BY HEATHER CLEMENT
Clarkston News Staff Writer
Becoming part of the Clarkston community was a natural step for two native-born doctors.
Dr. Charles (Charlie) W. Munk, 31, D.D.S., orthodontic specialist, and Dr. Timothy O’Neill, 29, D.O., doctor of osteopathic medicine, said they grew up with the best role models ? their fathers.
Munk and O’Neill said they became friends in junior high school, but knew each other all their lives. Their parents became good friends in 1960 when Dr. Charles F. Munk, Sr. sought out Dr. James O’Neill’s advice about setting up a business in Clarkston. Dr. Munk moved his office next to Dr. O’Neill and their friendship flourished.
‘My dad came here and met with Dr. O’Neill and he gave him lots of support. Our dads have been friends for longer than I can remember,? said Munk.
Munk and O’Neill live within two miles of where they grew up: Munk growing up on Cranberry Lake and O’Neill on Holcomb Road.
The pair recall spending time at their fathers? offices after school. O’Neill said he would feed the fish in the tank in the lobby, and they both restocked supplies and stacked magazines.
‘I would describe it as a typical Norman Rockwell childhood. We would stop by our fathers? offices on the way home from school and do odd jobs for them,? said O’Neill. He recalls spending his days doing chores around the family beef ranch, baling hay and feeding the animals.
Both men graduated from Clarkston High School in 1993 and earned undergraduate degrees from Michigan State University in 1997, but were not roommates at college.
Munk attended the University of Michigan School of Dentistry and University of Detroit Mercy for orthodontics. He said he spent a third of his life studying, but ‘blasted through college.? He began practicing full time two years ago.
‘What I bring to the business is all the latest technology. The computer software that we use for diagnosis, the x-rays can now show predictions of how the teeth will grow. It really enhances our ability to diagnose a patient,? said Munk.
Munk chose to go into dentistry because of his love for science. He said there is a lot of pride in seeing the confidence level of the patient improve from straightening their smile. Going into business with his father was a natural move since he was raised in the business.
‘You can learn so much from your father and he can learn so much from you. We are colleges, we feed off each other,? said Munk.
Munk remembers being one of the first kids in Michigan to have gold braces during junior high.
‘My father was experimenting and thought it would be a good thing to try them out on me,? said Munk.
O’Neill wore braces for 18 months at age 27 because of a bite shift. Munk was his dentist. One day during a checkup, Dr. Munks? office ‘conspired? to put hot pink bands on O’Neill’s braces just before he went to play softball against the Clarkston Fire Department at Clintonwood Park.
‘We were hoping he would not notice them until after the weekend started so he would have to go the whole weekend with them, but he noticed to quickly,? said Munk.
O’Neill later treated Munk for a bad case of flu, and in retailiation, gave him a shot for dehydration instead of the traditional I.V.
‘What goes around comes around,? said O’Neill.
O’Neill married Holly-native Gretchen Gahman, 30, in 1999. He is currently in his last year of residency at Genysis Regional Medical Center in Grand Blanc. He also works more than 50 hours a month at his father’s practice.
O’Neill attended Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine and started his residency there. He practiced in 12 hospitals in six states.
O’Neill said every hospital had something different. He said there are different types of ailments in different parts of the country, and treated a wide range of ailments from whopping cough to Scorpion bites.
Working with his father, O’Neill is learning a great deal.
‘My father has been around and seen everything, but I’ve learned all the newer treatments and newest diagnosis,? said O’Neill, ‘But as far as diagnosis he’s seen everything before, I just may have learned another way of treating it. My generation uses antibiotics a lot less. We let the body heal itself and intervene where you need too. I also do spinal manipulation.
‘I know it is really interesting for me. We run cases off each other. It does create a whole different relationship to see a patient, treat them and then get to see the outcome and take pride in it,? added O’Neill.
Both Munk and O’Neill are outdoors men. They like to camp, fish, hike and scuba dive, although Munk says he is not a hunter like his father.
‘We have done a lot of traveling. We have been fortunate that way. My dad and I have gone on a ton of fishing trips,? said Munk.
‘We have both worked hard to get what we have. At the same time, we are very fortunate to have fathers who taught us to work hard, be involved in the community and to care for people. When you have someone to follow it makes it easier,? said O’Neill.
‘We really had the best role models anybody could ask for to pursue our careers,? said Munk.
Munk and O’Neill spent a lot of time traveling with their families and on their own, and chose Clarkston as their home. O’Neill said that living out West lacked a sense of community.
‘It is great to come back home, this is home,? said O’Neill. ‘It is wonderful to be able to give back to the community you grew up in.?
‘I can remember in college when Tim and I would hang out and occasionally joke around about how we were going to come back to Clarkston and have practices right next to each other. It seemed like a joke at the time, but here we are. We can look back and laugh on that,? concluded Munk.

Photos by Heather
Dr. Timothy O’Neill and Dr. Charles F. Munk confer with each other in front of the bear in the Drs. Munk office. Dr. Munk Sr. killed the bear in 1979, after it attacked his friend. Munk carried his friend 12 miles out of the woods.

Dr. Checks his work.
Dr. Charles F. Munk checks his orthodontic work on patient Dr. Timothy O’Neill.

Drs on stairs
Clarkston natives Dr. Charles F. Munk on left and Dr. Timothy O’Neill are second generation Clarkston business owners.