEE — During the 54 years he practiced dentistry, Dr. Robert Lynch got to know multiple gener- ations of one family, which he didn't take for granted — nor does Dr. Timothy Wall, who acquired Lynch's patients. "A lot of people don't understand that, too — your practice is like your family," Wall said. Wall is no newcomer, offering his dentistry ser- vices for 27 years. It was about a month ago that Wall purchased Lynch's practice, which had been on Oakton Avenue, and access to his 400 to 500 patients. Those clients who opt to see Wall in the future will only have to go a short distance to his office on Clark Street. "It's hard for him to give up that whole practice," Wall said. "I really appreci- ate his trust in me to take over his family or his prac- tice base." For about the past 10 to 15 years, Lynch, 78, has been working part time and Wall would see his clients if there was an emergency while Lynch vacationed in warmer weather during the winter months. It's Lynch's longevity in the business and his good health that amaze Wall, who said he would love to learn Lynch's secrets to staying well. While Lynch said he'll miss his patients, he is look- ing forward to more leisure time and spending more of it in the South. Becoming a dentist was something Lynch wanted to do since he was in high school, but his father had hoped he would become an engineer. "Back in those days, everybody went to the den- tist because everyone had cavities," Lynch said, adding it has gotten better with people adopting improved diets and teeth- cleaning practices. Lynch has also seen the cost of dental procedures go up quite a bit since he start- ed practicing in the 1960s. For example, he said gold crowns used to cost $100 each, but are now about $1,000. He also saw the advent of dental implants, "which changed the face of dentistry." After Lynch became a doc- tor of dental medicine, his first patients were stationed at Fort Lewis in Washing- ton, where he also took care of people in the 32nd Infantry Division from Wis- consin. After two years in the service, Lynch started his own practice on the south side of Milwaukee on Grange Avenue. In 1988, he bought an existing practice in Pewau- kee and for a time had two offices. Eventually he sold the Milwaukee office and focused on the Pewaukee location. Of the many patients he saw through the years, a story about a young girl stands out for Lynch. He said he would do orthodontics in special situ- ations for patients who couldn't afford to see an orthodontist. A father of one girl remarked that after her teeth were straightened, it was the first time he saw her smile. www.walldental.com FREEMAN & ENTERPRISE LAKE COUNTRY • Page 3A AUGUST 2014 Friday, August 22 nd 4:00pm – 11:00pm Saturday, August 23 rd 10:00am – 11:00pm Proceeds to Benefit Oconomowoc Food Pantry & Oconomowoc Education Associations • Food & Drinks • Petting Zoo • Games, Rides & More • Volleyball Tournament • Aqua Ball is Back FEATURED MUSIC Friday, August 22 nd Keith Pulvermacher 5:00-7:00pm Road Crew 7:30pm-Close Saturday, August 23 rd Joe Hite 4:00-7:00pm The Boogie Men 7:30pm-Close 239501005 FREE TICKETS Purchase $20 worth of tickets, receive $5 worth of tickets FREE (Food, Beverage or ride tickets) Must present ad & P R E S E N T S FREE ADMISSION Longtime Pewaukee dentist sells practice Charles Auer/Freeman Staff Dr. Robert Lynch, left, with Dr.Timothy Wall in Wall Family Dentistry. Lynch has been a dentist for 54 years. By Matt Masterson Freeman Staff PEWAUKEE — Waukesha County Tech- nical College will now be able to slash wait lists and offer more class sections, thanks to a grant from the Wisconsin Fast Forward program. Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch was on hand at WCTC's Industrial building July 23 to pre- sent the technical college with a $1.7 mil- lion award, which will be used to help train students for high-demand positions. "There is a skills gap in Wisconsin and WCTC seeks every day to build a bridge over that skills gap — today you have some construction money," Kleefisch said. "It is through investments like these that Wis- consin will address the skills gap today and in the years to come." The Fast Forward program is part of the Blueprint for Prosperity initiative which Gov. Scott Walker signed into law last year. In total, $35.4 million will be allocated by Fast Forward into worker training pro- grams focusing on reducing wait lists, col- laborative projects between high schools and colleges, and enhancing employment opportunities for disabled workers. "These grant dollars will significantly impact the journey of our students pursu- ing high-demand programs ... and in turn benefit our local economy," WCTC Interim President Kaylen Betzig said. "We are pleased and honored that the governor rec- ognizes WCTC's work as an important and valuable investment." The grant will be administered by the Department of Workforce Development and will go toward training as many as 168 students in the fields of welding, computer numerical control, transportation and early childhood education. Betzig said that the funds will not only permit more students to enter these high- demand programs, but will also go toward hiring more professors and purchasing more supplies and equipment for student use. "It is huge," she said. "We have lots of programs — yes we can shift money — but other programs have needs too. It takes resources in order to do this and it takes resources in order to expand and offer more sections so we can get more people into the funnel." www.wctc.edu Email: mmasterson@conleynet.com Charles Auer/Freeman Staff Students practice welding in the welding lab at Waukesha County Technical College on July 23.The school received a $1.7 million grant to help reduce waiting lists for programs like welding, where there are more jobs than qualified applicants. $1.7 million grant slashes wait lists for popular WCTC programs

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