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

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.Z SCji hii Si:iS!]S SJ:SiiC!::i ■ % t ' ' Katharine Toomey Adiuinistrative Assistant Auxiliary Staff

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oDistinauisneci LjruuuctteS WILLIAM WASHINGTON HACKETT THACKSTON -S ! „ i •■ ' A There is an inscribed, bronze tablet mounted on a stone at Longwood College in Farmville, Virginia that marks the site of the home of Doctor William Washington Hackett Thackston, one of our earliest and most distinguished graduates. Doctor Thackston matriculated during the years of 1841 and 1842, receiv- ing his degree from the Baltimore College of Dental Surgery in June of 1842. Whenever momentous changes need to be wrought in history nature fortunately supplies us with men to effect them. In the middle of the nineteenth century, dentistry as a profession was struggling to establish itself. During this critical period men like Dr. Thackston stepped forth and brought to den- tistry the intelligence, education, and social sense, coupled with inventiveness and mechanical ability, so essential to give dentistry the right to claim the title of profession. Dr. Thackston was born in Prince Edward County, Virginia, on Leap Day of 1820. At the age of twenty-one he entered the Baltimore College of Dental Surgery. The beginning of a fruitful career could be seen in his choice of thesis subject, A DISSERTATION ON THE DISEASES OF THE MAXILL- ARY SINUSES, which was published in The Ameixan ]oi nial of Dental Science of June 1842. After graduation Dr. Thackston opened an office for the practice of general dentistry in Farmville, Virginia. In the same year, 1842, he founded the Virginia Society of Surgeon Dentists and was elected to membership in the American Society of Dental Surgeons. Over the years he was a notable and prolific contributor to the Aniencan Journal of Dental Science. In 1850 he gave to the profession the Thackston Drill, which for many years was routine equipment for the opening of cavities in molar teeth. Dr. Thackston ' s demeanor as a professional man was impeccable. His high ethical standards and his readiness to express them did much to raise the prestige of dentistry. He came to be known as the Chesterfield of the Dental Profession. Never too busy to engage in any activity that would promote his profession he was elected in 1854, President of the Association of Alumni of Dental Colleges. With the coming of the Civil War he saw his duty and followed it, enlisting as a private in Com- pany D , 3rd Regiment of the Virginia Reserves. He was assigned by William Carrington, Medical Director of the Department of the Confederate Army, to serve as dentist at the Hospital in Farmville. Service to his state and region was exemplified by his election as President of the Virginia State Dental Association from 1872 to 1877 and again in 1887, and as President of the Southern Dental Association in 1887. Always ready to help dentistry move forward he served as a member of the first Virginia State Board of Dental Examiners in 1886. Age did not diminish his efforts in behalf of his chosen profession and at 70 he delivered the annual address at the 1890 meeting of the American Academy of Dental Science held in Boston on November 12. Realizing also his civic duties he served as Mayor of Farmville in 1888 and 1889. On December 8, 1899, after a long and fruitful life death came to Dr. Thackston, who through his efforts had helped to raise dentistry to the professional status it enjoys today. After 57 years of practice he was laid to rest in his chosen home of Farmville, leaving behind an indebted and enlightened pro- fession. ■{12}-