GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Longwood, Fla., entrepreneur Edward T. Quinn has made a $2 million gift to the University of Florida College of Dentistry in honor of M. Franklin Dolwick, a UF professor of oral and maxillofacial surgery.
The gift will create the M. Franklin Dolwick University Chair and is eligible to receive dollar-for-dollar matching funds from the state of Florida Trust Fund for Major Gifts. The permanently endowed chair is the largest ever established within the college, and is one of a handful funded at this level universitywide.
“Dr. Dolwick has dedicated his life to this profession and to his patients,” Quinn said. “I was his patient also, and how he treated me, and all of his patients, became the driving force behind my desire to honor him in this way. It is important to me.”
The M. Franklin Dolwick University Chair will support a permanent faculty position held by an oral and maxillofacial surgeon, appointed by the dean of the College of Dentistry, with an academic rank of associate or full professor.
M. Franklin Dolwick is a pioneering surgeon in the development of temporomandibular joint diagnostic and surgical procedures. His research on TMJ disorders garnered the prestigious Research Recognition Award from the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons in 1993. Dolwick is internationally recognized as an outstanding educator, scientist and clinician. The gift honors his 35-year career as an oral and maxillofacial surgeon, 22 years of which have been invested in resident education and patient care at the University of Florida.
“I am honored but at the same time humbled by Mr. Quinn’s generosity,” Dolwick said. “His gift will assure oral and maxillofacial surgery at the University of Florida remains a leader in resident education and patient care.”