Posted: 12/18/07
Houston dentist office welcomes back local dentist Dr. Kristie Treptow
By Daniel McGonigle
Argus Managing Editor
As a young girl growing up in Caledonia, Kristie (Meyer) Treptow always wanted to be a dentist. After a stint as a teacher, no doubt inspired by her mother, a long-time educator in the Caledonia school district, as well as some encouragement by a psychology professor in college who encouraged her to go into that field, Treptow is now living her dream.
Since this past June, Dr. Kristie as she is called at the office (we'll come to that in a second), Treptow has worked for the Houston Dental Clinic just minutes away from her hometown.
"My husband and I wanted to come back to be close to family," she said of the couple's decision to return. The couple have two young children ages three and one and live in Caledonia. Husband Justin, who is originally from St. Charles, teaches in Rochester.
After going to college for her undergraduate degree at Winona State, Treptow went to school at the U of M for dentistry.
In fact, she and her husband spent some time living in the cities prior to her starting school.
"It's funny," she smiled. "It seems there is more traffic where we live now."
While many young couples might flee the rural life for the hustle and bustle of the cities, the Treptows knew this was the life for them all along.
"Even before we had kids," she said. "It's comfortable here. People are really good natured and you really get a sense of belonging here."
Living her dream
As she accomplished goal after goal on her journey towards becoming a dentist, only one remained...that of finding a job.
"I met with Dr. Ron and Dr. John, and they brought me on board," she said.
Dr. Ron Evenson and his son John are the main reason she is known as "Dr. Kristie."
"You can't single me out and call me Dr. Treptow," she joked. "And you can't call them Dr. Evenson. You wouldn't know which one you're talking about."
Since she came on board, she said that the Evensons and the staff at the Houston Dental Clinic have been so wonderful to work with.
"They really are very giving people around here," she said.
Recalling how willing they were to open their offices during the floods is just one of the many ways that Treptow points to the Evenson's generosity.
"During the floods Dr. Marcoux from Rushford did his practice out of this office," she recalls. "They were kind enough to help out which is why this is such a good fit. The awesome people we have here. They are very community oriented."
While she misses some things about her time as a teacher, she enjoys being a dentist because she gets to help people of all ages.
"You get to help all kinds of people in this job," she said. "People who are mostly well, but are sometimes sick. It makes me feel good to know that with the training I've had I am able to come back to the area and help any way I can. I am lucky enough to help people who are just like me."
Just like her in so many ways, not the least of which is people who might have left the area for a little bit to get their educations, but come back because they love living in this beautiful and friendly part of the state.
"There's no barriers," she said. "My dad's lived here all of his life. My mom, who is from Houston, is still a teacher in Caledonia. They still live there today."
While an open house was originally scheduled for Dr. Treptow in the month of August, the event was pushed back to Dec. 20 for obvious reasons.
"It just didn't seem right to have a party while so much was going on around us," she said. "So we grabbed shovels and helped clean out peoples' basement."
Now people might be of the mind set to come and welcome back one of their own and celebrate with Dr. Kristie.
The event will take place from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Caledonia Argus
314 West Lincoln St.
P.O. Box 227
Caledonia, MN 55921-0227
507/724-3475
E-Mail: editor.argus@ecm-inc.com