University of Maryland Baltimore Dental School - Mirror Yearbook (Baltimore, MD)

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MIRgQfe I T. Kennedy of Massachusetts crystallized the sentiment of the entire student body when he rubbed his hands together and exclaimed in paraphrase of the long- used slogan. The Baltimore College of Dental Surgery — the oldest and for many vears the coldest Dental College in the world ! Those days happily are passed, but the humorous paraphrase did duty and maybe helped to keep the fires burning brighter — who knows — as long as the school remained in the old building. When the United States engaged in the late war many graduates of this school entered the service in the dental dpartment of the army, and many of the students here were members of the Student Army Training Corps. Dr. B. Lucien Brun, B. C. D. S. 1905, went abroad with the Johns Hopkins unit at the very beginning of the participation of the United States in hostilities, and was the first American dentist in the field. He was one of only two dentists in the active service abroad to rise to the rank of Major — the reward of sheer merit — an honor alike ! o his College and to his country. It is a matter of great pride, too, to every lover of this Mother of Dental Colleges that two of her graduates, Dr. John R. Ames, 1905. and Dr. Frank L. K. Laflamme, 1907, who had been connected with the dental service of the regular army for many years, each rose rapidly after our entrance into the war from the rank of Lieutenant to that of Lieutenant-Colonel, and were two of the most im- portant men on the staff of Colonel Logan, who became the head of the entire department, rendering him great assistance in the huge task of organizing the large and efficient dental corps that performed such faithful service to the men in camp •and in the field, at home and abroad. Time and space do not suffice to speak of many men, events and achievements that are of great interest and importance, but this narrative cannot properly be closed without recording two recent occurrences. In the autumn of 1918 Prof. William B. Finney, after more than thirty years in the Chair of Prosthetic Dentistry, resigned his professorship and severed his active connection with the school. Thus passed from the field a man of wide influence, of mature judgment and unbounded zeal and energy, and one whose interest in everything pertaining to the welfare of the College and of the students, individually and collectively, were amongst the very chiefest of his concerns. Perhaps no other single influence was so potent in the purchase, adaptation and equipment of the present home of the College. From the inception to the completion of the transaction it was his obsession — so much so that the new prop- Trventp-five

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mirSo In the eighty years since its foundation the College has had eight deans, Dr. Chapin A. Harris being the first and Dr. William G. Foster the present incumbent. The longest term in the office was served by Dr. M. YVhilldin Foster, from 1894 to 1914. Dr. Foster ' s predecessor was Dr. Richard Bayley Winder, who served from 1882 until his death in 1894. Few men. perhaps, have brought maturer judgment Lo the office or taken a broader view of the profession with its possibili- ties and its needs than Dr. Winder. He was instrumental, among many other achievements, in organizing the National Association of Dental Faculties, which has been the means of establishing at least some degree of uniformity in dental instruction in all colleges. It was Dr. Winder also who was the means of the Census Bureau taking dentistry out of the list of trades a nd placing it among the professions. Dr. M. Whilldin Foster, who succeeded Dr. Winder, brought long experience and large reputation as a practitioner, as well as mature judgment, to the office of Dean. He served faithful!}- and successfully until very near the end of a long and useful life, when he resigned and was succeeded by his son, Dr. William G. Foster, the present Dean, whose qualities and qualifications fit him eminently for the office, and who is the first incumbent to give his entire time to its duties. One of the only two strictly dental fraternities — Psi Omega — was organized in this school in 1892. and has grown in numbers and importance until its chapters and its members are found in ever} - section of the country and are interested in ever}- activity pertaining to dentistry. One of its early members and its long-time head. Dr. H. E. Friesell. is the present President-elect of the -National Dental Association. The College for many years occupied the building at the southeast corner of Eutaw and Franklin streets, but in 1914 purchased and occupied its present building at 851 Xorth Howard street, where its equip- ment and facilities are greatly improved. This change to a more comfortable home reminds us of one of the very few bits of humor for which we can find place within the limits of this record. The College has felt justified always in seeking such legitimate advantage as priority should give, and with this in view has always used as its advertising slogan The Baltimore College of Dental Surgery — the oldest and for many years the only Dental College in the world. ' On a very cold day in the winter of 1902-3. when the old-fashioned stoves that stood out in the centre were scarcely equal to the task of furnishing 70 degrees for so spacious and draughty a room as the infirmary. Tizenlv-four

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r MIR o erty was given the sobriquet of Finney ' s baby. ' Dr. Finney ' s resignation was a matter of deep regret to the Faculty and student body alike, but it is a matter of great joy to record that he still abides, that he retains the vigor of youth, and that the Faculty has retained his interest and availed themselves of the fruits of his long experience, his keen insight and his ripe judgment in his election to the Emeritus Professorship of Prosthetic Dentistry. It becomes now your historian ' s inexpressibly sad duty to record the passing on January 22 of the present year of Professor B. Holly Smith, whose loss is ir- reparable not only to the Faculty and students of this institution, but to the profes- sion and the cause of dentistry the world oven He was one of the outstanding world figures in dentistry. His name was a password into the best dental circles wherever the profession is known. He was one of the most magnetic of men. of gracious manner, full of the Poetry of Life, a well-spring of humor, a brilliant speaker, a rare story-teller, a delightful companion, a staunch friend. If time suf- ficed, many delightful stories could be told of him, but. as a matter of fact, who needs to be told anything of Dr. B. Holly Smith? Everybody knew him and every- body loved him. The dental profession and the day in which he lived are the richer for his living and the poorer for his passing. His was a rare personality, and we shall not soon see his like again. It is scarcely a cheerful thought that the resignation of Dr. Finney and Dr. Smith ' s passing removed the last members of the Faculty whose names were signed to your historian ' s diploma. Verily, the old order changeth ! The remaining members of the Faculty are graduates of this school and have been connected with it in the various capacities of demonstrator, lecturer and pro- tessor since their respective graduations — Professor Hardy in 1888 and Professor Hoffmeister in 1894. Their incumbency, their several abilities, their characters and personalities, being matters of current history, need no enlarging upon here. So, also, in reference to the long list of professors, lecturers, demonstrators and assistants who complete the teaching staff, whose names appear elsewhere in this book and who represent the best in dental instruction in their respective branches. Much more might be written, many anecdotes told, many incidents related, and much of interest and instruction recorded, but space does not suffice nor occa- sion warrant more extended detail. But what is here set down is written not mereiy for entertainment, but for instruction and in the hope that this revelation T enlv-six