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The idyllic blend of tranquility and exhilaration Dr. Swoope enjoys every fall is nearly polar opposite and 2,500 miles away from his 1934 birthplace in Jersey City, NJ and childhood home of Union, N.J. The state of Florida bestowed his pre-dental education at the University of Florida and more importantly introduction to his eventual wife Lynne. The University of Maryland School of Dentistry graduated Dr. Swoope summa cum laude in 1959 followed by an internship with the U.S. Public Health Service in Seattle, Washington. The same Health Service triangulated his venues by stationing him in Mobile, Alabama and subsequently Boston, Mass. He returned to the Seattle USPHS Hospital for his prosthodontic residency completed in 1964. The now prosthodontist Dr. Swoope was poised to depart the Northwest for a private practice career on the Gold Coast of Florida when overnight his career path transformed. The University of Washington lured him to complete his MSD that directed duality to his career. New Orleans next benefited from Dr. Swoope’s presence as he divided his time between the USPHS Hospital and the former Loyola University (now LSU), however, the roots cultivated in Seattle lured him back to the Northwest in 1967. At the University of Washington, he became Director of Graduate Prosthodontics through 1980 when he retired as a Professor and launched a full time practice limited to removable prosthodontics. Dr. Swoope retired from practice in 1998, undoubtedly much to the dismay of his patients. During his entire career he has maintained a strong presence in organized dentistry serving as President of the Washington State Society of Prosthodontists, Pacific Coast Society of Prosthodontists, American Prosthodontic Society, American Academy of Maxillofacial Prosthetics and the Academy of Prosthodontics in 1994. When queried on the pinnacle of his career he replied, “Being the President of all three founding organizations to the Journal.” This truly unique stature is limited and may be his alone. A former member of the Editorial Council, he maintains an integral association with The Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry serving as a Special Consultant to the Editorial Council. Dr. Swoope has contributed 55 publications to the literature with his interests in interim removable prostheses, nutritional and psychologic aspects of patient care. More notable than the significant literature contributions, he gleams when describing the immense personal gratification he amassed from the years of nurturing and educating graduate prosthodontic students. Gratification and humanitarianism continues to fuel Dr. Swoope while actively participating in the “Habitat for Humanity” mission building houses for the underprivileged. This mission has sixteen houses currently under construction with a goal of fifty houses in the next two years. This benevolent undertaking confirms the persona of Dr. Swoope, a guise I am certain mimics the care provided for his patients. Dr. Swoope quickly acknowledged his support of Lynne in her endeavors following his retirement, akin to her support for him over the years, notably with the Friends of the Library and as Docent of the Art Museum. Clearly, retirement has not waned his compassionate and productive approach to life. His zeal for fishing may have spawned at age five following daily fishing trips with his grandmother on an extended Florida vacation. Whether deep-sea fishing in Zuihuatenejo (near Cabo San Lucas) or Christmas Island south of the equator, Dr. Swoope enjoys the camaraderie surrounding the challenge of the sport. The personal challenge for Dr. Swoope is salt-water fishing for the largest fish that can be caught with the lightest tackle. A memorable trophy was a 110 lb. sailfish landed on a flyrod after a 3.5-hour battle. His many fishing excursions have included colleagues and Academy Fellows Dale Smith, Tom Curtis, Jim Lord and Dave Wands. Congenial, charitable and scholarly attributes exemplify the demeanor of Dr. Swoope. From the tang of lumber and din of construction equipment while homebuilding to the swell of salt-filled sea air landing and obligatorily releasing Mother Ocean’s aquatic challenge, his industriousness, empathy and professionalism herald the distinctive character of Academy Life Fellow, Dr. Charles Swoope.
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Imagine
a magical place described as the perfect climate where azure waters of the
Pacific intersect the Sea of Cortez, radiant sun gleams and desert join to
create “Marlin Alley”, the undisputed billfish capital of the world.