SHELDON PECK

PECK, Sheldon Orthodontist, educator, art collector, and philanthropist On April 18, 2021 he passed away in Boston at age 79. The causes of death were complications from congestive heart failure. Sheldon knew how to live life to the fullest, professionally and personally. He was born in New York City on September 12, 1941, to Max Pekarsky and Sylvia Specht. At age three Sheldon and his family moved to Durham, North Carolina, where a niche for rice-flour based bread presented their bakery business with new opportunities. Peck's Bakery quickly developed a reputation as a respectable family-run business with unique high-quality products. Sheldon spent his free time helping out in the bakery with his older brother Harvey, particularly after Sheldon's father passed away when he was 13 years old. His humble beginnings instilled in Sheldon a yearning for independence and determination for professional success. He obtained both his B.S. and D.D.S. at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and his M.Sc.D., as well as his Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies (C.A.G.S.) in orthodontics, at the Boston University Medical Center. His academic success earned him a place in several honor societies, including Phi Eta Sigma, Alpha Epsilon Delta, Phi Beta Kappa and Omicron Kappa Upsilon. When it came time to apply to postgraduate orthodontic programs, his close bond with his brother Harvey led Sheldon to Boston. Sheldon completed his orthodontic training at Boston University Medical Center under Herbert I. Margolis and received the 1967 Tweed Foundation Research Award. In addition to engaging in the private practice of orthodontics with his brother, Harvey, Sheldon taught orthodontics part-time at Boston University from 1968 to 1989, after which time he served as a clinical professor of developmental biology at the Harvard University School of Dental Medicine, as well as being an assistant clinical professor. In more recent years, he served as an adjunct professor of orthodontics at the University of North Carolina. Over the duration of his career he wrote or assisted in the publication of more than 100 scientific articles or chapters. After Harvey passed away in 1981, Sheldon's beloved late wife, Leena Peck, joined Sheldon in his private orthodontic practice. In 1973, Sheldon attended the Third International Orthodontic Congress in London as a Congress speaker. There, he was introduced to Leena Kataja, a young orthodontist from Finland. Captivated by her sophistication and elegance, Sheldon invited Leena to attend the Congress banquet with him. Charmed by his wit and eloquence, Leena took Sheldon up on the offer. By the end of the night they were completing each other's sentences. With this unforgettable introduction imprinted in their memories, Sheldon and Leena returned to their separate lives following the Congress. In serendipitous fashion, they met again in 1985 and 6 months later Leena and Sheldon were married in Boston. Together, Sheldon and Leena were a formidable team. Aided by Leena's loving tutelage, Sheldon became completely enamored by Finland. As a family, Sheldon, Leena, and their two children Mark and Anya lived a cosmopolitan life between Europe and the USA that emphasized the importance of seeking knowledge and living with compassion. Sheldon served on innumerable academic and professional committees and published countless articles, not only on medical topics but also on art. He contributed to research as PI or Co-PI in projects on craniofacial form, dental anomalies, skeletal dysmorphology, tooth shape variations and facial aging. A truly gifted and entertaining speaker, he lectured extensively around the world. He delivered the Strang Memorial Lecture at the Northeastern Society of Orthodontics (NESO) in 1985, the E.H. Angle Memorial Lecture at the Biennial Meeting in Quebec in 2007, the E. H. Angle Lecture at the American Association of Orthodontics (AAO) meeting in 2009, and the Keynote Lecture at the 85th Congress of the European Society in Helsinki in 2009, among many others. Sheldon received numerous awards throughout his career but was particularly honored to have been the recipient of the 2011 Hayden-Harris Award by the American Academy of the History of Dentistry and the American Board of Orthodontics' (ABO) Ketcham Memorial Award in 2017. Sheldon was a continuous scholar, serving on several editorial boards: AJODO, The Angle Orthodontist, Seminars in Orthodontics, JDR, JCO, JADA, and The Journal of the History of Dentistry. He was a mentor for several students' theses and collaborated with international researchers on an extraordinary variety of topics. Sheldon found his professional family at the Edward H. Angle Society of Orthodontists, where he made life-long dear friends. Sheldon served as the Angle East (EHASO) President from 1982 to 1983, as EHASO Director in 1988-1990, and was EHASO Secretary for 14 years, then Secretary Emeritus, and then Historian and EHASO Vice-President in 1993. The EHASO awarded him the Research Prize for Excellence in published orthodontic research, and in 2007 he received the Angle East Harvey Peck Memorial Awards for Excellence in Orthodontics, then in 2009 the Distinguished Service Award. Sheldon's educational degrees would paint him to be a dentist, orthodontist, scientist, educator, but deep inside we all knew him to be an artist. He was especially enamored by the works of Rembrandt, a fascination that began when he used his nights out of the office to audit a course on connoisseurship of old master drawings at Harvard University. "Many can draw beautiful pictures," Sheldon used to say, "but only Rembrandt could render a line with such drama and dead-on accuracy." Mention of Rembrandt's drawing of a line highlights Sheldon's firm grasp of the concept of nuance. When exploring a painting or drawing with you he would point out the progressive "haziness of the summer day, the stillness of the water, or the way in which every element contributed to the 'emotional context'". Just as Rembrandt would research the construction, vintage and design of the boats that he was revealing, Sheldon would do that in representing the nuances in life, just as he would when exploring the interplay that tooth size, shape and mass would have on the impact facial profile, projection and the beauty of a face. Leena and Sheldon commented that the visual discrimination skills they cultivated in diagnosing and solving problems in clinical orthodontics helped them immeasurably in the hunt for and authentication of rare works by the European old masters. The Pecks have been incredibly generous in so many ways; together Sheldon and Leena donated 163 rare books to the UNC Health Sciences Library to establish The Sheldon Peck Collection on the History of Orthodontics and Dental Medicine. Beyond that, the Pecks also established The Sheldon Peck Rare Books Fund for Orthodontics and Dental Medicine, hoping that the collection could continue to grow. The endowment thoughtfully allows for digitization of some of the rare volumes in the collection, making them available electronically to readers anywhere in the world. Sheldon and Leena assembled one of the finest collections in private hands of rare Dutch and Flemish old-master drawings. Their collecting was fueled by a scholarly pursuit and natural curiosity to explore how masterful artists captured a slice of humanity and truth in their works. In 2017, Leena and Sheldon gave more than 134 masterworks by Dutch artists from the 16th to 19th centuries to the Ackland Art Museum in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The Peck collection included many important art works, such as 7 remarkable one-of-a kind sketches by Rembrandt, including 2 sketches that Sheldon himself discovered to be Rembrandts. This philanthropic action by the Pecks along with an endowment to fund a named curatorship and future acquisitions was the largest contribution ever recorded for the museum, now on display as "The Peck Collection". Sheldon was the epitome of a Renaissance man. He was an inspiration to anyone who had the privilege of his acquaintance. His grandeur, forward thinking, substantiated knowledge in many fields of expertise, his sure instinct, wit, eloquence, unbeatable charm and esprit have qualified him as the epitome of a benevolent leader and a true global player who has made the world a better place. Sheldon contributed to society and humanity in so many special and extraordinary ways. He gave his best and received his share. We miss him deeply and shall remember him dearly. Levine Chapels, Brookline 617-277-8300 www.levinechapel.com