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By Susan Voelkel
IPFW Professor Albino Perez's telephone answering machine plays the IU fight song behind his cheerful and polite message. Sounds like a gung ho guy. And he is, not only as an IU fan but as a leader in his profession: dental laboratory technology.
In testimony to his outstanding contributions to that field, Perez has been named the National Association of Dental Laboratories' 1996 Educator of the Year.
He was nominated for the award by his peers in the state association, which he serves as a board member. His IPFW colleague, Charles Champion, who chairs dental laboratory technology at IPFW, calls him a "dedicated and thoughtful teacher."
Perez emphasizes that learning is a never-ending process. "Education goes on not only in the classroom. We must continue to educate practicing professionals -- and the public." Thus, he routinely takes his expertise -- in dental anatomy, tooth morphology and physiology, occlusion, fixed prosthodontics and dental laboratory management -- to off-campus sites, teaching and speaking to a wide variety of dental-related groups locally and at national and international conferences. Last month he returned from Moscow, Russia, where he taught a course on dental implants.
His interests and service are not limited to dentistry. This spring he was named Volunteer of the Year by United Hispanic Americans, Inc., of Fort Wayne.
He serves as chairman of the Fort Wayne Mayor's Affirmative Action Advisory Council and has been president of the Fort Wayne Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
He owns Perez Dental Laboratory Clinic and Consulting Services.