In 1976, Linda Krol of Torrance, California became the first dental hygienist in the United States to own her own dental hygiene practice. Imagine the courage that required.
Not simply to imagine independent practice.
Not simply to talk about it at meetings.
But to open the door.
To put your name on the work.
To test whether the profession could stand outside the walls others had built around it.
The response was not gentle. She was sued. She was tormented. But she prevailed.
Every profession has stories like this, though not enough of them are remembered. A person steps beyond the accepted boundary and pays the price for showing others what is possible. Linda Krol made independent practice real.
Not easy.
Not universally accepted.
But real.
And once something becomes real, it becomes harder to erase.
GO TO NEXT: Chapter 9 - Twenty Years for a Modicum of Freedom
Not simply to imagine independent practice.
Not simply to talk about it at meetings.
But to open the door.
To put your name on the work.
To test whether the profession could stand outside the walls others had built around it.
The response was not gentle. She was sued. She was tormented. But she prevailed.
Every profession has stories like this, though not enough of them are remembered. A person steps beyond the accepted boundary and pays the price for showing others what is possible. Linda Krol made independent practice real.
Not easy.
Not universally accepted.
But real.
And once something becomes real, it becomes harder to erase.
GO TO NEXT: Chapter 9 - Twenty Years for a Modicum of Freedom