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Memorials
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Dr. Waldemar Brehm
Dr. Waldemar Brehm was born July 23, 1923 in Frankfort-Am-Main, Germany. His father passed
away when he was only a year old. S ix years later,
he and his mother immigrated to the United States settling in
Fresno, California. Being poor, his mother could not afford
to buy her son a pair of pants. His mother made his pants by
sewing old drapes. Eventually she re-married and had three
girls, giving Dr. Brehm a new family and sisters. While
attending high school, he became involved in a number of
theatrical productions. He found time between school and
his job as a meat cutter to raise pigeons and ride horses.
Following high school, Dr. Brehm was drafted into the
armed forces. However, he lacked U.S. citizenship that prevented
him from being inducted. After answering a few quick
questions, he passed and was sworn in and received his U.S.
citizenship. He was proud to serve his country in the U.S.
Army. With his background as a butcher, he was assigned as
a cook. Later he would find himself setting up Eisenhower’s
headquarters in London and assisting with food preparation
for the general and his staff. Dr. Brehm found himself teaching
other cooks about nutrition and dietary requirements. His
talent and love for teaching extended throughout his lifetime. He would recall with a great humor how he captured a
German soldier one day. In truth, the soldier handed over his
gun in the hopes of finding food and shelter.
Upon returning home, Dr. Brehm opened his own meat
market in Fresno. He attended a local USO dance and met
his future wife, Caryl Lindsay. After getting married and
upon consulting with his wife, he wanted to try one semester
of college. He went on to continue his education, sold
the market, and graduated from Fresno State. While taking
his dental aptitude tests, the Dean of Students told Dr. Brehm that his hands were too large to be a dentist and that
he should go back to being a meat cutter. Luckily, he did
not take his advice and ironically the Dean later became
one of Dr. Brehm’s students.
Dr. Brehm was accepted to dental school at
Northwestern University. He had to move his wife and two
small boys, Robert and Lindsay, to Oak Park, Illinois. Caryl, a registered nurse, was able to work at a local hospital
to assist Walt through dental school. Upon graduation,
Dr. Brehm and his family returned to Fresno and opened a
small practice on Shields Avenue.
One day he read an ad for Ordont Company in a dental
journal. It highlighted the advantages of orthodontics.
He began corresponding with Ordont and sent models as
requested. They returned a treatment schedule and a set of
bands, brackets and wires. He placed his first set of bands
and brackets on his niece, which took nearly 8 hours. He
then called Ordont to inquire what he should do next!
Dr. Brehm realized he needed proper training. It was at
this time that he discovered the International Association for
Orthodontics and met its founders, Dr. Leon Pinsker and
Dr. Max Schleimmer. Walt began taking many courses on
diagnosis and treatment planning, Edgewise, and Begg techniques. Incorporating what he learned, his practice grew
rapidly. He began to teach Edgewise courses and he eventually
became president of the IAO behind its two founders,
serving two terms in 1966 and 1967. He worked diligently
for 10 years as IAO Executive Director. One of Dr. Brehm’s
greatest contributions is that he was instrumental in the
early development, direction, and success of the IAO.
Later, Dr. Brehm completed a two-year preceptorship
to become an orthodontist. In 1972, Dr. Brehm took a class
from Dr. Lawrence Andrews on the straight wire technique. His course had a dramatic impact on him, and he found
that he had faster and better results with this technique. In
1973, Dr. Brehm started teaching straight wire technique
for the IAO. When the IAO moved its headquarters to
Chicago, Dr. Brehm remained in Fresno and started his
own teaching facility, Straight Wire Seminars.
As an orthodontist and teacher, Dr. Brehm never
stopped learning. He attended courses by Drs. Roth,
Ricketts, Begg, Tweed, Kessling, Rocke and others. He dedicated
himself to learn and expand his knowledge so that
he could offer the best treatment for his patients and offer
the best orthodontic education to all the doctors he taught. He truly believed that, “In all human affairs there are
efforts, and there are results, and the strength of effort is the
measure of the results.”
Dr. Brehm consulted with ‘A’ Company to assist in
advancing orthodontic education to the general practitioner. Until his death, he taught thousands of doctors across the
U.S. and around the world. He was known for his boundless
energy and his desire to help his course participants to
the end. His dream was to help every student become the
best orthodontic practitioner. He was well known for his
quick humor and quick puns as well as the long tedious
hours bending wires late into the evening with his students. Some may have complained of bleeding fingers, but in the
end they became proficient orthodontic practitioners.
Dr. Brehm treasured the work he did with Ortho
Organizers. He helped to develop innovative orthodontic
products such as preformed utility arch wires, the Nitanium
Palatal Expander2, Twin-Force Bite Corrector and many others.
It also gave him the opportunity to work and travel with
his youngest son, Lindsay. They shared a common interest in
orthodontic products as well as a desire to offer quality orthodontic
education to general and pediatric dentists.
Following a courageous battle with cancer, Dr.
Waldemar Brehm died on August 6, 2004. A eulogy for a
man of his accomplishments is challenging and humbling. It is difficult, until one realizes that the word ‘eulogy’
means a good word, and good words were all that were
heard as people around the world were told of his death. As in life, so it was in death, that he was surrounded by his
loving family. Dr. Brehm’s family was gracious enough to
share some of these kind thoughts from others:
“. . . your father was a great man and all of us in the
field of GP Orthodontics owe him a great debt.”
“ . . . you have so much to be proud of with regards to
your father. He was loving, generous, hard working and so
very well respected in the field of orthodontics. May his
character, leadership, ideals, passion for life and of course,
his sense of humor live on in you and your children. Thank
you for sharing your guiding light with us.”
“. . . Walt was a great guy. I always enjoyed talking to
him about orthodontics, as well as cracking some really
great jokes together. They don’t make them like your Dad
anymore. He was admired and loved by so many around
the world.”
“Dr. Brehm was a highly respected teacher and clinician,
not only in America, but worldwide. I was always
impressed with his passion for teaching and his dedication
to advancing knowledge within our speciality.”
“Dr. Brehm was a great man, a proud father, a tremendous
teacher and a natural-born leader. I feel so lucky to
have known this wonderful man, who I was proud to call
my friend.”
“Dr. Brehm was a lovely man, a true gentleman, whose
manner was endearing to all of those who were privileged
to know him.”
“Dr. Brehm was instrumental in having general dentists
and pedodontists taught first hand by Dr. Andrews . . . .
Without Walt many of us would not have had access to this
respected orthodontic technique.”
“Dr. Brehm was truly a giant in the field of orthodontics. He was always willing to share his knowledge with others
and did it in a humble and kind way. I am grateful for all
that he has taught me and for the example that he has set.”
While orthodontics was Dr. Brehm’s successful career
and teaching was his passion, he so enjoyed the time he
spent with his family. He was always there to cheer for his
grandchildren at sporting events and to listen proudly at
piano recitals and band performances. He loved taking to
the road with Caryl on many motor-home excursions all
over the U.S. and Canada. He loved to go fishing and to be
out sailing with his oldest son, Robert. He loved to read, to
laugh, to eat and to just sit on the deck of their beachfront
condo and watch the waves and the dolphins play.
They say that having a place to go is home. Having
someone to love is family. Having something to do that you
love is rare, but having all of these is truly a blessing. Dr. Brehm was a talented, dedicated and blessed man. Many
will miss him, but to live in the hearts of those we leave
behind is not to die.
The IAO has established the Waldemar Brehm
Scholarship Fund through a generous gift by Ortho
Organizers, Inc. This scholarship will offer financial aid to
dentists from developing countries to attend continuing
education courses at IAO annual meetings. Those wishing
to contribute to this fund in memory of Dr. Brehm can
make a donation to:
IAO/Waldemar Brehm Scholarship
750 N. Lincoln Memorial Drive, #422
Milwaukee, WI 53202 USA
Additional Memorials:
Dr.
Hans Peter Bimler
Dr. Robert
Ricketts
Dr. Joe Sim
Dr. John Witzig
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