Superintendent's death shocks community

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By Sheena Dooley | Thursday, July 03, 2008 |

North Scott Superintendent Tim Dose died Tuesday, he was 53. (CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)

Members of the North Scott community were still reeling Wednesday from the news of Superintendent Tim Dose’s unexpected death, saying they would pull together to get through it.

Dose was taken to Genesis Medical Center, East Rusholme Street, Davenport, on Tuesday afternoon after he stopped breathing during a dental procedure at Spring Park Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons, 5345 Spring St., Davenport. He had gone to have a wisdom tooth removed and was given an anesthetic, which he didn’t wake up from.

According to Davenport Police Department logs, someone at Spring Park Oral &

Maxillofacial Surgeons placed a 911 call at 2:49 p.m., saying a patient under anesthesia had stopped breathing. Dose’s wife, Sandy Dose, said that after he received the anesthetic, his throat closed up and he was given a tracheotomy. His heart stopped after he was taken away in the ambulance, she said.

It is unclear what caused him to stop breathing and an autopsy is being performed, Sandy Dose said. She thinks he was given the same type of anesthetic for previous procedures and did not have any sort of reaction to it.

“He was such a wonderful person and fantastic husband,” Sandy Dose said. “He loved his kids and the kids in the school … We are hanging in there. We just have to take it one day at a time and keep going. It’s so unfair, and it’s so shocking. We are just trying to come to grips with that. It’s going to take some time.”

Cathy Wannemacher, business manager at Spring Park Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons, declined to comment specifically on what happened but released the following statement:

“The doctors and staff of Spring Park Oral Surgeons extend their deepest sympathy to the family of Dr. Timothy Dose. We are among those who mourn the loss of a man who meant so much to so many. You are in our thoughts and prayers.”

A somber mood greeted people Wednesday at the district’s administration center and North Scott High School, where staff said they were in shock and saddened by the sudden loss of a person they described as great leader. Many declined to talk about what they were going through, the news still too fresh.

Administrators from North Scott’s high school, junior high and five elementary schools met behind closed doors with school board president Rex Masterson and board member Paul Dierickx. They discussed how the district will move forward with its day-to-day business without a superintendent.

In the immediate future, the board will focus its efforts on helping Dose’s family get through their loss. Board members are looking at possibly holding a special meeting next week to discuss their next steps, said North Scott High School principal Mike Zimmer, who was at the meeting.

“The beauty of the way the system works is that there isn’t a single individual that is driving everything,” Zimmer said. “All of our achievement goals are well established by the board and implemented with the guidance of the superintendent. Everyone has their marching orders and knows what direction to go in. That can last for awhile, but eventually that direction (of a superintendent) is needed.”

Across the administration center’s parking lot, there were other signs of school business continuing as usual, as the North Scott freshman baseball team played and parents filled the stands. Some said they had heard the news Tuesday.

“I don’t think it’s sunk in yet,” said Lora Dierickx, a Long Grove resident who has three children in the district. “It’s hard to believe. He was a good leader who tried to be open to other people’s views.”

The 3,000-student district lost its leader at a time when it was already going through some transitions, parents and staff said. North Scott High School recently hired a new principal and associate principal and will have to find replacements for several guidance counselors who resigned this year.

“Everyone is pretty shocked,” said Julie Isely, a Park View resident with two children in North Scott schools. “The district is going through a lot of change right now. But everyone will come together and get the best plan for the district.”

Sheena Dooley can be contacted at (563) 383-2363 or sdooley@qctimes.com.

Doctors: Death related to anesthesia highly unusual

The death of North Scott School District Superintendent Tim Dose while under anesthesia was a rare event that should not worry patients facing dental surgery, a national expert said Wednesday.

“These things happen with exceedingly rare frequency,” said Dr. Andrew Herlich, an anesthesiologist and dentist from Pittsburgh. “More than likely, there was something else going on that we don’t know. But dental patients should have no fear about getting necessary treatment when appropriate.”

Dose, 53, died Tuesday after being given anesthesia for the removal of a wisdom tooth. He had been superintendent of the North Scott district, based in Eldridge, Iowa, since 2001.

Herlich, who teaches courses on anesthesiology to dental surgeons from Iowa and other states, said such specialists are well-trained. Dose may have had a medical condition that was not evident before undergoing the procedure, he said.

Dr. Don Normoyle, an anesthesiologist at Trinity Medical Center’s three Quad-City hospitals, rates the risk of death for those who appear to be healthy and receive anesthesia before surgery as 1 in 250,000, or even 1 in 500,000.

“It’s a very minimal risk, but it does happen,” he said.

Normoyle suggests that patients question the anesthesiologist if they have any concerns.

“We’re happy to answer questions, and it helps us take better care of the patients,” he added.

— Deirdre Cox Baker