(Editor's Note: Jerry Robinson was thinking about dentists this week.)

Meet "Ike" Smyth

He lives in Rainier Beach but he comes to the Elks Club in Burien once a month on Saturdays just to dance. Yes, he is no spring chicken but being 83 doesn't keep him off the dance floor.

He does best on swing music like Glen Miller and Tommy Dorsey but he also does the polka-the slower version.

He knows the territory out here, too. As a youngster he once went to a dance in White Center and met the attractive young daughter of White Center's pioneer dentist Dr Harold Secker.

He was entranced by her but it was not to be.

Secker's daughter ended up with someone else and Ike later married another beauty and became the loving father of four children.

What happened to Secker? He retired in 1954 to go salmon fishing.

Doctor Secker was also my dentist and one day he told me this story.

In the forties he loved to fish for salmon at Neah Bay and in those days to get there you had to pass through downtown Sequim, which had only one traffic cop who drove a battered police car.

Secker always drove a big Cadillac-at high speed. At three in the morning he would burst through the sleepy town at 75 or 80 and sure enough the cop would take off after him. Of course his ancient flivver was no match for Secker in his high-powered machine and after a dozen miles he always gave up. The good doctor never got a ticket but he did catch a lot of salmon and probably more than a few cusswords.

Jeanne Fazio Sweeney, my former editor, met Doc Secker once.

She was 13 and fell off the back steps of her house in Roxhill and split a finger open. So her Papa took her to see the only doctor he knew, a drinking buddy, Harold Secker.

The dentist sewed up the finger good as new except that he sewed it back crooked.

Jeanne told me this story last week and held up her hand. Sure enough, her middle finger points off toward the west while the others point east.

Sorry. Back to Ike.

This dancing star made his living as a journeyman electrician till he retired but he still gives off a few sparks when he does the jitterbug.

Meet Joe Grillo

He lives in Gregory Heights and was perhaps your kid's dentist before he retired. Now in his seventies he keeps in shape playing pickle ball. This is like real tennis but in a smaller court and he has one in his yard.

I spotted him at the Olde Burien whoop de do. He was enjoying the racket from a boom boom band. I was seated on a bench between Elsbeth and Ted Fosberg in front of the ice cream store.

I mentioned that Bob del Bianco has a pickle ball court in his yard in Fenton Wood. He plays it any time he can find a pigeon and he is not busy selling somebody a house. Joe will call him.

Amazingly Ted's kids used to swim at the Gregory Heights pool with the Grillo kids. Parties like the Olde Burien celebration are fun because they bring old friends together.