For more than 100 years, the Davies family has practiced dentistry in and around Waukesha.
They opened the doors to a new facility in spring 2011, where today seven dentists operate pediatric, orthodontic and general dental offices under the same roof.
My grandfather, William Alexander McFarlane, graduated from what is now Marquette dental school in 1902. He opened a practice in downtown Waukesha and married Elsie Kingston in 1903. They had five children and four of them became dentists.
My mother, Margaret McFarlane Davies, was the only woman to graduate from her class at Marquette dental school in 1934. She was a former President of Waukesha County Dental Society. In 1938, she married Dr. E.B. Davies, a practicing physician and they worked together out of the same office, even sharing a waiting room on East Avenue in Waukesha. This office would later become the location of Davies Pediatric Dentistry. My parents had five children and two of us became dentists, my brother Doug and myself.
My aunt, Kathryn (Kit) McFarlane Davis graduated from Marquette Dental School in 1941, where she was one of three women who received a DDS degree.
My brother Doug, graduated from MUSoD in 1985. He retired in 2007.
I married Karen and had eight children, four of them became dentists: Dr. Kirk Davies, orthodontist; Dr. Kristen Davies, pediatric dentist; Dr. Kristi Davies, general dentist and Dr. Kent Davies, general dentist. One of them, Karin Davies Wegner, is a dental hygienist. Of those four, two of them married dentists: Dr. Lindsey McCollow Davies and Dr. Tracy Taylor Davies.
“I never felt any pressure from my dad at all to go into dentistry,” said Dr. Kirk Davies, orthodontist.
“Growing up with my dad and my uncle Doug as dentists, I saw the advantages of dentistry,” said Dr. Kent Davies, general dentist.
“I really enjoy my job. When I get up in the morning, I genuinely enjoy my job. I hope that what they’re thinking is that they saw that I enjoy my job. I’m hoping that they got to see that was a nice profession to and went into it. I hope they have an occupation that they enjoy and have a positive influence on this world and they can be helpful to people.”
In their Waukesha dental practice, Dr. Robert Davies has a dental history museum and he was kind enough to let WDA staff tour and take photos. Enjoy!
