SEARHC - What's New - Texas hit-and-run wreck claims life of pediatric dentist Dr. Stan Oldak

Texas hit-and-run wreck claims life of pediatric dentist Dr. Stan Oldak

Dr. Stan Oldak, who had been providing SEARHC with regular specialty clinics in pediatric dentistry the past six years, was killed May 6 by a hit-and-run driver while competing in a cycling event in Texas. He was the only dentist many children from Kake, Hoonah and Yakutat have ever known.

"We are all saddened by the loss of a friend and colleague," SEARHC Director of Dental Services Dr. Tom Bornstein said.

Dr. Oldak, 59, was a Manhattan, N.Y.-based dentist whose practice included the children of several celebrities. In 2001, he started coming to Alaska to provide pediatric dentistry specialty clinics for a program SEARHC runs with Denali KidCare. Dr. Oldak spent two weeks in Alaska every three months, and was scheduled to work in Kake and Hoonah later in May, Dr. Bornstein says. Besides working in Hoonah, Kake and Yakutat, he also filled in at the Sitka and Juneau dental clinics.

In a 2004 story, Dr. Oldak told the Juneau Empire he really enjoyed his trips to Alaska. "I tell people back home that this is one of the nicest things that's happened to me in my career as a pediatric dentist."

"He felt a social responsibility, and he knew what we were doing," Dr. Bornstein told the Empire in a story about Dr. Oldak's death. "He bought into improving access to care for kids. And I think that part of it also was that he enjoyed travel and the adventure of it."

An avid cyclist and president of the New York Cycling Club, Dr. Oldak hoped to qualify for the prestigious Paris-Brest-Paris event in France later this summer. He was struck from behind by a hit-and-run pickup truck when he was about two miles from the town of Columbus, Texas. The driver has yet to be found. Cyclists in New York, Texas and Iowa held "Rides of Silence" in Dr. Oldak's memory.

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