Recorded for the ACD 2021 Virtual Annual Meeting and Convocation, the Founding of the College provides insights and historical context for the organization. Presented by Dr. Theresa S. Gonzales, Executive Director, this lively and engaging look into the earliest days of the College gives a broader context for understanding the world into which the ACD came to be.
The ACD is proud to have partnered with the Copley Plaza Hotel on this project. Located in Boston, Massachusetts, the hotel is an essential part of the history of the College.
Recorded for the ACD 2020 Virtual Annual Meeting and Convocation, the History of the College provides insights and historical context for the organization. Presented by Dr. Theresa S. Gonzales, Executive Director, this lively and engaging look into our past provides a clear view of the College as we embark on our second century.
The ACD is proud to have partnered with the Samuel D. Harris National Museum of Dentistry on this project. Located in Baltimore, Maryland, the museum is an essential part of the University of Maryland School of Dentistry and an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institute.
The basic principles that gave rise to the American College of Dentists became its very essence and endure today. These ideals represented rather bold measures for the times and they also provided the foundational tenets for the College’s vital role in the years to come. The founding members of the American College of Dentists included clinicians, educators, researchers, administrators and well known leaders in organized dentistry.
“To elevate the standards of dentistry, to encourage graduate study, and to grant Fellowship to those who have done meritorious work.”
“The candidate . . . must be of good moral character, and have a reputation for ethical conduct and professional standing that is unquestioned. Personality, integrity, education, unselfishness, and high professional ideals as well as freedom from mercenary tendencies shall be considered in evaluating the qualifications of all candidates considered for fellowship.”
The American College of Dentists was founded on the following principles:
The concept of an organization without political ties that could shape the future of dentistry was first envisioned by four leaders of the dental profession. They were the elected leaders of the National Dental Association. In 1922, the National Dental Association was rebranded as the American Dental Association.
John V. Conzett was President of the National Dental Association, H. Edmund Friesell was President-elect of the National Dental Association, and Otto U. King was Secretary of the National Dental Association. Arthur D. Black III was President of the National Association of Dental Faculties. The 23 founders of the American College of Dentists included luminaries in education, organized dentistry and the practice community at large.
John V. Conzett 1920–1922
H. Edmund Friesell 1922–1925
Charles N. Johnson 1925–1927
Henry L. Banzhaf 1927–1929
Roscoe H. Volland 1929–1930
Frank T. Breene 1930–1931
U. Garfield Rickert 1931–1932
John E. Gurley 1932–1933
Bissell B. Palmer, Jr. 1933–1934
J. Ben Robinson 1934–1935
William R. Davis 1935–1936
Albert L. Midgley 1936–1937
Charles E. Rudolph 1937–1938
Arthur H. Merritt 1938–1939
Alvin W. Bryan 1939–1940
George W. Wilson 1940–1941
Emanuel G. Meisel 1941–1942
J. Cannon Black 1942–1943
H. Cline Fixott 1943–1944
Robert P. Thomas 1944–1945
Malcolm W. Carr 1945–1946
William N. Hodgkin 1946–1947
Lee Roy Main 1947–1948
Earl W. Swinehart 1948–1949
Walter H. Wright 1949–1950
Henry O. Lineberger 1950–1951
Willard C. Fleming 1951–1952
Fritz A. Pierson 1952–1953
Harry S. Thomson 1953–1954
James H. Ferguson, Jr. 1954–1955
Kenneth C. Pruden 1955–1956
Gerald D. Timmons 1956–1957
Thomas J. Hill 1957–1958
Harold J. Noyes 1958–1959
Donald W. Gullett 1959–1960
Edgar W. Swanson 1960–1961
Henry A. Swanson 1961–1962
Philip E. Blackerby 1962–1963
Jack S. Rounds 1963–1964
Harry Lyons 1964–1965
Percy G. Anderson 1965–1966
Carl J. Stark 1966–1967
Frank O. Alford 1967–1968
Stanley A. Lovestedt 1968–1969
Frank P. Bowyer, Jr. 1969–1970
Otto W. Brandhorst 1970–1971
William E. Brown, Jr. 1971–1971
Ormonde J. McCormack 1972–1973
Louis G. Terkla 1973–1974
P. Earle Williams 1974–1975
James P. Vernetti 1975–1976
James L. Cassidy 1976–1977
Charles F. McDermott 1977–1978
Dale A. Hills 1978–1979
Gordon H. Rovelstad 1979–1980
William C. Draffin 1980–1981
Richard J. Reynolds, Jr. 1981–1982
Odin M. Langsjoen 1982–1983
Lynden M. Kennedy 1983–1984
Charles W. Fain, Jr. 1984–1985
Norman H. Olsen 1985–1986
H. Curtis Hester 1986–1987
Robert W. Elliott, Jr. 1987–1988
James A. Harrell 1988–1989
W. Robert Biddington 1989–1990
Robert E. Doerr 1990–1991
Thomas W. Slack 1991–1992
Albert Wasserman 1992–1993
Chris C. Scures 1993–1994
Juliann S. Bluitt-Foster 1994–1995
Prem S. Sharma 1995–1996
Charles V. Farrell, Jr. 1996–1997
Edward C. McNulty 1997–1998
Alston J. McCaslin V 1998–1999
Robert T. Ragan 1999–2000
Richard E. Bradley 2000–2001
Kenneth E. Follmar 2001–2002
Roger W. Triftshauser 2002–2003
John I. Haynes 2003–2004
B. Charles Kerkhove, Jr. 2004–2005
Marcia A. Boyd 2005–2006
H. Raymond Klein 2006–2007
John M. Scarola 2007–2008
Max M. Martin, Jr. 2008–2009
Thomas J. Wickliffe 2009–2010
Thomas F. Winkler III 2010–2011
Patricia L. Blanton 2011–2012
W. Scott Waugh 2012–2013
Kenneth L. Kalkwarf 2013–2014
Jerome B. Miller 2014–2015
Steven D. Chan 2015–2016
Bert W. Oettmeier, Jr. 2016–2017
Richard F. Stilwill 2017–2018
Thomas J. Connolly 2018–2019
Stephen A. Ralls 2019–2020
Leo E. Rouse 2020–2021
Richard E. Jones 2021–2022
Robert M. Lamb 2022–2023
Teresa A. Dolan 2023–2024
Was founded on August 20, 1920, by the four organizers and 10 other leaders from the dental profession who met at the Copley-Plaza Hotel in Boston, Massachusetts. While unable to attend in person, 9 other leaders from around the country also joined the founding ranks in absentia.
Actively participated in the Gies Survey of dental education for the Carnegie Foundation.
Advocated careers in dental research and integration of research in dental school curricula.
Formed the Commission on Journalism which moved dental journalism to a professional level and created a base for communication among all levels of dentistry.
Supported efforts to recruit men and women to dental careers.
Adopted a resolution supporting the creation of a National Dental Screening Examining Board.
Sponsored a study on health insurance systems in Europe and published a comprehensive report presenting options for payment approaches.
Conducted a comprehensive survey of dental journalism and produced a future plan and complete compilation of dental literature from 1839-1931.
Organized and incorporated the American Association of Dental Editors; developed advertising policies and guidelines; and began publishing the Journal of the American College of Dentists.
Conducted a study on cost of dental care for adults in the United States providing a basis for later preventive care initiatives.
Suspended Convocation of new Fellows from 1942-1946 because of World War II.
Provided teacher training fellowships to enhance skills of dental faculty.
Conducted a survey of dental students to determine factors attracting them to the profession and offered guidance on future perspectives for student recruitment.
Completed guidelines on continuing education, with information on the need for, content, organization, and cost.
Conducted a national opinion survey of prevention in dentistry.
Held a conference on dental health services for the American people, with recommendations on access, cost, and quality perspectives.
Conducted a conference on dental manpower to examine the need/demand for services, personnel productivity, use of personnel, communication technology, and related issues.
Developed self assessment programs for individual dentists as a basis for knowledge enhancement and continuing education planning.
Provided literature on dentistry to secondary schools and libraries.
Moved its Executive Office from St. Louis, Missouri to Washington, D.C.
Began publication of a quarterly newsletter, later to become News & Views, eventually ACD News.
Formed existing Sections into eight Regencies.
Created the American College of Dentists Foundation, a 501(c)3 dedicated to ensuring the College has funding to advance its mission.
Made recommendations to the American Dental Association on teaching ethics leading to the Commission on Dental Accreditation, adding to the standards in dental education programs and development of teaching guidelines by the American Association of Dental Schools.
Began to distribute the booklet, “Dentistry—A Health Service,” to dental school graduates.
Purchased office space in Gaithersburg, Maryland as a permanent Executive Office.
Rekindled its proactive nature toward an issue-oriented future through such initiatives as co-sponsorship of an intensive bioethics course at Georgetown University; holding an InfoTech Conference on the role of information technology in the dental profession and society; and sponsoring a conference on the future of dentistry, “Dentistry 2010: Visions of the Future.”
Developed Core Values and Aspirational Code of Ethics.
Sponsored Ethics Summit I, a unique and major effort to establish baseline dialogue in ethics from among the leaders of all major constituencies of dentistry.
Published the white paper on “Dental Managed Care in the Context of Ethics” in the Journal of the American College of Dentists.
Revised the format of the Journal of the American College of Dentists to devote each issue to one key topic affecting dentistry and inviting input from Fellows.
Revised the dental student booklet, “Dentistry—A Health Profession. A Guide to Professional Conduct.”
Developed the Ethics Wallet Card and the ACD Test for Ethical Decisions.
In 1997 developed and instituted the Summer Conference format stressing co-sponsorship with a Regency, quality continuing education, fun, and fellowship.
A new ADA CERP subject area category, “Ethics, Law, and Professionalism,” was created as a direct result of ACD action.
Sponsored “Ethics Summit II—In Pursuit of the Ethics Alliance of Oral Health Organizations” in Nashville, Tennessee.
Published the Ethics Handbook for Dentists, designed as an ethics resource for both students and practicing dentists.
Sponsored “Ethics Summit Initiative of Oral Health Organizations—Truth Claims in Dentistry” in Orlando, Florida.
Developed Courses Online Dental Ethics (CODE), online courses in dental ethics and professionalism (view at www.dentalethics.org).
Held Leadership Workshop for Section Officers as part of the ACD 2005 Summer Conference at Niagara-on-the-Lake.
Re-aligned the Regency-Section structure.
Co-sponsored the Ethics Summit on Commercialism with the American Dental Association.
Initiated a new Web address, www.acd.org.
Co-sponsored the Symposium on Integrity and Ethics in Dental Education with the American Dental Association and the American Dental Education Association, June 2007
Sponsored the Mini-symposium to Develop Dental Ethicists, Crystal City, Virginia, June 2007
Sponsored Professional Ethics Initiative Meeting, Crystal City, Virginia, February 2008
Entered Trial Integration with American Society for Dental Ethics, May 1, 2008, includes liaison to Board of Regents
Compiled 52 ethical dilemmas from the Texas Dental Journal and authored by Dr. Thomas K. Hasegawa and others in 2008 (available at www.dentalethics.org)
Developed Practice Ethics Assessment and Development program, 2010
Developed the Interactive Dental Ethics Application, an interactive PDF, 2011
Developed the Dental Ethics Survey (initially Predental Ethics Survey), 2012
Purchased 103 North Adams property in Rockville, Maryland to relocate the Executive Office to our permanent location, 2013
Initiated the “Gies Report” on dental ethics, patterned after the landmark 1926 report on dental education by Dr. William J. Gies, 2014
Entered Trial Integration with Student Professionalism and Ethics Association, January 2016, includes liaison to Board of Regents
Developed eight ethical dilemma videos in conjunction with Indiana University, 2016
Circulated the draft Gies Report 2020 manuscript to the ACD Project Advisory Group, 2018
