New dentist joins Johnson's practice

By COBY LaRUE
Staff

Sparta has a new dentist in town. Dr. Thomas Edward "Ted" Fleming is the working associate at the office of Dr. Terry Johnson.

A recent graduate from the dental school at UNC-Chapel Hill, Fleming has been working in Sparta for a month. His wife, Dr. Anita Fleming, is also a new addition to the Alleghany Memorial Hospital staff as a clinical pharmacist.

They moved here two months ago along with their six-month-old daughter, Ashleigh.

When asked why he wanted to come here, Dr. Fleming said that he prefers small town life and friendly faces.

"I like small towns," he said. "I moved here because I wanted a good place to raise my daughter.

"I like living in a place where I am not just another face in the crowd," he added.

He bought a house here in Sparta, and plans to be here for quite a while. "I know a lot of working associates who are renting so that they can break ties and leave. But I don't want to leave."

New Faces - Pictured above are Dr. Ted Fleming and his wife Anita with
their daughter Ashleigh.

Fleming spent most of his younger years on the east coast of the United States, moving to the mountains of Pennsylvania later on. He attended college at UNC-Greensboro, and graduated in 1994. After restoring British cars for two and a half years, he was inspired by his cousin to enter dental school. He applied at UNC-Chapel Hill and was accepted.

After graduating, he worked for a month at the Cherry Point Marine base. Fleming came to Alleghany after the county launched a search for a new dentist.

His wife graduated with a doctorate in Pharmacy from UNC-Greensboro in 1999 and has worked at Duke University.

"I met my wife on a blind date ten years ago," Fleming said. "So, we're old sweethearts."

As a hobby, Fleming restores old cars and flies model airplanes.

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