The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
Dr. Marty Gleason, '76 La Harpe Graduate, Now Dentist
This is the sixth in a series about medical doctors who graduated from this area.
This week's article is about Dr. Marty Gleason, DDS, a 1976 graduate of La Harpe High School.
Dentist In Fairfield, Iowa
"I am Marty Gleason, and I am a 1976 graduate of LaHarpe High School.
"I am the son of Glenn Gleason and Mary Anne Ruth, and grew up on a farm southwest of town.
"My wife, Julie, is a Bushnell native and in May we will celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary.
"Our children are Scott, 13 years old and in the 7th grade and Emily, 10 years old and a 5th grader.
"We have lived in Fairfield, Iowa for 19 years, where I practice general dentistry, and Julie teaches kindergarten.
"My education in the LaHarpe School District began at Durham Elementary, where each of three teachers taught two grades in the same classroom.
"After my 4th grade year, the school district consolidated to bring all elementary students from the Durham, Fountain Green, Terre Haute, and LaHarpe centers together into one elementary school.
"Memories of my class are good ones, filled with many athletic successes as well as many academic achievements.
"All through the years, we had many exceptional teachers. We had a program in high school called "Health Occupations" which was taught and directed by Mary Keith Peterson McKinnon. The program helped me greatly with choosing a career.
"Following an academic classroom semester, we were allowed to spend the next three semesters out in the community, shadowing a practitioner in the health field of our choice during a portion of each school day.
"Dr. Verne Myers graciously allowed me to observe his dental practice. He and his receptionist/assistant, Rella Bice taught me much about dental care, and the running of a successful business.
"Thoroughly motivated to pursue a dental career, I entered Millikin University.
"Their reputation in the health sciences and preparing students to be accepted into medical and dental schools is what drew me to Millikin in Decatur.
"I found their faculty and programs to be superior, but just as importantly, I found my high school education had prepared me far better than most of my classmates. Through hard work and much planning I was able to graduate from college in three years.
"The fall of 1979, I began Dental School at Southern Illinois University. The dental school was in Alton, so for the next four years, I studied hard and became familiar with the St. Louis area.
"Upon graduation, I came directly to Fairfield, Iowa, where I now practice dentistry and raise my family.
"I have always tried to contribute to my community and its school, and among other things, have served on the Fairfield School Board.
"I am currently serving on the Board for the Fairfield Education Foundation.
"My home is 75 miles from LaHarpe, which has allowed me to get back to visit friends and relatives occasionally. I have especially enjoyed returning to LaHarpe to watch several Thunder football games with my father over the last several years."
As an interesting side fact, Marty's nearest neighbors on the farm were Richard "Jiggs" and Joanne Rodeffer. Each family had three children, and four of them went on to become dentists, while the other two went into nursing. Gleasons' address is: 1200 Kadi Circle, Fairfield, IA 52556.