La Harpe Dentist,
Active In Community
The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
La Harpe Dentist,
Active In Community
This is the 15th in a series of stories about doctors who graduated from area schools.
Dr. Steve Rodeffer, Dentist
Steve Rodeffer was born at La Harpe Davier Hospital on June 24, 1955, the son of Richard (Jiggs) and the late C. Joann Rodeffer.
He was raised on a small family farm southwest of La Harpe the middle child of three siblings, all who are in the dentistry.
Older sister Dr. Janet Rodeffer Martin has an active practice at Mendon and younger brother Dr. Max Rodeffer has a dental practice in Hamilton.
Steve received his elementary education in a country school at Durham. He attended Jr. High at Terre Haute and high school at La Harpe graduating in 1973.
He was the Sr. Class President and participated in football, basketball, baseball, golf, and track.
For leisure fun in La Harpe, he said his Grandma Fern Hobby's store "Newsland" was every grandchild''s dream. He received ice cream, soda, candy, and enjoyed the comic books there.
He loved summer baseball and later Legion ball two years on leagues in Biggsville and at Burlington.
On the farm he preferred livestock over the tideous row-crop planting of grain.
Steve enjoyed riding his horse Trigger with his friend Jim Sullivan who's horse was Princess. He enjoyed hunting on the farm and also bicycling in town.
In high school he found summer jobs. One year he did construction work, another year he worked for the City of La Harpe, another year he worked for the school painting and mowing.
When it came time to think of his future, Steve knew he wanted to do something where he would be his own boss and where he could have some leisure time. That is why he chose to be a dentist.
He received his B.A. degree from Millikin University in Decatur in 1977 and was a founding Father of Theta Ioa Chapter of Alpha Tau Omega fraternity while there.
He received his doctor of Dental Medicine in 1980 from Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine in Edwardsville.
Time was on his side as he purchased the practice of Dr. F. L. Myers in La Harpe upon his retirement and began practicing August 1, 1980.
Three months later, he married Paula J. Krieshok of Granite City on November 15, 1980.
She has worked as a registered nurse at the Burlington Medical Center and Great River Medical Center for the past 21 years.
She also enjoys gardening at home and being a mother and wife to the family.
Steve and Paula are the parents of three active children -Maggie, Jessie, and Alex.
Maggie will start her second year at SIUE majoring in Finance, Jessie is a Junior and Alex a Freshman at La Harpe High School - all very aggressive in sports and in academics and their church and have been seen helping in their father's dental office.
Dr. Rodeffer's dental practice has been dedicated to providing care for the entire family. In talking about his goals, he said he has been committed to incorporating the latest technology to his rural practice. Some of these items include an Intraoral camera system, Cerec Porcelain Reconstruction Cad-Cam, and Diaganadent Laser Caries Diagnostic system.
Dr. Rodeffer states, "These items keep dentistry interesting and have allowed me to provide my patients with superior dental care."
Dr. Rodeffer and his family are members of the La Harpe Christian Church where he enjoys participating in activities. He has also been a board member of the La Harpe Davier Health Care Center for many years and served as a past president.
The facility has moved from a hospital to a nursing home, rehab, respite care facility for the homebound and elderly, a health care medical clinic for the family, and a child care/day care facility. It also allows for assistant living quarters for adults, making the closed hospital facility still useful to the community.
Community and family are really important to Dr. Rodeffer. "I really appreciate the friends and family I have in this area. It is an excellent area to raise a family. La Harpe schools helped provide me with an opportunity to pursue a rewarding and challenging career." He also said, "I feel schools and health care are the life of the community."
Although former years, allowed Dr. Rodeffer time to enjoy some fishing trips, he now keeps busier with his active family in school, church and sporting events.
He enjoys yard work and golf and other sports and church activities.
But, most of his time has been spent this past year on an issue that effects everyone in the local school district as well as neighboring districts.
Dr. Rodeffer has spent numerous hours as chairperson for the Committee of Ten formed by the La Harpe School and Northwest School boards to study reorganization of the area schools.
It is hard for patients of Dr. Rodeffer not to get in a discussion about the findings because it is such a pressing issue to the community and to him.
The results of the study were mindboggling when looking at the financial future of area school districts. Area districts are determined to offer a solution to the public before declining enrollment and state funds reach the startling figure that the study shows.
Gathering information for the vote on consolidating La Harpe and area schools has taken a lot more time than Dr. Rodeffer ever imagined, but he feels it is such an important issue that he is glad to be serving the community and it has been quite an education for him, he says.
He has remained focused on the issue of "Will This Improve our Children's Education?"
He continually asks this question about every issue that comes forward in the committee's research and if the answer is no, they don't even consider it, but if it is yes, they move forward.
His committee's findings come to hearing next week where the public is encouraged to come. (June 26th).
The question on consolidation will come to vote in the November Primary Election and it is Dr. Rodeffer's wish that all eligible voters become informed on what the study has found and by attending hearings and asking questions, then choose what they feel is best for the future of the children by voting in November.
He has spoken to senior citizens, service groups where ever he can to give residents the opportunity to ask questions and to inform them of their findings and recommendations on the issue of consolidation.
He also invites people to be a part in their various areas of concern to bring their expertise and their help in the process of forming the best education possible for the children of the district.