1969-1971 » College of Dentistry » University of Florida

1949-1968 | 1969-1971 | 1976-1990 | 1991-2004 | 2005-Present

1969

March

First annual Alachua County Dental Profession Day

Building on its statewide continuing education program, the college hosted its first local clinical conference in partnership with the Alachua County Dental Society.

Local practitioners joined dental leaders Drs. Edd C. Chittum and Jack L. Giles and UF pioneers Drs. José Medina, William Collett and Harold Stanley to explore new clinical techniques, advanced equipment and the growing role of oral medicine in total patient care.

Spring

Black-and-white professional portrait of Dr. Robert L. Kaplan in a suit and tie, with a handwritten text-style display of his name adjacent to the photograph.

Dental Advisory Committee formed

Under the chairmanship of Robert L. Kaplan of Miami, D.D.S., a Dental Advisory Committee of fourteen Florida dentists was officially appointed by University of Florida President J. Wayne Reitz.

Its charge was to work with university officials to design facilities and curricula that aligned with the practical oral health needs of Florida’s communities.

Committee members included Drs. Joe A. Sain, Jack K. Whitman, Charles W. Fain Jr., Paul C. Hawkins, Leslie B. Bell, Benford L. Samuels, John A. Stewart, J. Leon Schwartz, Louis J. Atkins, Peter E. Dawson, Curtis A. Haggard, Robert B. Hughlett and Wallace C. Mayo.

June

1969 newspaper article announcing four new University of Florida College of Dentistry faculty members, accompanied by four portrait photographs and summaries of each appointee’s qualifications and positions.

Departmental blueprint begins to solidify

Dean Ackell initiates momentum on an academic recruitment campaign, bringing in nationally recognized dental medicine educators to chair the college’s newly formed divisions:

Dr. Robert E. Going (Biomaterials), Dr. John F. Bowman (Prosthodontics), Dr. David A. Grainger (Operative Dentistry) and Dr. Richard S. Mackenzie (Office of Dental Education).

July

Vintage photograph of Dean Edmund Ackell and his predecessor, Dr. Jose Medine, dressed in suites, sitting in arms chairs conversing.

Transitions in leadership

A major administrative shift occurs as founding Dean Dr. Edmund F. Ackell is appointed Provost of the J. Hillis Miller Health Center, effective July 1.

Ten days later, on July 11, the Board of Regents appoints Dr. José E. Medina as the college’s second dean, a promotion from associate dean. His initial leadership focus would be on curriculum planning and physical development of the college.

November

Newspaper graphic showing an aerial view of the University of Florida Health Center with the headline “Amendment Means Doubled Expansion for Health Center,” highlighting funding for expanded medical and dental facilities.

Voters save Project I

A $19.7 million federal construction grant for the dental school hung in the balance after the Florida Legislature failed to provide matching funds.

Voters stepped in, approving a $35 million higher education bond program that included $12.5 million for the University of Florida. The measure satisfied the federal requirement and cleared the way for construction of the College of Dentistry.

Faculty roster continues to be fleshed out

Freshly transitioned into his role, Dean José E. Medina established a cornerstone for the college’s social mission by appointing Quentin M. Smith, D.D.S., M.P.H. as professor and chair of the Department of Community Dentistry. Taking effect on October 1, 1969, Smith was brought on as the chief planner for the college’s community-focused educational and service initiatives.

Dr. Quentin M. Smith seated in his office, wearing a white professional coat, with bookshelves and a desk visible in the background.

His executive background as Associate Regional Health Director for the U.S. Public Health Service equipped the college with high-level federal administrative experience and board-certified dental public health expertise. As a widely published national leader in health manpower and policy, he helped refine UFCD’s strategic vision to align dental education with pressing socio-economic and community health needs.

Medina recruited Smith specifically to build a modern community dentistry program from the ground up that would orient future dentists toward societal needs. In announcing the appointment, Dean Medina stated:

“We are very fortunate that Dr. Smith has accepted the appointment as the chief planner of our community dentistry programs,” Medina said. “His broad experience and his impressive career in public health, particularly as it relates to dental health; his awareness of the dental profession’s responsibilities in community problems, as well as his awareness of the need to make future dentists conscious of the socio-economic problems of society, make him an ideal addition to our faculty.”

In November 1969, the college announced the appointment of three more accomplished educators to its fledging faculty: endodontist Dr. John F. Bucher, histology researcher Dr. Werner Fischlschweiger and periodontist Dr. O. Walter Donnenfield.

Stylized archival newspaper clipping from the Gainesville Sun announcing three new faculty appointments to the University of Florida College of Dentistry, featuring article text and portrait photographs of Dr. John F. Bucher, Dr. Werner Fischlschweiger, and Dr. O. Walter Donnenfield.

Recruited from leading academic and professional positions across the United States and abroad, the three men brought expertise in clinical dentistry, dental research and dental education as the college continued building its inaugural academic programs and faculty ranks.

Archival yearbook image of Dr. John F. Bucher adjusting a dental clinic lamp, wearing a whitecoat. — Dr. John Bucher

Archival yearbook photo of Dr. Werner Fischlschweiger standing in an office doorway near a bookshelf, wearing whitecoat. — Dr. Werner Fischlschweiger

1970

NIH funds released

Sent by U.S. Senator Edward Gurney on January 29, this wire officially released the $19,729,147 federal NIH construction grant. Paired with $12.5 million in matching state funds secured by Florida voters at the ballot box, this historic funding established a $33 million budget to double the Health Center's capacity and lay the physical foundation for Gator Dentistry.

January 31, 1970, St. Petersburg Times clipping announcing federal funding for the proposed University of Florida College of Dentistry and J. Hillis Miller Health Center expansion, accompanied by an architectural rendering of the complex.

“…the largest amount ever awarded for a new dental school” — then Medical Center Provost Edmund Ackell told the Gainesville Sun (NIH Grant Paves the Way for State’s 1st Dental School)

April 1970 newspaper article titled “Cost of Health Center Expansion Zooms,” reporting increased costs and funding challenges for the University of Florida Health Center and planned College of Dentistry expansion. — Tampa Bay Times, April 7 1970

Securing the construction budget

Before construction bids could be advertised, soaring construction costs eroded the purchasing power of the newly secured budget.

According to an April 7 Tampa Bay Times article titled “Cost of Health Center Expansion Zooms,” three years of rising construction costs threatened to push the project $5 million over its original $33.3 million budget, forcing administrators to find immediate cost-saving measures to prevent “gutting” the design.

The Regents who helped save Project I budget

The Florida Board of Regents was the state governing board responsible for approving major administrative decisions, allocating funding and overseeing the growth of Florida’s public universities, including the University of Florida and its J. Hillis Miller Health Center.

With nearly $20 million in federal funding at risk, the Board of Regents approved a temporary transfer of approximately $3 million from equipment funds to the construction budget, keeping the dental school project on schedule and open for bids.

Federal officials agreed on the condition that the money be restored. In June 1970, the Florida Legislature appropriated $3 million for equipment, permanently resolving the funding gap.

Aug. 1, 1970

Allen joins UFCD

Don Allen, D.D.S., was recruited from the University of North Carolina School of Dentistry, where he had been serving as a professor and associate dean for administrative affairs.

Upon arriving at UFCD, Allen also assumed the role of chair of the Curriculum Planning Committee. In this capacity, he worked alongside Dean José Medina to design and implement the college's original competency-based modular curriculum.

“…He has demonstrated leadership in developing total dental education programs at the University of North Carolina School of Dentistry — programs which orient the student to the concept of comprehensive health care and to the role of the dentist in this care as well as developing appreciation for dental research, hospital dentistry and community dentistry.” — then Dean Jose Medina told the Burlington Daily Times (July 13, 1970)

Spring 1971

On Thursday, January 21, university officials, contractors and local legislators gathered in the Medical Sciences Auditorium for the public opening of the construction bids for Project I. As the largest single construction contract in the history of Florida’s state university system to date, the stakes were incredibly high.

Clipping from a January 1971 newspaper headline reading, “UF Health Center Bids Exceed Available Funds,” with a subheading stating costs were more than $7 million over budget. — January 22 | The Tampa Tribune

The J. Hillis Miller Health Center expansion had a total allocated budget of $33.4 million, consisting of the hard-won $19.7 million NIH grant and $13.7 million in state higher education bond revenues. Of this total, only $30,017,965 was allocated for actual physical construction of the base building. Four construction firms had entered bids, and every single one far exceeded the state’s budget.

When factoring in the estimated $5.4 million needed for the steam and utility plant extensions, the total project deficit ballooned to $8.9 million over budget.

“This necessitated redesign of the building and renegotiation with the low bid firm,” Don Allen later wrote in the ‘Dental Education’ chapter of One Hundred Years of Dentistry in Florida (1983). “The Board of Regents approved transfer of 4.7 million dollars from other higher education building projects to make up the shortfall. The bid was awarded to the J. A. Jones Construction Company of Tampa.”

Groundbreaking for Project I

May 22, 1971

Edmund Ackell (far left) and Jose Medina (second from right) join three colleagues wearing hard hats and holding ceremonial shovels during the Project I groundbreaking ceremony at the University of Florida College of Dentistry. — Edmund Ackell (far left) & Jose Medina (second from right) pictured at Project I Groundbreaking

“…The staccato sounds of ground-digging, pipe-fitting and earth-moving equipment envelop the campus of the health center’s college of dentistry’s 11-story structure on the west side. A tower will provide outpatient dental clinics, dental operatories, faculty offices and student classrooms. A five-level Communicore building on the north side will offer a modern library to serve the entire center… Target completion date is 1974.” — Times Union & Journal (May 23, 1971)

“During the morning ceremonies, attended by some 150, Gov. Askew referred to the health center project as one of the several major efforts to help bring Florida up to the national average in production of physicians and dentists,” — Tampa Tribune (May 23, 1971)

Front page of the May 23, 1971, Times-Union & Journal featuring the headline “Askew Leads Dental College Groundbreaking,” with a photograph of officials participating in the University of Florida College of Dentistry Project I groundbreaking ceremony and an accompanying news article about the project.

Graphic featuring a historic groundbreaking photo and the quote, “Florida Governor turns over the first shovel of dirt,” referring to Gov. Reubin Askew's participation in the UF College of Dentistry Project I groundbreaking ceremony.

“The focus on these news efforts is centered here in the start of this giant $37 million expansion of the health center — a project which will enable us to open Florida’s first College of Dentistry… The construction of facilities such as we are starting here today will make Florida less dependent upon other states for its future supplies of doctors, dentists and other highly skilled professional personnel,” said then Florida Governor Reubin Askew in a groundbreaking speech. “I am privileged and honored to participate in this groundbreaking for a facility which will provide such a strong base for the future health and happiness of the people of Florida.”

Newspaper-style graphic from the UF College of Dentistry Project I groundbreaking coverage featuring portraits of Dr. Russell Poor and University of Florida President Stephen C. O'Connell alongside quotations about the importance of people, planning, and the project's completion.

Group portrait of the University of Florida College of Dentistry's early faculty members gathered outdoors during the Project I groundbreaking era, documenting the academic team responsible for establishing the college's educational, research, and clinical programs. — **UFCD’s early faculty at the time of groundbreaking** (May, 1971), *pictured left to right*: Drs. — John Bowman, Quentin Smith, Robert Going, Harold Stanley, John Chellemi, Don Allen, David Grainger, Jose Medina, Werner Fischlsweiger, Bruce Bell, Keith Kreuziger, Richard MacKenzie, Walter Donnenfeld, Jack Bucher and William Collett.

Summer & Fall, 1971

Still operating out of temporary spaces while its permanent 11-story facility was under construction, and a year away from welcoming its inaugural student class in September 1972, the nascent UF College of Dentistry was “anything but lazy” during the months following its historic groundbreaking ceremony.

College leaders and early faculty aggressively recruited top dental specialists and academics, conducted pioneering research and clinical initiatives, delivered statewide continuing education to thousands of practicing professionals, and continued to secure key community and financial backing across Florida.

Giants of the field come to lead and teach at UFCD

Dean José E. Medina led the faculty recruitment drive and departmental blueprint development during the summer and fall of 1971. His vision was to build an institution focused on preventive care, specialized clinical training, community outreach and modern educational methodologies. To accomplish this, UFCD targeted seasoned educators, military/government leaders and top researchers from major institutions across the country.

Basic Dental Sciences

Parker Mahan | D.D.S., Ph.D.

Appointed professor and chairman of the Department of Basic Dental Sciences, Mahan came from Emory University’s dental school, where he served as a member and former chairman of the ADA Council on Dental Research.

He was tasked with crafting flexible clinical instruction in basic biological sciences, and during the summer of 1971 actively assisted modular curriculum design teams and student orientation planning.

Archival two-photo collage of Dr. Parker Mahan, shown providing clinical instruction to a seated patient and participating in a discussion in a professional setting.

Fixed Prosthodontics

Harry Lundeen | D.D.S.

Lundeen arrived in July 1971 from the University of Kentucky College of Dentistry to serve as professor in the Division of Fixed Prosthodontics and director of occlusion.

A national authority in occlusion, he brought deep expertise to UFCD’s clinical curriculum — having presented more than 130 scientific courses and authored three textbooks and 15-plus publications.

Archival two-photo collage of Dr. Harry Lundeen, shown providing clinical instruction to a dental student and patient and wearing a head-mounted examination device in a close-up portrait.

Oral Pathology

Ronald Baughman | D.D.S., M.S.D.

A UF undergraduate alumnus, Baughman was named assistant professor in the Division of Oral Pathology after serving at the Medical University of South Carolina.

He established UFCD’s Forensic Odontology Consultation Service to support Florida law enforcement agencies in victim identification and bite-mark analysis.

Archival collage of Dr. Ronald Baughman in professional settings, including laboratory and office environments, reviewing materials and participating in academic work.

Oral Diagnosis

Thomas Fast | D.D.S., M.S.D.

Named professor and chairman of the Division of Oral Diagnosis, Fast was recruited from the Indiana University School of Dentistry.

He built the oral diagnosis curriculum and simultaneously served as a consultant in oral medicine for the U.S. Army at Fort Benjamin Harrison.

Archival collage depicting Dr. Thomas Fast engaged in teaching and administrative work, including interacting with students in a clinic and reviewing materials in an office.

Community Dentistry

Stanley Lotzkar | D.D.S., M.P.H.

A diplomate of the American Board of Dental Public Health, fellow of the American College of Dentists and member of the American Public Health Association, Lotzkar was named associate professor and chairman of the Division of Special Services within the Department of Community Dentistry.

He joined UFCD after a 21-year career with the U.S. Public Health Service, including service as associate director for operations at the NIH Division of Dental Health.

Lotzkar was charged with developing a curriculum for teaching care of special patients and establishing extramural community clinical programs for dental students.

Archival collage depicting Dr. Stanley Lotzkar engaged in administrative and research activities, including desk work, office discussions, and laboratory observation through a microscope.

Removable Prosthodontics

Davis Henderson | D.D.S.

A diplomate of the American Board of Prosthodontics, Henderson was recruited from the University of Kentucky to serve as professor and chairman of the Division of Removable Partial Prosthodontics.

He brought a seasoned research perspective to the college, with more than 60 paper presentations, 20 publications and an active five-year U.S. Public Health Service grant evaluating patient response to variations in denture technique.

Archival three-photo collage of Dr. Davis Henderson wearing a white laboratory coat, shown teaching in a clinic, examining a seated patient, and reviewing materials in an office setting.

Public Health Dentistry & Histopathology

Norman Harris | D.D.S., M.S.D.

Harris joined as a visiting professor while on a one-year sabbatical leave from the University of Puerto Rico School of Dentistry, where he chaired the Department of Histopathology.

He brought extensive international experience in public health dentistry and research administration, having served as a U.N. dental regional representative in China and director of research activities at the University of Puerto Rico.

Archival black-and-white photograph of Dr. Norman Harris wearing a white laboratory coat and glasses, adjusting a necktie while standing indoors.

Pre- & Inter-Professsional Education

James Deyrup | Ph.D.

Deyrup was appointed assistant dean for preprofessional education in the Colleges of Medicine and Dentistry, retaining his associate professorship in chemistry.

He was charged with coordinating joint academic programs and expanding preprofessional advising across the Colleges of Arts and Sciences, Medicine and Dentistry.