It remains to be seen if he can ever fully adjust to retirement.
Born in West Union, Ohio, Hazelbaker is the second oldest of five siblings, all still living and still as active as him. He got his first job when he was in fourth grade, mowing the lawn in the cemetery across the street. He has never not worked since.
”I started working here when I was 27 years old. I’m not sure how I’ll deal with the shock,” he said.
He laughed and added, “I guess maybe I don’t do well with change.”
After earning his dental license, Hazelbaker served in the Air Force and found himself rotating between radar sites in South Dakota and Minnesota. He met his wife-to-be, Vikki, when she was a student at the University of South Dakota. He remained in the military until she finished her degree.
Hazelbaker opened his practice in Springfield in 1966. He was fresh out of the Air Force when he interviewed with Dr. John Spencer, whose office at the time was located in the Tecumseh Building in downtown Springfield.
Dr. Spencer had plans to construct a new office building and wanted to rent half of the space to another dentist. Hazelbaker signed on and has been in the same North Limestone Street location ever since. When Spencer retired, he offered to sell the building to Hazelbaker, but the younger dentist declined.
“At the time I was 65, and I told him I didn’t think I’d be in practice much longer,” he said. “Now, it’s almost 30 years later and here we finally are.”
The building was sold to another dentist, Dr. William Lord, and the two built a “perfect relationship,” Hazelbaker said. The two dentists were both graduates of Ohio Sate University and enjoyed the out-of-doors. Their staff members built strong relationships as they all worked in the modest by today’s standards office building. Hazelbaker planned to turn over his patients and portion of the building to Lord once he retired.
Unforeseen circumstances intervened.
Dr. Lord died suddenly at the age of 56 last summer. Hazelbaker said it was life-changing for everyone.
“It was a horrible shock for all of us. HIs staff adored him. It’s been really tough. And I must admit, it changed my thinking about where I am in life. It gave me the nudge I needed.”
Hazelbaker’s plans to stay active in retirement come as no surprise to anyone who knows him. He has been until recently a runner who completed the Columbus Marathon at age 60. He’s also a long-distance bicyclist, and he has completed the Tour of the Scioto River Valley cycling classic multiple times. He and his wife have been avid tennis players and scuba divers together, and both love horses and horse riding. He competed in a horse jumping event at the Kentucky Horse Park at the age of 65.
HIs community activities were sometimes also tied to his running. He was an annual participant in the Nobody’s Fool Classic and Relay for Life to support the American Cancer Society.
He’s been a member of the Springfield Rotary Club and has attended every holiday Children with Disabilities Christmas Party since 1976. A member of the local OSU Alumni Club, he served as president during an active period for the group. He also served with the Clark County Parks District Board during the time it merged with Springfield’s National Trail Parks and Recreation District.
His practice officially closes at the end of the year, and patients have been scheduling final appointments and stopping by to visit and wish him well.
He pointed to a stack of cards and tabletop laden with gifts and said he was surprised and overwhelmed by the outpouring of affection he’s experienced and said it’s been very touching.
“One of the patients I will see next week was among the first patients I saw when I started the practice,” Hazelbaker said. “It looks like he will also be among the last.”
One of the most difficult part of the process he confesses is separating from his staff.
“We’ve always been a small practice, and we’ve been blessed to have good and loyal patients,” he said. “I always asked staff to put patients first, and they always have. My current staff, Korie, Melinda, Allison and Samantha, hold a very special spot in my heart. I’ve never had a better group. Samantha started here when she was 17 years old, and she’s been here 17 years. She’s never had another boss.”
Staff members will join the office of Dr. Leslie Pinson, who will welcome them along with the patients Hazelbaker will leave behind.
Pinson invited Hazelbaker to spend some hours in her practice seeing patients, if he’s so inclined. Predictably, he has not ruled out the possibility.
“I told her to give me three months or so to see how it goes,” he said.
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