Mt. Morris dentist Ken Kaufman retires after 42 years

Ken Kaufman initially wanted to get a job at somebody else’s dental practice when he got out of school.

But he couldn’t find anywhere in the area that was hiring, so he decided to open his own practice in his hometown of Mt. Morris.

“I had an instant practice and it’s been that way ever since, Kaufman said. “It was probably the best decision of my life.”

After 42 years, Kaufman made the decision to retire. He sat down and wrote a letter to all of his patients, an exercise he called the “toughest thing I’ve ever had to do.”

Kaufman has had some patients for 35-40 years that are like “family” for him.

He decided a long time ago that he never wanted to make people wait in his waiting room. He always scheduled longer appointments and would spend 15-20 minutes of each one talking about life with his patients.

“Some are lifelong friends I grew up with,” Kaufman said. “I also decided I didn’t need to be in the city making four times as much as I did. I’m so glad I chose where I did. I was so content.”

Unfortunately, Kaufman didn’t exactly get to go out on his own terms. He planned to work for another year or two, but the COVID-19 pandemic forced his hand.

New regulations have come to the dental industry to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Kaufman would have had to replace some of his older equipment such as chairs and flooring in order to make his office easier to sanitize.

He would have had to buy $30,000-$40,000 worth of new equipment to continue operation.

“A lot of enjoyment has been lost to government intervention,” Kaufman said. “I was disappointed to retire. I talked to 100 patients and it’s an emotional situation with the suddenness. They’ve been asking and I never said I planned on it. Facing them was hard.”

Kaufman’s retirement plans simply include relaxing and enjoying life. He has four grandchildren spread across the country that he plans to visit. He and his wife enjoy gardening and yard work and hope to do more of it.

Kaufman said the majority of his patients will stay in the area in Oregon with Dr. Jack Crisham, depending on how many he can absorb.

An in-person retirement wasn’t possible for Kaufman due to COVID-19 gathering restrictions. He did have a drive-by celebration past his office on June 6.. He’s thankful his wife, Lynn, threw him a 40th anniversary party in recent years that he’ll remember as his real retirement party.

Kaufman along with two longtime staff members, Carolyn Nelson and Terri Shellhaus, sat in the shade in front of the office on W. Lincoln Street as a long string of cars drove by with well-wishes, signs, and gifts.

“I’ve worked for him for 40 years,” said Nelson, a dental assistant. “The hard part will not be seeing everyone anymore.”

Shellhaus, a 35-year-employee, echoed that sentiment. “Everyone is really like family to us,” she said.

Patient Jan Elliott-Borota made the drive down to Mt. Morris from Machesney Park to wish Kaufman and his staff a happy retirement.

“I’ve gone to him for 40 years and so did my kids,” she said. “I was still driving down from Machesney Park to go to him.”

That patient connection was not lost on Kaufman.

“The patients will be what I miss most,” Kaufman said. “Dentistry, I enjoyed it. But any job after 40 years loses its glamour. My love to all my patients. I was blessed to be able to come back here and start this practice.”