I think most would agree that we are faced with a world-wide crisis in orthodontic education. Although it is easy to blame debt and low pay for our lack of teachers, I would argue that we must instead look to the very soul of the specialty for the root cause. A century of experience has demonstrated that literally anything and everything will work well enough to pay the bills. After all, nobody dies from anchorage loss. Thus, when everything works, nothing really matters. Given this chaos, what is there to "teach"? It is said that every country gets the government it deserves. Apparently, we are getting the educational establishment we have earned. The problem, therefore, is easy to diagnose. Unfortunately, a solution probably cannot be bought with money. Instead, it must come from a general understanding of, and respect for, the true nature of orthodontic academics. Simple, but definitely not easy.

Dr Stephen Seward 1928-1989
Did undergraduate dental training in Melbourne: then
Went to Chicago where he studied Orthodontia (as he always referred to it) under Alan Brodie, at the university of Illinios;
His father (Tom Seward) had spent time studying orthodontics with Edward Angle, with Alan Brodie as a classmate and hence the connection for Steve to travel to Chicago to study orthodontics with Brodie.
Steve loved everything about Chicago. He was an absolute devotee of orthodontics, and remained so until he died. He was also extremely grateful for the opportunity of studying under Brodie in Charge, with a fairly illustrious staff around him. He also loved living in Chicago. He was a fan of jazz and blues music his whole life, and I suspect this started in Chicago. He was a colourful character to say the least, as was well known amongst his fellow students for his enjoyment of fast cars and parties.
He was the consummate gentleman, but did not tolerate fools. His command of both the spoken and written word was such that it was almost as if he was from another era. We combined with his pithy sense of humour; his language skills were a pleasure to behold.

In orthodontics Steve was an absolute perfectionist, all be it an old fashioned one who struggled to change for change's sake. Unless hi "current system" was no providing a solution and there was sound logic to support a new system. he would tick to his tried and true formula. This applied equally to bracket systems through to model storage.

Overall, he had a great influence on orthodontics in Australia. He was an inspiring person who was involved in the running of our (local) ASO, and who lectured frequently to its members. He inspired many of us, particularly through his incredible high standards and never-ending pursuit of excellence.