By Sarah Richardson
Lewisburg dentist Dr. Roger Holliday celebrated 30 years of operating his local dental practice last month, marking the anniversary on Nov. 14. This milestone follows a 40-year career in dentistry, which began with 10 years of service as a Dental Officer in the U.S. Air Force.
For Dr. Holliday, the path to dentistry was set early. He recalls knowing since he was just 10 years old that his future lay in one of two fields: professional baseball or dentistry. “I liked my dentist as a kid,” he explained, saying that he inspired him.
While he played baseball for years, he also kept dentistry on his mind as part of his plan – a plan that led him to West Virginia University (WVU), where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Chemistry, graduating cum laude. He continued his studies at WVU, receiving his Doctor of Dental Surgery (D.D.S.) degree in 1985. He married his wife, Sarah, in 1984, during his last year of dental school.
In addition to passing the National Dental Boards, Dr. Holliday completed and passed the Northeast Regional, Southeast Regional, and North Carolina Dental Boards. He currently holds active dental licenses in West Virginia, Virginia, and North Carolina. He is a member of The American Dental Association and The American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, and holds a Fellowship in The Academy of General Dentistry, recognizing his pursuit of advanced study.
During his military service, Dr. Holliday said he was frequently a “flight dentist,” treating fighter pilots. He credits his time in the Air Force with providing extensive dental experience across various specialties, as he spent several months learning under different specialists, including endodontists.
“It was a great way to learn, going through those rotations in the Air Force,” he said. “The reasoning was if you were deployed, you might not be in a place where there was a specialist, and you had to know how to get yourself out of issues like that.”
Why did he decide to open his practice in Lewisburg? Both Dr. Holliday’s parents and his wife’s parents lived in the area, and even though he was originally planning on opening a practice in Pinehurst, NC, a call from a friend got him thinking about Lewisburg instead.
“At that time, Dr. David McClung had his practice downtown, and a mutual friend called and asked if I was interested in coming back to Lewisburg. Initially when they asked if I wanted to come back I said no, because I was going into practice in Pinehurst, but we talked about it and one thing led to another,” said Dr. Holliday.
They decided to go for it, and he moved to West Virginia to join Dr. McClung, purchasing the existing practice. Sadly, Dr. McClung passed away the same month that Dr. Holliday started, in November 1995.
After almost 10 years of working out of the downtown office, Dr. Holliday relocated to his current location on Holliday Lane in 2004.
When asked his favorite part of the job, he didn’t hesitate. “It’s got to be the people. We’ve really got some of the finest people here. I’ve enjoyed being a part of their lives and getting to know them. We see the senior population, but I’ve also seen a lot of little ones grow up into adults, which is pretty crazy.”
Over the years, he said there have been “lots of highlights,” including the unique opportunity to serve as the emergency dentist for the Saints when they held a practice season at The Greenbrier Hotel. He joked that he assumed they wouldn’t need much – until four dental emergencies occurred on the first day.
Dr. Holliday also acknowledged longtime staff members who helped shape the practice, including Pam Fleshman, a dental assistant who worked with his office for 26 years before retiring. “I told her that if I’d known she was only going to work 26 years, I wouldn’t have hired her,” he joked. Another long-term employee, Melanie Johnson, worked in his office from 1996 to 2007, and came back several years ago to continue to work as a registered dental hygienist.
As Dr. Holliday celebrates this milestone, he says he has no plans to slow down. He is working in-office three days a week, and says he plans to keep it that way.
“I remember Sarah’s mom saying she knew it was time to retire when she was teaching the grandchildren of her former students,” he said with a laugh. “I think I’ve seen some grandkids of my patients, too. But I’m not retiring yet.
