Dr. Chapin Harris (1806 - 1860)

A co-founder of the Baltimore College of Dental Surgery (now known as the University of Maryland School of Dentistry), Harris became the first dean of the school in 1840. A prolific writer, Harris also established the world's first dental periodical, The American Journal of Dental Science. He would remain editor of the journal until his death in 1860.

Did you know. . .Harris was an avid reader and corresponded with many leading authors of his day?

Dr. Horace Hayden (1769 - 1844)

A a co-founder of the Baltimore College of Dental Surgery (now known as the University of Maryland School of Dentistry), Dr. Hayden was the college's first president and professor of dental physiology and pathology. He was instrumental in the establishment of the first national dental organization, the American Society of Dental Surgeons, and served as its president until his death in 1844.

Did you know. . .Hayden was also the author of the first general work on geology to be published in the United States, Geological Essays? He had to learn the French language to translate the best books on geology.

Dr. Robert Arthur (1819 - 1880)

Dr. Robert Arthur was the first graduate of the Baltimore College of Dental Surgery in 1841. He and Dr. Richard Mackall were the only two members of the first dental class. Dr. Arthur went on to help organize the Philadelphia College of Dental Surgery, which he served as dean from 1855 until 1857.

Did you know. . .Dr. Arthur has been credited with the discovery of the cohesive property of gold foil?

The Baltimore College of Dental Surgery occupied this building on Lexington St. near Calvert St. from 1851 until 1853.

Did you know. . .In the early years of the school, there was no centralized building where lessons were taught? Instead, students studied and were examined in the homes of their professors. The school's first lectures were actually taught at a Baptist church located on Calvert St.

Dr. Phillip Austen (1822 - 1878)

Dr. Phillip Austen served as dean of the Baltimore College of Dental Surgery from 1853 until 1865. He graduated from the school in 1849 and had joined the faculty in 1852. After resigning as dean, Dr. Austen served as editor of the 10th edition of Chapin Harris' Principles and Practice of Dentistry. He died in Baltimore in October, 1878, at the age of 56.

Did you know. . .Dr. Austen graduated from Yale University when he was only 19 years old?

The Baltimore College of Dental Surgery occupied this building at Hanover and Lombard streets from 1853 until 1872. During the Civil War, the school saw a major reduction in the number of students, from a graduating class of 29 in 1861 to a class of nine students in 1865.

Did you know. . .Dr. Edward Maynard, an honorary graduate and former professor, patented a method to convert muzzle-loading firearms into breech loaders in October, 1860? The "Maynard rifle" was used extensively by Union troops during the Civil War.

Dr. Ferdinand Gorgas (1834 - 1914)

Dr. Ferdinand Gorgas served as dean of the Baltimore College of Dental Surgery from 1865 until 1882, when he was named the first dean of the Dental Department, University of Maryland, where he served until 1911. In total, Dr. Gorgas served 45 years as dean. He had joined the faculty of the school in 1857. In addition to his service as a dental educator, Dr. Gorgas wrote several textbooks. He died on April 8, 1914.

Did you know. . .Dr. Gorgas chewed tobacco consistently and kept a spittoon within "easy spittal range" of his desk chair?

Emilie Foeking

Emilie Foeking, of Prussia, was the first woman to graduate from the Baltimore College of Dental Surgery in 1873. After being refused admittance into the Pennsylvania College of Dental Surgery, Foeking appealed directly to Dean Ferdinand Gorgas, who granted her admission into the school. After graduation, she returned to Berlin, Germany, to practice dentistry.

Did you know. . .Dr. Foeking published a thesis entitled "Is Woman Adapted to the Dental Profession?" The Missouri Dental Journal denounced Dr. Foeking's article and commented that women were better suited for "cooking, tailoring, etc." than dentistry.

Dr. Richard Winder (1828 - 1894)

Dr. Richard Winder served as dean of the Baltimore College of Dental Surgery from 1882 until his death in 1894. Dr. Winder became dean of the school after Dean Ferdinand Gorgas left the school to become dean of the newly founded Dental Department, University of Maryland. During Dr. Winder's tenure, the school increased the curriculum from two years to three years.

Did you know. . .after the death of his wife, Elizabeth, Winder married her sister, Sarah Custis?

In the early 1870s, Dean Ferdinand Gorgas, began negotiations with the University of Maryland about merging the Baltimore College of Dentistry into that institution. Dr. Gorgas was convinved that a stronger association with the medical profession would raise the status of dentistry. When those discussions dissolved, Dr. Gorgas proposed the establishment of a completely new dental curriculum, organized as a department within the University of Maryland School of Medicine. The University acquired a charter to add a dental department to the School of Medicine in 1882, naming Dr. Gorgas the first dean of the school. The school quickly became a bitter rival to the Baltimore College of Dental Surgery. The Dental Department, University of Maryland and Baltimore College of Dental Surgery merged in 1923.

Did you know. . .tuition for one five-month session at the University of Maryland Dental Department cost $115?

The Baltimore Medical College, which was established in 1881, launched a Dental Department in 1895. Despite outspoken opposition from local dentists (Baltimore already had two dental schools), the school accepted 34 students into its first class. In 1913, the American Medical Association issued an ultimatem that, unless the Baltimore Medical College merged with the University of Maryland School of Medicine, both schools would lose their accreditation within the year. The school's Dental Department merged with the Dental Department, University of Maryland in 1913.

Did you know. . .during its 18-year existence, the Baltimore Medical College Dental Department graduated 367 students, many of whom were not residents of the state of Maryland?

Dr. M. Whilldin Foster (1836 - 1914)

Dr. M. Whilldin Foster served as dean of the Baltimore College of Dental Surgery from 1894 until 1914. During Dr. Foster's deanship, UMSOD saw its first American woman graduate, Eva E. Semon of Maryland. In 1900, for the first time in the school's history, a year of high school became a requirement for entrance into the college. Dr. M. Whildin Foster resigned as dean on June 8, 1914, and was replaced by his son, Dr. William G. Foster, who seved as dean until 1923.

Did you know. . .Livius Lankford, DDS '16, established the U.S. Army's first overseas dental clinic in France in 1917?

Dr. Timothy O. Heatwole (1865 - 1949)

Dr. Timothy Heatwole became dean of the Dental Department, University of Maryland, in 1911 after the semi-retirement of Dr. Gorgas due to illness. During Dr. Heatwole's tenure as dean, the curriculum was expanded to include four sessions of 32-week instruction, held over four years. This was a new requirement of the National Association of Dental Faculties. The Baltimore College of Dental Survery was unable to meet the demands of this new requirement, due to a lack of adequate laboratory facilities. In 1923, the two schools merged to form The Baltimore College of Dental Surgery, Dental School, University of Maryland. Dr. Heatwole served as dean of the merged school for one year until 1924.

Did you know. . .Dr. Heatwole was elected to the House of Delegates of the Maryland Legislature in 1905?

World War I

After the U.S. declared war on Germany and its allies on April 6, 1917, the Dental Committee of the Council of National Defense recommended that dental students should be deferred from the draft until they graduated. In October, 1917, dental students were allowed to enlist in the Enlisted Reserve Corps of the Medical Department, which enabled them to continue their college course. By the fall of 1918, barracks appeared near the University of Maryland and nearly all dental students wore uniforms and marched to class.

Did you know. . .two alumni of the Dental Department, University of Maryland, served in the military unit Base Hospital No. 42, which left Camp Meade in Maryland and deployed to Bazoilles-sur-Meuse during World War I?

J. Ben Robinson (1883 - 1977)

Dr. J. Ben Robinson was named dean of the Baltimore College of Dental Surgery, Dental School, University of Maryland in 1924 and served until 1953, when he was forced to retire because the mandatory retirement age for State of Maryland employees was 70 years old at the time. During his nearly 30 years at the school, Dr. Robinson oversaw many changes in dentistry and dental education in Baltimore, most notably the construction of a new building at Lombard and Greene streets in 1929 and the centennial of the school in 1940.

Did you know. . .after he retired as dean, Dr. Robinson served as the first dean of the newly established West Virginia University School of Dentistry from 1953 until 1958?

Ice Hockey Team

Between 1931 and 1934, the Baltimore College of Dental Surgery, Dental School, University of Maryland represented the University of Maryland in the semi-pro Iceland Hockey League. The team consisted of seasoned hockey players from New England and Canada. In its first season, the team tied for the division title, but lost to the Walbrook team three games to two during a five-game playoff. The team took the division title in its second year and finished second in its third and final year of existence during the 1933-1934 season.

Did you know. . .one of the ice hockey team coaches, Assistant Professor Harry B. McCarthy, DDS '23, went on to become dean of Texas A&M University Baylor College of Dentistry?

Alumni Make Sacrifices During World War II

The three alumni pictured here (from left), Herbert Friedberg, John Thomas Wieland and William Bcker Feindt, were killed during World War II. Nearly 600 alumni served in the war. Like many dental schools, the Baltimore College of Dental Surgery, Dental School, University of Maryland adjusted its teaching program during the war to graduate dentists at a faster pace to help meet a shortage of dentists within the armed services. The curriculum was compressed into three years and students received no summer vacation.

Did you know. . .the first alumnus to die in World War II was Lieut. Com. Hugh Rossman Alexander, who died on the U.S.S. Oklahoma during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941?

Dr. Myron S. Aisenberg (1899 - 1986)

Dr. Aisenberg served as dean of the Baltimore College of Dental Surgery, Dental School, University of Maryland from 1953 until 1963. He had joined the faculty in 1924 and served as professor of bacteriology and pathology. During Dr. Aisenberg's tenure as dean, the patient clinics received many technological updates and new courses were established focusing on the latest advancements in dentistry.

Did you know. . .the tuition for a Maryland resident was $400 in 1957?

Dr. John J. Salley (1926 - 2011)

Dr. Salley served as dean of the Baltimore College of Dental Surgery, Dental School, University of Maryland from 1963 until 1974. During his tenure as dean, the school's faculty was integrated and John E. Bonas, BS, MA, was hired as a research associate in the Department of Physiology. He was the first African American to serve in a professional position at the school. The School of Dentistry also graduated its first African American student, Elton Maddox, in 1972. In addition, Dr. Salley oversaw the completion of Hayden-Harris Hall in 1970.

Did you know. . .the Dental Hygiene Program was established in September, 1970?

Dr. Errol Reese

Dr. Reese served as dean of the Baltimore College of Dental Surgery, Dental School, University of Maryland from 1974 until 1990. He joined the faculty at the school in 1968. In 1975, Dr. Reese appointed the school's first female full professors, Dr. Frieda Rudo in the Department of Oncology, and Dr. Sue-ning Barry, in the Department of Anatomy. During his tenure, the UMSOD established the first dental school-based Advanced Education in General Dentistry program in 1982.

Did you know. . .Dr. Reese served as the fourth president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore from 1990 until 1993?

Dr. Richard Ranney

Dr. Ranney served as dean of the Baltimore College of Dental Surgery, Dental School, University of Maryland from 1991 until 2003. Dr. Ranney oversaw the development of plans for the new building (and current home) for the school. Also during his tenure, the Brotman Facial Pain Clinic was established, the school's international programs flourished and the School of Dentistry became a research powerhouse.

Did you know. . .during Dr. Ranney's tenure, the school established relationships with dental schools in Poland, Thailand, Korea, Mexico and Russia?

Dr. Christian Stohler

Dr. Stohler served as dean of the University of Maryland School of Dentistry from 2003 until 2013. In 2004, he established the Dean's Faculty, a group of volunteer dentists who assist with the School of Dentistry's research, service and teaching activities. During Dr. Stohler's tenure, the school also launched a bi-annual alumni magazine, Mdental.

Did you know. . .after only six months of existence, the Dean's Faculty included 120 volunteers in October, 2004?

New Building Opens

The new University of Maryland School of Dentistry building, located at 650 W. Baltimore St., opened in 2006. The all-digital facility is one of the most advanced dental school facilities in the world. The 360,000-square-foot school cost approximately $124 million.

Did you know. . .the architecture firm that designed the new school building, Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, also designed Pixar Animation Studios in Emeryville, California?

Dr. Mark Reynolds

Dr. Mark Reynolds was named dean of the University of Maryland School of Dentistry in June, 2014. He previously served as chairman of the Department of Periodontics. Dr. Reynolds is a 1986 graduate of the University of Maryland School of Dentistry.

Did you know. . .Dr. Reynolds was officially named dean of the school during the All Alumni Reunion Opening Reception on Friday, May 30, 2014?