Cosmo R. Castaldi

CASTALDI, Dr. "Doc" Cosmo Raymond, 90, of West Hartford, passed away on Saturday the 12th of March. Born on November 12, 1920 in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. He lived the last 37 years of his life in West Hartford, CT. Cosmo is survived by his sister Xenia in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada, by his wife Anita and their four children: Joseph, Daniel, Peter, and Diane, as well as seven grandchildren, and two great-grand children. Cosmo received his Doctorate in Dentistry from the University of Toronto, and his Masters in Pediatric Dentistry from Northwestern in Chicago. While in Chicago he met Anita, his wife of sixty years. Anita was a nurse at Children's Hospital, and they had a mutual patient who insisted they should meet, and the rest, they say, is history. He practiced dentistry for several years before devoting his life to teaching, holding positions at Indiana University '52-56', University of Alberta '56-65', University of Manitoba '65-68', and Oregon Health Sciences University '68-69. In 1969 he was selected to create the new Department of Pediatric Dentistry at the UCONN Health Center, where he remained as chairman until his retirement in 1986. After retirement, he spent ten more years donating much of his time and energy to the dental clinics at UConn?s John Dempsey Hospital. Cosmo was a pioneer in the advocacy of fluoridated drinking water and in the development of many specialized methods in dental treatment for children with disabilities. He truly loved his profession and was a beloved mentor and colleague to his friends and fellows internationally. Doc's other great passion in life, apart from dentistry, was hockey. He began playing as a child back in his hometown of Sudbury, Ontario. He often spoke of playing pick-up hockey in the street with frozen road apples. His love of hockey eventually led to his playing on the Canadian Air Force team in Halifax, Nova Scotia, where he served as a Captain in the Royal Canadian Air Force Dental Corps during World War II. His team-mates were mainly NHL players who were attached to the various services and also stationed in Halifax. In the winter of 1969-70 he began as assistant coach of the All-star Midget team in the Hartford Amateur Hockey Association, then located in South Windsor. At the time there were no town leagues so players came from all over; he often left the house two hours before practice in order to pick up children who had no other way to get to the practice rink. Weekends were spent travelling to different towns and cities, and every year he and Head Coach Frank Pendergast would haul the team to Sherbrook, Quebec, Canada for the annual ?shellacking? at an invitational tournament, followed the next week by the equally difficult challenge of the New England Tournament. Doc's goal was always to push his players to excel, and to improve the coaches? knowledge of what it took to be champions. His crowning achievement, in amateur hockey, was to see the team ultimately win the New England tournament. In addition to coaching amateur hockey, he was also a part owner and scout for the Sudbury Wolves, a Junior A team from his old home town. He was instrumental in identifying several Hartford-area players who ultimately played in this semi-professional league. It was clear from his dedication to youth hockey and dentistry that he believed in hard work and perseverance in pursuit of his goals. He brought his considerable energy and passion to his stance on the use of mouth guards to reduce dental injuries. This ultimately led to his involvement with the American Society for Testing and Materials ASTM. His research and subsequent testimony at national and international conferences on mouth guards, face shields, skate blades, and rink boards were instrumental in the adoption of standards for kids hockey, many of which are taken for granted today. In his home life, Cosmo was an amateur painter and played the saxophone and clarinet. He studied painting at the Banff School of Fine Arts during the summers in Alberta. Another interest was the small apple orchard on the family property in West Hartford, which led to his involvement in the Connecticut Pomological Society. Cosmo's interests in dentistry and hockey kept him in contact with people from around the world. He once lectured at a University in East Germany; behind the iron curtain. He made several trips to the US Naval base in Naples, Italy to advise the military dentists and the local dentists on what they could do for children. He travelled to Sweden with a group from Connecticut to play in an old-timers tournament. Back home Cos and Anita frequently hosted international students studying dentistry and other subjects at UCONN. He was a great man who impacted so many. Join us in expressing our thanks to a husband, father, and mentor who accomplished so much. A celebration of Cosmo?s life will be held on Wednesday the 30th of March, at the Molloy Funeral Home, 906 Farmington Avenue, West Hartford. Gathering hours are from 12:00 noon to 1:00 pm and testimonials by family and friends will begin at 1:00 pm. In lieu of flowers and other remembrances, in memoriam contributions may be made to UCONN FOUNDATION-CR CASTALDI LECTURESHIP FUND 10 Talcott Notch Road Suite 100, Farmington, CT 06032, or to the WEST HARTFORD YOUTH HOCKEY P.O. Box 270695, W.Hartford, CT 06127.

Cosmo R. Castaldi

November 12, 1920 - March 12, 2011