Dateline: February 19, 2004

Dentist to open office here in March

By Roger Estlack, Clarendon Enterprise

Traveling to distant communities for dental services will soon be a thing of the past for residents of Donley County.

Dr. Richard Sheppard formally announced Friday his intention to open a practice in Clarendon in mid-March of this year.

“I think there is a pent up demand here [for dental services],” Sheppard said, noting that there isn’t currently a full time dentist between Quanah and Amarillo.

Sheppard will do general family dentistry and some orthodontic work such as braces. He does not perform orthodontic surgeries or wisdom teeth extractions.

The doctor, who currently lives in Booker, has been meeting with local civic leaders and officials with the Donley County Hospital District for the last couple of months. His practice will be open here three days a week – Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday; and he anticipates ultimately employing three people here on those days.

Sheppard’s practice will be located in the Community Services Building, which is located east of the Associated Ambulance Authority Building on the Medical Center Campus. A 60-month agreement, which goes into effect March 1, has been signed with the district.

“The hospital district has been excellent to work with and very supportive,” Sheppard said. “It seemed to fit with their plans to provide services here.”

The hospital district agreed to renovate office space formerly used by a physical therapist up to a cost of $2 per square foot. Sheppard is responsible for buying the equipment for the office and having it installed. The equipment is on order now.

District Administrator Alan Graham said he and the board are pleased to have Dr. Sheppard coming to town.

“It’s not only an asset to our community, but it will also hopefully bring people into town for his services and possibly other services,” Graham said. “He is making a major commitment.”

Sheppard, who grew up in Dallas, has been practicing dentistry for 26 years. He was educated at the Baylor College of Dentistry in Dallas and worked in Hereford and Perryton before moving to Booker in 1992.  He and his wife, Donna, have two children – a 26-year-old daughter, who lives in New York, and a 17-year-old son, who is a junior in Booker.

Sheppard has rented an apartment in Clarendon but will maintain his residence his Booker for the time being. The doctor, who has a passion for aviation, said he chose to come to Clarendon because of the presence of the municipal airport here because it makes the 120-mile commute from Booker only a 40-minute trip.

Sheppard anticipates the local practice could grow to become a full time office.

“I don’t know how I’ll manage it,” he said. “I’m just going to have to go where it leads me.”

The doctor’s working philosophy is to have commitment to preventive care to solve small problems before they become big problems, and he is encouraging local citizens to set up an appointment as soon as he opens.

“Dentistry is only fun when there is a good relationship between doctor and patient,” he said. “Come in and get your teeth cleaned, and let’s get to know each other.”