A successful orthodontist and Greenwood native recently returned to the Delta with a message of inspiration for young people.
Dr. Benjamin Nero, 72, of Philadelphia, Pa., visited Greenwood Middle, East Elementary and Amanda Elzy High schools Thursday.
Nero, who also achieved success on the football field, told students about the value of academics in achieving their goals.
“My goal very early in life was to be a dentist,” Nero told students at East Elementary. “I played football, but I still did well in school.”
Nero may have understated his athletic accomplishments. He led Broad Street High School team to the state championship, played for Kentucky State and was offered a shot to play for the Los Angeles (now San Diego) Chargers.
“I hope my success in dentistry can help to inspire our young people to realize that they can achieve great things and make an important difference both on and off the football field or basketball court,” Nero said in a news release related to his visit.
He was also the first black graduate of the University of Kentucky’s College of Dentistry. The school recently designated a scholarship in his honor.
He said some people had doubts about whether he could get through dental school.
“I might not have had the background some of the other students had, but I had a fight inside of me and a determination,” he said. “I worked harder than anybody else there.”
Nero told the students they need to pay attention to the adults in their lives.
“Your teachers are here to guide you, and when you disrespect them, you are only hurting yourself,” Nero said. “I’ve been extremely fortunate, and it came from hard work, good teachers and good parents. I try to give back whenever I can.”
He said he had thought about coming back to Greenwood, but after receiving an orthodontics internship at Albert Einstein Hospital in Philadelphia, he decided he would be better off financially elsewhere.
While completing his residency, Nero took over the practice of the first black orthodontist in Philadelphia, Knowlton Atterbeary, after he died. Nero earned a certificate in orthodontics in 1971 and has practiced in the Philadelphia area ever since. He now owns several practices in both Philadelphia and New Jersey.
