Dr Robert Murray Ricketts died in July 2003, aged 83. Throughout his life enormous energy and intelligence was directed at improving orthodontic therapy.

As a yet unknown, in front of a packed lecture theatre, Ricketts openly challenged Dr.Charles Tweed, the pre-eminent orthodontic specialist at the time, for spoiling peoples faces. Tweed asked Ricketts 'Why?' Amongst derisive shouts of 'put up or shut up' Ricketts answered, 'I don't know why, but I'll return next year and show you why I am right.' This brush with the establishment, was to be followed throughout his whole life with a relentless crusade to prove, through research, that he was right to challenge, what he described in a private communications as 'Fragile premises of unworthy authorities.'

...he waited-on in restaurants. As a keen sportsman he earned money as a football coach and also worked as a dancing coach. He entered dental school by saving every cent he could gather.

Ricketts was born in a log cabin in 1920 in Kokoma, Indiana into a hard working farming family. The depression of the late 20's devastated the family business. When the tractor broke and there was no money for repairs and the mule died, Robert and his younger brother harnessed themselves to the plough. Farming ceased when the tomato crop brought after a summer of hard labour, only $1 per ton. Ricketts left school and found work in meat markets as a porter and in a steel mill where he stacked bales of wire. In the evening he washed up and waited-on in restaurants. As a keen sportsman he earned money as a football coach and also worked as a dancing coach. He entered dental school by saving every cent he could gather. After graduation he served in the Navy as a dentist and was enrolled as a postgraduate orthodontic student under the auspices of Dr Brodie at Illinois, 1947. His enquiring mind led him immediately into research and his talents and hard work in this field were quickly recognised by Dr Downs who together with Cecil Steiner had developing the first (Steiner) Cephalometric analysis. Downs had a vision that one day facial growth prediction from Cephalometrics would help the profession to plan early intervention and prevention of malocclusion. He asked Ricketts to devote his time and energies to achieving this. Rickets never forgot this request.

Ricketts finally retired from orthodontic practice at the age of 72 and went to live in Scotsdale, Arizona. He continued to teach in the USA, Europe, Japan, India and Australia where he made many friends.

Ricketts was married twice and is survived by four children,Robin, Gale, Craig and Anastar. He will be sadly missed not only by his family, but by his many students throughout the world, particularly by the 'Foundation of Orthodontic Research', an organisation he founded, sustained and which gained a great following throughout his life.