Sitting in the house he had worked and lived in for many years of his life, Dr. John Jacob Daub, 78, said goodbye to the profession he was, in a way, born into.
From his father’s livelihood as a dental technician to his daughter’s career in medicine, the Daub house has seemed to birth a legion of doctors.
“My father was a dental technician,” says Daub, 78. “I was acquainted with dentistry, the mechanical part.” Around September of 1951, he received his license to open his private practice at 1808 Kennedy Blvd., which he did on the first floor of his childhood home.
Now with a successful career spanning about five decades and his wife Georgia, 73, faithfully by his side, Dr. Daub knows he has serviced his last smile.
“After 53 years of this, we’re going to leave,” says Georgia, who always worked alongside her husband as his office manager. “But he loves what he’s done.”
This old house
Born on March 18, 1926 in Union City, Daub, one of two children, was raised in the exact same house where he worked for over 50 years. Originally commissioned by his grandfather in 1905, the house saw five generations pass through it.
“My husband was raised in this house,” said Georgia. “This house was always occupied or used by the family.”
When Daub’s grandfather moved into the house, Daub’s mother was 11. She lived there all her life and died there three months shy of 99 years old. Daub and his younger sister were both raised in the same house, and afterwards moved out, with Daub moving to Weehawken. But he kept his practice there and brought his children there to visit their grandparents.
Now after 53 years, Daub will be closing his practice, but the tradition of the old house will remain the same, as his daughter continues her medical practice on the second floor.
“This old house has a lot of memories,” said Georgia.
After the Great Depression
Growing up in the 1930s in the midst and aftermath of the Great Depression, Daub learned the value of hard work.
“Back in the very early ’30s, people had to count every penny,” said Daub. “There was no Little League, none of that.”
Daub remembers his first job making deliveries for a butcher shop while he was in the sixth grade.
“We didn’t know we were poor,” said Daub. “You had food, clothing, mother was home, and every penny counted. There was also real emphasis on your studies.”
Daub’s dedication to his studies proved beneficial, for at the age of 18, Daub was entering his final undergraduate year at St. Peter’s College. However, his final year was disrupted when he was drafted and sent to the Panama Canal in South America, where he served as a dental technician during World War II.
“Because he had experience, he was appointed head of and ran the dental lab in the Panama Canal,” said Georgia.
John Daub served a total of two years, going through Infantry Replacement Training in New Orleans before being sent to the Panama Canal. In Panama, he spent one year as a chief technician of the Panama Canal Department Dental Laboratory in the 262 General Hospital at Fort Clayton. Daub was responsible for providing dental care for the soldiers and driving a small truck around the marsh regions, carrying dental equipment. Daub remembers the Canal Zone being very vulnerable. Luckily, he served in the final years of the war and managed to avoid combat.
“I was discharged from Panama, and then I got discharged here [in the States] on July 4, 1946,” said Daub. Once he returned to the States, Daub finished his final undergraduate year at St. Peter’s College in 1947, and went on to dental school through the help of the GI Bill. It allowed the recipients the opportunity to go to school for free.
“They paid up to $500,” said Daub.
John and Georgia
In 1951, after he graduated from the Baltimore College of Dental Surgery at the University of Maryland, Daub turned the first floor of the Union City home into a dentist’s office, and the second floor continued to be occupied by his parents.
Daub had met Georgia at the University of Maryland. They met and began dating very late in their senior year, and carried on a long distance romance between Maryland and New Jersey. Their visits ranged from every few weeks to once a month.
“That was before the Turnpike,” said Daub.
They were married August 16, 1952, and Georgia left her home in Baltimore to be with her husband in Union City. They moved into a home in Weehawken, where they still live.
They have three children, who are all now in their forties, and one grandson, John Jacob Daub IV.
Dr. Daub
Over the years, Daub practiced general dentistry. Always well equipped with their own technician lab, they did their own lab work such as making dentures, and always had about three dentists including Daub on staff.
“We ran a tight ship,” said Georgia. “That’s the way we worked, and that’s the way we liked it.”
Daub always tried to make his patients feel comfortable, especially during their procedures.
“We would listen to music and tell stories,” said Daub, who would cater to that particular patient’s musical tastes. “If I don’t have the music, they bring it. I loved the patients”
His strongest belief with patient care was to do the job right the first time, and treat them with the same respect you would want for yourself.
“You only do what has to be done,” said Daub. “Do what you would do to your own daughter’s mouth.”
The success of the practice rapidly grew through word of mouth.
“That’s the best referral you can get, a satisfied patient,” said Georgia. “That’s why people came to Dr. Daub from all over the state.”
His following
Daub has had loyal patients from all walks of life that span generations, including those who first came to him as children. Those who have moved away at times even came back just for dental visits.
“We have patients that come from as far away as Pennsylvania, sometimes Virginia, and South Jersey,” said Georgia. “Some of our patients started with us as little kids and are now in their 50s. They moved out and still return for their dental care.”
His patients have also included the political elite who grew up Hudson County, such as Union City Commissioner Michael A. Leggiero and a well-known United States Congressman.
“I was one of his first patients,” said Leggiero. “I’ve been going to him since I was 7 years old. He was the most gentle, respectful dentist you’ll ever meet.”
“I still think of that guy as a kid,” said Daub of Leggiero.
Leggiero even remembers the first thing Dr. Daub said to him: “If I hurt you, kick me!”
“I never had to kick him,” said Leggiero. “I thought this guy must be good because who would say that.”
Leggiero, who was still a patient up until Daub’s recent retirement, remembers Dr. Daub as the classic neighborhood dentist who always made patients feel comfortable.
“He’s wonderful, we’re going to miss him,” said Leggiero.
Employee stayed for 30 years
Patients are not the only ones who remained faithful to Daub. Dolores Reese-Greiner of North Arlington came to work for Dr. Daub about 30 years ago as his chair assistant and front desk worker.
“Dolores was very young when she started here,” said Georgia. “It has been a very family-oriented type of practice.”
“He’s a very special man, and I feel like I had an education with him,” said Reese-Greiner.
Although throughout his career he focused on all teeth, during the last few years, Daub focused more on adult patients, some of who were patients of his as children.
“I like Hudson County,” Daub said. “Here is our home. Union City has always been a melting pot. We had the Italians, the Germans; we have all kinds of people. When you live in Hudson County it’s like the Rockwell painting.”
Daub has a copy of a Norman Rockwell painting depicting the many different faces of America hanging in his office.
“We have to live with each other and love each other,” said Daub.
Retirement
Now with retirement, things seem bittersweet for Union City’s beloved Dr. Daub.
“I think its something I have to do. It’s the right time,” said Daub. “You’ve done something for so many years, you do your life’s work, and all of a sudden you stop. I’m going to miss not being useful.”
“I don’t think the realization that we’re stopping sunk in yet, but we’ll be busy,” said Georgia.
For right now, the Daubs are thinking about going on a trip. They have been fortunate enough to visit many places throughout the world already, and have even seen most of the United States.
“We have had a wonderful opportunity in traveling,” said Georgia. “We worked hard together for many years, and we enjoyed our time off.”
Yet there are other places they would still like to visit, and of course they will still drop by the old house to visit their friends. They’ll also visit Dr. Gissella Lopez, who now owns and continues the practice.
“As long as we’re blessed with good health, we’ll be alright,” said Georgia.