October 7, 2005

He never intended to be a dentist: A vase made the difference

By Donna H. Eliason
Staff Writer

As a young child, Lowell “Bud” Oxsen loved collecting rocks and tarantulas, and exploring the abandoned mines near Daggett, a Mojave Desert town near Barstow.

The Oxsens pose with a family picture and personal camera from many years ago.

His family had moved there from Oakland, where Bud was born, because his father had tuberculosis.

Not everyone enjoyed Bud’s collections. His first-grade teacher in the one-room school didn’t appreciate the unexpected specimens in surprising places, nor the unplanned swims during recess in the local creek. She flunked all the first-grade boys.

That didn’t stop Bud’s passion for science. Now his children joke that “they licked their way across the country,” collecting the boxes of rock specimens now stored in the garage. Bud explains, “I wanted to see the rock’s color with moisture on it.”

When he was 7 years old, his father died. Later his mother married a “gentle, loving man” who encouraged Bud’s interests and hobbies.

Bud was one of 103 graduating seniors at the Campo-Mt. Empire High School. Not only did he excel in the sciences, he also produced and edited the yearbook, and created furniture in woodshop. His interests in photography and working with his hands became lifelong hobbies.

At San Diego State in 1940 Bud majored in zoology but changed to aeronautics when World War II began. He rented a room from a local family whose daughter Helen prepared his breakfast and lunch before she left for classes.

Helen says, “That whole year I spent being mad at Bud because of his food demands. Then when he went away to Arizona to become a pilot for the Marine Corps, we missed each other so much we decided to get married.”

Deciding on a profession
Bud had limited time before his transfer to Cherry Point, N.C., so Helen’s friend in Galveston, Texas, made all the wedding arrangements. Because of the war, community hospitals were “short-handed.” After their first baby strangled on his umbilical cord, Bud decided to become a medical doctor.

He changed his mind, however, after he showed a teacher the vase he made for his mother. The teacher suggested he study dentistry because of his agility with his hands.

Bud used his G.I. benefits to complete four years of study at the College of Physicians and Surgeons, now part of the University of the Pacific Dental School. At night Helen learned to sleep listening to Bud perfect his drilling techniques at his bedside desk.

When he graduated in 1954, Bud was ready to start a new career with his wife and three young children: Kristine, Jerry and Michael. His first choice was San Diego, but numerous dentists already practiced there. Traveling around San Jose with his brother-in-law Philip, Bud talked with five dentists on Lincoln Avenue, who were more than delighted to have additional help. From Bud’s first day on for 35 years, his schedule was packed.

Needing additional office space, Bud saw a lady hang a “For Sale” sign in front of her home on Minnesota Avenue. He bought the home “on the spot” for his new office, but a year passed before it was rezoned.

“When my 6-year-old son Michael went to sleep while I worked on his teeth, I knew I was in the right profession,” Bud remembers. “It was difficult to retire because I worked with three generations of families. I enjoyed my work.”

Bud’s dentist office was the last of l2 destroyed by arson in l989. After the fire gutted the office, Helen and his secretary spent days trying to reconstruct the files. The next year Bud rebuilt his place, making it a “dream office.” It contained all the equipment and features he dreamed of owning. He rented out the office 10 years before selling it.
In 1971, the Oxsens went house hunting in Evergreen. When Bud saw a house on a hill, he commented, “Now that’s the kind of house we’d like.”

Historical home
The real estate agent said it was available, so they bought it immediately. That home is considered one of the oldest homes in Evergreen. Helen says, “It was built in 1913 by the Frank Fahrner family who now live in Los Gatos.”

Apricot trees interspersed with persimmon, lemon, orange, lime, apple and fig trees surround the house. On their 3.5 acre property, they’ve raised lambs, chickens, geese and several steer.

Bud and Helen Oxsen look at family photos in their Evergreen backyard overlooking the valley.

Bud remembers many stories about family adventures with the animals. One year their children raised two bottle-fed steers. Usually in the evening the animals came when the children called.

After several evenings of returning late, Bud and his family discovered the steers had not only made a hole in the fence but had eaten their neighbors’ fruit. When the steers were sold at an auction, most of the kids’ money went to pay debts.

At one time they raised 92 mallard ducks. Now they have 22 Araucana chickens that produce blue and green eggs. Bud says, “They’re healthy because they eat good grains and greens.”

Through the years Bud and Helen worked side-by-side, doing everything from fishing and farming to pouring concrete, painting houses and raising children. Now 83-year-old Bud and Helen enjoy their four children, 12 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Youngest daughter Laurie and her family built their home adjacent to the Oxsens. Their other children and their families live within eight blocks in Willow Glen. One granddaughter lives in Nebraska.

Recently Bud received a phone call from Richard Van Zuylen, a former patient now living in the San Diego area. When Richard went to a local dentist for a checkup, the dentist examined his mouth and asked, “Where’d you get this dental work done?”

Richard answered, “Why, isn’t it any good?”

The dentist replied, “It’s beautiful. How long ago was this done?”

“Back in 1977,” said Richard.

Bud Oxsen’s love of science, guided by agile hands and a caring heart, has made a difference for many.