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Dr. Andrew Batsis, Husband! Dentist! Kiwanian! Santa Claus?
Katherine J. Batsis
Reviewed by: Barbara Bamberger Scott, The US Review of Books
“We will miss his kind, thoughtful and considerate assistance, and his counsel in all our activities.”
After the passing of her husband, Andrew, author Batsis dedicated efforts and emotions to a recollection of his dynamic life based on personal happenings and official documentation from a wide range of sources. She and Andrew met and fell in love while in college—he pursuing a dentistry degree, and she studying to become a school librarian. The couple married and settled in Toms River, New Jersey, where Batsis gained immediate employment. Andrew, always ready to take on new challenges, devised a home office for his dental practice, for which he was remembered by his patients as an empathic and highly skilled practitioner. His portly frame, kindly face, and beard made some children dub him “Santa Claus.” For many, his deft and amiable treatment erased the all-too-common fear of dental work.
He also took an active role in the Kiwanis organization, rising to the office of Governor of the New Jersey branch, and served as a trustee for Kiwanis International. His early involvement centered on Circle-K, in which Andrew encouraged youngsters to aim for their highest goals. Fellow Kiwanians extolled Andrew as an able and energizing administrator who operated with high principles and provided guidance and inspiration to all.
Batsis has composed this paean to her late husband thoughtfully, fully believing Andrew to have embodied qualities of “goodness, compassion, selflessness and human caring from the bottom of his heart.” She also gently depicts their marriage on a human scale, with the small squabbles and often highly humorous events that help couples find a path to forgiveness, ultimately strengthening the relationship. Her brief prologue depicts Andrew’s shocking, unexpected demise in his early sixties.
Part I transcribes tributes made to the well-loved community figure by friends, co-workers, and family at the memorial service after his sudden death in 2005. Part II, “Personal Reflections Plus,” is the book’s most intimate section. It offers an almost day-to-day look at the author’s feelings and the devoted couple’s immersion in community activism, family cohesion, travel, and careers. This gives the scope for Batsis to share her perspective of her remarkable spouse, underpinned by scores of positive contributions from those whom he met, aided, and influenced. She has skillfully organized this segment in the form of questions, as if posed by a reporter or other objective party, with fascinating factual answers drawn from her stockpile of memories and those of friends and relations. Cultural insights from their shared Greek heritage also play a role in her descriptive passages, encompassing recipes, language usage, ethnic music and dance, and a touching ceremony when the two became godparents before they had children of their own. Part III, “Kiwanis,” corroborates Andrew’s organizational trajectory with letters and official documents, followed by a collection of black and white photos illustrating family togetherness. Meanwhile, the appendices offer further interesting family lore.
Throughout, Batsis presents a memorial that brings new life to Andrew’s dedication to high principle and simple, sympathetic treatment for those he encountered. It is a narrative that can touch those who, without having had the good fortune to meet him, may wish to undertake the kinds of work and the generosity of spirit that he exemplified.
