Mike Petryk School of Dentistry honours a legacy of care and community service

(from left to right) President Bill Flanagan joined Bob, Mike, Pat and Susan Petryk for an event on Sept. 10 commemorating the naming of the Mike Petryk School of Dentistry. (Photo: Alex Pugliese)

Riding on horseback through Alberta winters to get to a one-room schoolhouse and finding ways to secure university prerequisites through correspondence courses, Mike Petryk understood that earning an education was worth every extra mile. 

“Even though my parents weren’t educated themselves, they knew that education is the way to go to improve your life,” Mike recalls.

That commitment to higher learning came full circle recently as Mike and his family donated $10 million to establish the Mike Petryk School of Dentistry. This gift from Mike, his wife, Pat, and their children Susan and Bob honours Mike’s long career as a dentist, along with his work ethic and values. And it’s something that is deeply meaningful to him personally.

“I get a lump in my throat,” says Mike. “It’s overwhelming and I feel very proud.”

“If there’s any way that we can help students to have a better life and be happy, that’s what we want, because we’ve just had a fabulous life,” adds Pat. 

The four Petryks came up with the idea of donating to the U of A together. At first they talked about setting up a student scholarship fund. But then they set their sights on making an even greater impact. Their $10-million gift is what’s known as an “undesignated” gift, which means it will be directed to wherever the need is greatest. 

The gift and name for the school were unveiled at an event in September 2024. Joining the Petryks to celebrate were U of A president Bill Flanagan, dean of the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry Brenda Hemmelgarn, students, faculty, alumni and all seven of Mike and Pat’s grandchildren, who travelled from Saskatchewan, Calgary and Boston to be there.

“Mike and Pat, your incredible gift will create an endowment that will grow and provide ongoing, long-term benefits, greatly enhancing dentistry activities and initiatives at the U of A,” Flanagan told the Petryks during the ceremony. “This generous investment will help the University of Alberta prepare future generations of dental care providers to meet the growing needs of communities.”

The newly named Mike Petryk School of Dentistry, named in gratitude for the family’s gift, will now build on its 100-year history of training a variety of oral health-care professionals, with a hands-on, team-based approach that allows students to offer more than 10,000 patient treatments every year. The school has partnered with the Métis Nation of Alberta on a student-led initiative called Access for All Dentistry, which offers oral health care free of charge to patients from Métis communities in and around Medicine Hat, Cold Lake and Lac La Biche. The Petryk endowment will also help the school meet its priority goal of providing more equitable dental care for children.

“The school has traditionally done a lot of pro bono work for city children who are underserved and we partner with various organizations to identify people in need,” explains Paul Major, professor and chair of the Department of Dentistry. “Donated funds help cover the cost of delivering care to those patients. It also meets an educational need for our students because they gain experience treating patients with a high burden of disease.”

Other priorities boosted by the Petryks’ gift could include funding graduate student stipends, supporting undergraduate students in need and funding faculty research on projects ranging from cancer to cardiovascular disease and craniofacial growth and development. 

Mike still recalls his journey – from growing up in a log house with no insulation, plumbing or electricity near Grassland, Alta., to the University of Alberta. 

Mike was the fourth of seven children, the first born in Canada. He was the first in the family to go to university, but he would not be the last. Dozens more family members have subsequently attended the U of A, including Mike’s younger siblings Harry, Sylvester and Nancy Petryk. Mike was also instrumental in inspiring and encouraging his sister-in-law Carol Winnick and nephew Steve Petryk to become dentists. 

Mike remembers that studying after school was an acceptable excuse to get out of farm chores, so he took his studies very seriously. “When we were in high school, the principal said, ‘They can take everything away from you, but they can’t take away your knowledge,’” Mike recalls.

A summer trip to the dentist inspired him to pursue dentistry as a profession, so he enrolled in science at the U of A. Though moving to the city from a farm led to some culture shock for Petryk, he persevered. And once they started learning the practical aspects of dentistry, Mike knew he had made the right choice. “I didn’t find it frightening because we were all together in the clinic.”

Petryk was grateful that his father was able to pay for his first year of tuition and rent, until he could make money by getting a summer job in forestry. In second year, Mike signed up with the Canadian military, which then paid for his university education in exchange for serving as a military dentist for a few years after graduation. He was posted as a captain to CFB Cold Lake to provide dental services to everyone on the base. 

It was there he met Pat Winnick, who was working as a teacher on the base. They noticed each other in the dining hall and Mike asked if she would like to be his square dance partner. She agreed right away. 

They have continued to dance throughout their lives together, even taking part in the opening ceremony for the Calgary ’88 Olympics as one of nearly 500 square dancing couples in McMahon Stadium.

Mike says he went to work with a smile on his face for more than 40 years, finally retiring at the age of 69.

Pat taught elementary school and home economics for a few years, until their children Susan and Robert (Bob) were born. The Petryks lived on Pat’s salary while investing Mike’s income into several real estate ventures. Petwin Properties , named by combining Mike’s and Pat’s surnames — Petryk and Winnick — started in 1968 with the purchase of a small apartment building. It has grown into a Calgary-based diversified private equity organization with properties in Canada and the United States, with their son Bob Petryk serving as president. 

“Petwin was a local Alberta startup that continues to expand with significant business interests across four provinces and several U.S. states,” says Bob. “Yet over 57 years of rapid growth, the original source of Petwin’s equity capital was Mike’s dental practice.”

Already, U of A dental students are feeling inspired and supported by Mike Petryk’s life work and by the family’s gift. 

“Thank you for believing in our school and for investing in the future of students like myself,” Josh Benner, president of the Dental Students’ Association, told the family during the gift celebration. “Your commitment to excellence in dental education, research and patient care will allow future generations to build on the strong foundation on which the school stands today.”