Gloria McKelvey has lived in the vicinity of Yosemite National Park for almost 23 years, and she says, “We love living here for its rural setting and all of the recreational opportunities.”
She adds, “Raising two sons has kept me snow skiing, snowmobiling, waterskiing, wakeboarding, back packing, and scuba diving.”
McKelvey has been practicing dental hygiene for 33 years. A friend of the family inspired her career choice.
“I worked four to five days a week for the first 10 years of my career. For four of those years I supported my husband going through dental school. I do enjoy my work so I continue to work two days a week for my husband and his partner at Twain Harte Family Dental Care.”
In the past year, she completed her certification to provide outdoor emergency care, and joined a ski patrol at the local Dodge Ridge Ski Resort.
“As a patroller, we ski the resort and offer assistance to guests in need. We are in radio contact, so we can quickly ski to an injured guest and provide necessary care on the hill and transport to the first aid room.”
The couple, whose two sons Alex and Greg are now 23 and 19 years old, respectively, also participate in mission dentistry.
McKelvey said, “We have been to Tonga, Vanuatu, Peru, China, Mexico, and India and are looking forward to a trip to Vietnam in the fall. It is a wonderful feeling to clean the teeth of someone who has never had the opportunity to have them cleaned and then to give a toothbrush to someone who has never had one!”
This Month’s
Cover & Cover Spotlight Photography
by Rick Dahms
Gloria McKelvey, RDH
Twain Harte, California
Dental Office: Practices part-time with husband, Dr. Charles McKelvey
Wedding anniversary: 34th in August 2009
Dental hygiene education: Graduated from Loma Linda University in 1979
Setting for cover photo: New Melones Lake
Favorite locations for scuba diving: Honduras, Hawaii, Red Sea, Fiji, and the Caribbean