Dr. Foster retires after 62 years of dentistry

West Orange County has multiple generations of beautiful smiles — all because Bob Foster needed a ride back to Florida from Tennessee.

Dr. Foster, who has practiced dentistry in Winter Garden for 62 years, has packed up his tooth drills, polishers and tiny mirrors; sold his business; and begun life as a retiree. At 88, he plans to devote his time to his wife, Barbara; his health; and the Rotary Club of Winter Garden, where he’s been an active member since 1957.

BECOMING A DENTIST

Dentistry wasn’t Foster’s first career choice. He was working as a chemist in a paint factory when a coworker asked him to drive up to the University of Tennessee with him. While there, the friend told Foster to talk to the dean of the dental school.

“He told me, ‘If you don’t go talk to him, you’re going to walk home,’” Foster said.

Foster was admitted to the school, so he called his girlfriend, Barbara, and told her they were getting married when he returned to Florida for Christmas because he wasn’t staying in Tennessee by himself.

After marriage and graduation, the Fosters landed in Winter Garden in 1957 and he bought George Pankey’s dental practice. He operated the business at 54 W. Plant St. — most recently occupied by Harry & Larry’s Bar-B-Que — for six years.

“Saturday nights, everybody came to town and a lot of the stores stayed open till 10 o’clock,” Foster said. “The train went through town, the hotel was busy. We even worked through Saturday a lot of times.”

When the practice grew, Foster sought a larger space and found the perfect building a half mile away at 522 S. Main St. The move was complete in April 1963, and he remained there until his retirement last month.

A MULTI-GENERATIONAL OFFICE

One sign of a successful office is the longevity of its staff and patients, and Dr. Foster’s office was no exception.

“I had very good staff all through the years,” Foster said. “I valued them. … I always liked for the girls to interact with patients as much as they could. A lot of patients appreciated that. I think a lot of times the patients feel free to talk to someone else other than the doctor.”

Four generations of the Beckett family were employed by Foster: Winnie Beckett was his secretary; and Mary Beckett, Brenda Beckett McClung and Jennifer LeClaire were assistants.

One local family has shown true devotion to Dr. Foster, as well, and five generations have been patients of his.

Foster’s patient list is now in the hands of Dr. Alan Avriett, a dentist with 30 years of experience in West Orange County.

“I told my patients I wasn’t just going to turn them loose,” Foster said. “I was going to find someone to look after them and care for them.”

LONGTIME DEVOTION

When Foster first arrived in Winter Garden, another local dentist, Dr. Forest Lester Arnold Sr., invited him to accompany him to a Rotary Club meeting. At that time, only one person per profession was allowed to join.

“For some reason he liked me, and he called me and said, ‘Hey, Bob, what are you doing for lunch? … Come to lunch with me.’ … Before we left there, he had resigned and signed me up.

“I’m still a member; they haven’t kicked me out,” he said.

Foster, a firm believer in its mission and community-minded programs, has a perfect record of attendance at the club’s meetings.

“It’s a good way to meet fine conscientious people who are interested in the community and want to contribute back to it,” he said. “I always tell the members, Rotary is one of the better charities as far as use of what you donate because they don’t have as many administration costs. More of what you donate goes to the purpose.”

Last year, the Winter Garden chapter donated $39,000 back into the community, he said.

He is a firm believer in personally giving back, too, and he has volunteered to educate people on diabetes and dentistry, as well as with underprivileged folks.

Through the years, Foster has received many accolades for his work. Among them, he was voted a top dentist by his peers in 2012 and 2013 and named an Emeritus member of medical staff at Health Central Hospital in 2015. He was the founding president of two dentistry academies in the state. He has been awarded top recognition in both the Rotary and the West Orange Chamber of Commerce. He has held numerous leadership positions with the Rotary and was twice named a Paul Harris Fellow.

Foster holds his faith close to his heart; he said God had a hand in his decision to accompany his coworker to Tennessee — and all the blessings that followed. He was a devoted member of Calvary Assembly of Orlando for 40 years and now is attending Found Life Church, which is closer to his home in Winter Garden.

His faith also has gotten him through multiple bouts with cancer. Foster had esophageal cancer 14 years ago, prostate cancer 10 years ago and lung cancer three years ago, and nearly a decade ago doctors discovered he has chronic leukemia. He hopes his story will provide encouragement to anyone currently battling a disease or illness.