Midwestern Society of Orthodontists

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Litton receives 2003 Shepard Award The MSO annually presents the Earl E. Shepard Distinguished Service Award to a person who exemplifies the ideals of the orthodontic profession, community and family. The MSO Board of Directors unanimously voted to present its highest award for exemplary contributions to the art and science of orthodontics for 2003 to Dr. Stephen F. Litton, Golden Valley, Minnesota. Steve was born in Brooklyn, New York but grew up in St. Paul, Minnesota. He attended the University of Minnesota where he received BA, BS, DDS and PhD degrees as well as his certificate in orthodontics, graduating for the final time in 1972. He then spent 12 years as an assistant professor in the Anatomy Department at the U of M. He also established a private orthodontic practice during those years. Steve is a member of Omicron Kappa Upsilon and a fellow of the American College of Dentists, the International College of Dentists, the Pierre Fauchard Academy and the World Federation of Orthodontists. The consummate volunteer, Steve has devoted much of his adult life to serving an extensive array of professional and community organizations, giving 150% effort to every job he undertakes. His lengthy list of volunteer activities includes but by no means is limited to the following: Steve is a past-president of the Minnesota Association of Orthodontists (MAO), the Minneapolis District Dental Society (MDDS) and the Northside Dental Study Club as well as a former director of the MSO. He just completed his term as Scientific Program Co-chair for the AAO 2003 Annual Session in Hawaii, and has served frequently as a delegate to the AAO and Minnesota Dental Association (MDA) Houses of Delegates. At the U of M School of Dentistry he founded the Orthodontic Residents Endowment to provide funds for the residents to travel to AAO Annual Sessions and GORP meetings, and he has served on the Dean’s External Advisory Council and several search committees. He co-chaired the Medical Advisory Board of the National Sjogren’s Syndrome Association for many years. Currently serving as treasurer of the Minnesota Dental Association, Steve also is president and founder of the U of M Orthodontic Alumni Association, editor of the MSO Newsletter as well as its secretary/treasurer, chair of the Membership Initiative of the MDDS, a member of the AAO’s Council on Membership, Ethics and Judicial Concerns, and represents the School of Dentistry Alumni Society at the University of Minnesota Alumni Association National Board. Steve received the Roger J. Fredsall Distinguished Service Award for 2001 from the MAO, the Distinguished Dental Alumnus Award for 2001 from the U of M School of Dentistry Alumni Society and the Outstanding Service Award for 2002 from the MDA. Modest, concientious and visionary, Steve is an asset to every board on which he sits and to every organization of which he is a member. He is a mentor, role model and friend to all who know him. Married to his wife, Bonnie, for 38 years, Steve has two wonderful sons and two special daughters-in-law. He has held many titles over the years, but the one he loves most is “Gramps,” as he adores his four delightful grandchildren.