Pi Kappa Alpha - University of Texas

3 www.texaspikes.com K eith Novy, D.D.S. '82 is an Austin-area general dentist serving patients in Austin, West Lake Hills and Lake Travis. He began his dental career in the Air Force medical branch in 1990, attaining the rank of major, before locating to Austin to open his practice in 1997. Keith is originally from Longview, and he served as East Texas rush chairman during his years with Pike. Keith and his wife, Laura (Baylor University, Kappa Kappa Gamma), have been mar- ried for 17 years and have two sons, Ben (15, a freshman at Regents School) and Drew (9, a third grader at Lake Pointe Elementary School). Keith enjoys golf, and the Novys like to travel when not busy attending and coaching their sons' many sports activities. The family enjoys down time at a Lake Marble Falls retreat. Keith can be reached at knovydds@gmail.com. Q: How did Pike influence you and what advice do you have for today's Pikes in school and planning careers? Keith: Coming from a small town in East Texas, the enormity of the U.T. campus could be a little overwhelming. The fraternity filled the need of a small, close-knit group identity that I was used to and very much needed at that time. My closest friends and most enjoyable memo- ries from college are all centered around Pike. My advice for today's Pike students is please use every opportunity to shadow profession- als in the field where your interests lie. These hands-on experiences, internships or summer jobs can be invaluable in giving one insight into the career path that they are contemplating. Sometimes the day-to-day activities are markedly different from an outsider's perception. Q: Which Pikes do you remain in touch with today? Keith: A core group of our pledge class (Superman) gets together for fairly frequent reunions. We enjoy meeting for Longhorn football games, at home and away, and golf weekends. I often see pledge broth- ers Steve Glasgow '82, Jeff Kocurek '82 and Jim Sharman '82, as well as Joe Mooney '83. I see numerous Pikes professionally as well. Q: Tell us about your education and training. Keith: BBA, U.T.-Austin 1985; DDS, Baylor College of Dentistry 1989. Proudly served in United States Air Force 1990-1997, attaining rank of major. Q: What led or motivated you to your dental career? Keith: I was motivated by our family's childhood dentist, who was a good family friend and is still practicing after 50 years. I have always been drawn to the sciences. Dentistry is a neat com- bination of clinical prac- tice, business management (my degree), psychology and one-on-one personal communication and inter- action. I've enjoyed my practice and patients thor- oughly over the years Jeffrey Kocurek '82 Dr. Keith Novy '82, Austin/ Westlake Hills dentist, and family. Alumni Spotlight: Pikes in Medicine J eff Kocurek, M.D. '82 is a urologist in Austin. Jeff began his private practice in 1997 and, after several mergers of practices in 2008, is a partner and has served five years on the executive committee of Urology Austin, a large specialty practice serving Austin and Central Texas. Jeff and his wife, Dana (Southern Methodist University, B.A. and J.D., Delta Delta Delta), have been married for 19 years and have three children: Cole (16, a sophomore and fourth-generation Kocurek at Stephen F. Austin High), Clayton (14, eighth grader at O'Henry Middle School), and Melanie (11, fifth grader at Casis Elementary). The Kocureks attend Tarrytown United Methodist Church and stay busy with their sons' baseball interests—Jeff has coached in Little League for seven years— and daughter's gymnastics. A native Austinite, Jeff has long been involved in Austin's civic and cultural life of the city. His father, the late Neal Kocurek, Ph.D. '55, was also a Beta Mu Pike. Jeff can be reached at jeffrey.kocurek@urologyaustin.com. Q: How did Pike influence you and what advice do you have for today's Pikes in school and planning careers? Jeff: During my four years at the Pike house, I made lifelong friends, whom I know I can count on if ever I need to. My advice for the under- graduates today: know that you will look back at college as four of the best years of your lives. I'd suggest that becoming exposed to as many career opportunities as you can prior to deciding on what you'll likely do for many years to come. Technology is changing daily, and many jobs will become obsolete in a short time. Plus, life is much better if you really love your job and profession. Q: Which Pikes do you remain in touch with today? Jeff: I was part of a great group of guys who made up the fall 1982 Superman pledge class. I see my pledge brothers Steve Glasgow '82 and Keith Novy '92 with some frequency, and I see Robert Howden '80 and Russ Keene '80 around our neighborhood. Q: Tell us about your education and training. Jeff: I received a BBA, U.T.–Austin, 1985; M.D., U.T. Medical Branch Galveston, 1991; as well as Urology Residency at U.T. Medical Branch Galveston, 1991-1997. Q: What led or motivated you to your medical career? Jeff: A family friend who was a urologist introduced me to medicine and then urology. I became his partner at Urology Specialists of Austin after residency. As a practitioner, the field presents a challenging mix of medicine and surgery. Many urologic issues (including malignan- cies) are curable or treatable. The ever-changing business of medicine has allowed me to uti- lize my undergraduate business degree. I'm very involved in the profession and am a past president and served for 10 years on the executive committee of The Texas Urological Society. I've also served on the Travis County Medical Society's Ethic Committee. Dr. Jeff Kocurek '82, Austin urologist, and family. Pi Kappa Alpha

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