Artist & Muse
Kathi Batsis
Kathi Batsis, as she is known to friends and loved ones, is the beloved wife of Dr. Andrew Batsis, as well as his official biographer. She has continued to keep his memory alive through the written word and with her ongoing efforts to reach a wider audience every day. Her now completed, as-yet-unpublished biography of Dr. Batsis – which also reads as a touching memoir of their marriage to one another – is entitled, Dr. Andrew Batsis, Husband! Dentist! Kiwanian! Santa Claus? and is already gaining momentum as one of the leading new works of nonfiction literature in its specific genre.
Katherine J. Batsis is a graduate of Lesley College and Simmons College, where she received her B.Ed and L.S., respectively. Her expertise lies in writing, reading, researching, thinking and library sciences. In her part time she enjoys international folk dancing, contra dancing, knitting, playing the piano, singing, learning French and practicing yoga.
Dr. Andrew Batsis
Andrew Batsis, D.M.D. of Tom's River, New Jersey was born in Brooklyn, New York on July 6, 1941. His education began in Brooklyn then Bradley Beach, New Jersey. He graduated from Asbury Park High School and went on to attend Monmouth College. In 1963, he was accepted early at Tufts University, Massachusetts; he returned to New Jersey and graduated from Monmouth College in 1965 with his B.S. He earned his D.M.D. at the New Jersey College of Medicine and Dentistry (Rutgers School of Dental Medicine) and obtained his license to practice dentistry in New Jersey.
Dr. Batsis gained a reputation for treating his patients like family, always smiling and explaining procedures clearly. He willingly set up fee schedules for working families and was known as the "painless dentist" by his patients. His many awards include the George Hixson Fellowship Award (2X), the Kiwanis Legion of Honor Award in 1996 and 2001, The Kiwanis Fred Briggs Award, and so much more.
From 1971, Dr. Batsis' interests turned to Kiwanis where he made himself known in Toms River, New Jersey, his place of residence for 35 years. His allegiances to Kiwanis lead to his election as Governor of New Jersey Kiwanis. Following that, he became internationally known as a Kiwanis International Trustee and committee chair of Youth Services and more.
His 35 years of dentistry endeared him to his patients, and his work with youth services made him a hero not only to those he served but to his peers as well.
In addition to the Kiwanis Club, he was affiliated with the Toms River Chamber of Commerce and a member of the Monmouth Ocean County Dental Society.
Picture of a Picture
Above you'll see a photograph of the framed cover art of Dr. Andrew Batsis, Husband! Dentist! Kiwanian! Santa Claus? as it appears in the home of its author, Katherine Batsis. This somewhat iconic image has been featured in the press on numerous occasions, ranging from coast to coast, as part of full-fledged national marketing campaigns designed to promote the legacy of Andrew Batsis, as preserved and curated by his loving wife.
Make no mistake: Kathi Batsis keeps busy. In fact, she keeps busier than most retired individuals; French lessons, square dancing, socializing, and, of course, writing. However, amidst it all, Kathi always makes time to devote to the memory of her life's one true love, Dr. Andrew Batsis -- or, simply, Andy. It is not an exaggeration at all to say that she has devoted a great deal of time, resources and self in order to properly and permanently cement Dr. Batsis' legacy in the annals of time.
We live in an era when information is swallowed and forgotten as quickly as it is disseminated in the first place. While Andy wasn't around to see the technological in full swing, he would most certainly approve of the steps his wife has taken to ensure that echoes of his achievements as a dentist and Kiwanian do not fall on deaf ears. Rest assured, Andrew Batsis will be remembered.
With that in mind, Katherine J. Batsis set a course towards her ultimate monument to Andy: a manuscript detailing their life together, his vast success & influence, and so much more. The new book serves as a marriage memoir, a biography, a family epic, and a veritable compendium of the life's work of not one man, but one family. One fan called this "a compulsively readable omnibus of sketches and vignettes whose sum total is far greater than its individual parts."