Calling a community home your entire life is generally not a bad thing. Taking care of others in and around that same community is generally a great thing.

 

Meet Dr. Steven Curry, DDS, in case you do not know him. His family, as well as himself, not only have roots in southern Harrison County, but his family at one time owned nearly every piece of land between Lost Creek and Mount Clare.

 

For decades, when not working, Dr. Curry and his wife Kathy, spend a good portion of their time on a chunk of the old family farm heading south in Harrison County. It is the same land as his ancestors, some of Harrison County’s oldest settlers, who called the property home.

 

As of now, Curry has the ability to be spending more time there as he has officially hung up the dental mirror. Retiring, in and of itself, is not always newsworthy. Curry, however, is definitely different.

 

Dr. Steven Curry saw his last patient last week and stepped down this month after 47 years of taking care of countless individuals. For us math challenged folks, think of it as taking care of others for almost half a century. And once paperwork and other chores are handled, the doors will be closed for good.

 

Curry spent the bulk of that time – 31 years – at 401 Washington Avenue in Clarksburg, a street below the soon-to-be-closing Washington Irving Middle School. Prior to that, he had a brief run in dental partnership and a dental practice in Lost Creek.

 

“He came to Clarksburg, and this building we’re in now became available, so we took it,” said Kathy, who knew the history of the practice to its beginnings and finest details.

 

Years and location aside, what really made Curry’s practice unique over the majority of his time is that he took care of the most anxious of individuals needing dental treatment. Not those slightly concerned, but those who were deeply fearful.

 

To help with that, Steven Curry used his own gentle nature in combination with medical equipment. For a little more than 40 of the 47 years,  Curry provided nitrous oxide and intravenous (I.V.) sedation services. The goal was simple: to help anxious patients remain calm and relaxed during their treatment.

 

“When you take on those patients, it’s often like treating someone with PTSD. The fear was real, and we would get referrals from other practices from multiple counties and even out of state,” Kathy said. “We’ve been the ones who handle those too anxious for even the most minor of dental work. He did his work with an unrecognized specialty in treating fearful patients.”

 

While not everyone that came though the doors fell under that category, plenty did. And it was something Steven Curry never took lightly.

 

“I was able to calm fears, I guess it was a gift, but you also have to have the medicine and other things in place such as the right staff to make it work,” said Curry. “Going back to when I started, I didn’t dream that the patients would like me, and I would like them. It seemed to just be a career.”

 

As he found out, it became more than a career. It would become personal in the best of ways.

 

The career’s roots for the 1972 South Harrison High School graduate were planted at West Virginia University. Once in Morgantown, he graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. in chemistry and earned membership as an undergraduate in Phi Beta Kappa. He then went on to dental school where he landed the Doctor of Dental Surgery degree, which most know as DDS.

 

Since that time, he has seen thousands of patients. And when he started the IV sedation to handle individuals who were fearful, his wife said Curry began in a rare field that she said consists of only 10 in West Virginia.

 

“It was something that was needed, and I liked doing it. It worked well because it’s hard to find those who have the desire, inclination, and ability to interact with fearful people,” said Curry. “I’m certainly glad I entered into this realm.

 

“The best thing is that we got to know so many on a personal level,” he continued. “They are part of our lives.”
 

That, of course, made stepping away more difficult than deciding to head to the farm for some peace and relaxation with family and, in particular, a grandson. Rather, it proved to be something beyond his control.

 

“I’ve had some health issues come up and it became apparent I would not be able to take good care of patients in the manner that was required if I continued,” said Curry. “I didn’t want to give less than my best and that would have been the path I would have entered. Still, the decision was difficult.”

 

Kathy concurred. She said when some patients found out, they cried. Others sent notes and cards and left messages, all touching, she said.

 

“We’ve shared people’s lives,” Kathy said. “It’s been special.”

 

As for his immaculate building, which is just as immaculate (with incredible character) inside, it will soon be available. It would make for a nice business or perhaps even a home. That will happen after he is able to dispose of the major equipment, furniture, furnishings, and other sundry items.

 

“We took pride in keeping this property nice. Our hope and expectation are that whoever is next and whatever it is used for will be able to get many good years out of it,” said Curry.

 

As for his patients, he has recommended to them that they become patients of a familiar name. Bridgeport High School graduate Vince Veltri, who started with his father and now owns the Clarksburg and new Bridgeport practice of Veltri Family Dentistry, is the one he hopes will be the new home to his former patients.

 

“I feel fortunate that Vince Veltri has stepped forward and is willing to take on my patient base. He doesn’t do the same things I do, but he has the same attitude,” said Curry. “The best thing I can say in recommending him is that I will be going to him and so will my family.”

 

Sometimes it’s best to listen to doctor’s orders. After all, it worked well for Dr. Steven Curry and his clientele, his community, for nearly five decades.

Best of luck in your retirement. You have earned it.

 

Editor's Note: Top two photos show Dr. Steven Curry in one of his exam rooms and reviewing x-rays, respectively. In the fourth photo, he is shown relaxing in the very homelike main room and waiting area on the first floor. The bottom image show the front of the business and the business sign on Washington Avenue.