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Baylor College of Dentistry names centennial co-chairs
DALLAS—October 19, 2004—Baylor College of Dentistry’s 100th anniversary is a time for celebration and reflection, and the college has named distinguished alums Dr. Robert V. Walker and Dr. Frank L. Higginbottom co-chairs of the college’s Centennial Celebration Steering Committee to plan the yearlong festivities, which kickoff in January 2005.

Walker, a 1947 BCD graduate, is professor emeritus in the division of oral and maxillofacial surgery at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. He currently serves as chairman of the board of directors for the American Trauma Society, vice chairman of the board of directors for the Baylor Oral Health Foundation, secretary of the board of trustees for the Texas Dental Foundation and heads the Robert V. Walker Society for Planned Giving of the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Foundation. Walker is a member of both the Texas A&M University’s President’s Council of Advisors, the Chancellor’s Century Council and the College of Science External Advisory and Development Council and is active in numerous organizations including the Dallas County Dental Society, Texas Dental Association and the American Dental Association.

A 1971 graduate of BCD, Higginbottom is in private practice and serves as associate professor in both oral and maxillofacial surgery and graduate prosthodontics at BCD. He also is associate professor of periodontology at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio dental school. He serves on the Baylor Craniofacial Deformities Team, the Advisory Committee to the dean of Baylor College of Dentistry and the board of directors for the Baylor College of Dentistry Alumni Association. Higginbottom is a member of the Dallas County Dental Society, Texas Dental Association, American Dental Association, Southwest Academy of Restorative Dentistry, Academy of

Osseointegration, International Team for Implantology, American Academy of Fixed Prosthodontics, American Academy of Restorative Dentistry and American Academy of Periodontology. He is a fellow of the American College of Dentists.

“It is such an honor to have these two stellar individuals serve as co-chairs of BCD’s 100th anniversary,” said Dr. James S. Cole, BCD dean. “They have proven their commitment to the college over the years, and we know that making this centennial a success is a major priority for them.”

The centennial steering committee began meeting in March 2004 to coordinate centennial activities and fundraising. A blue-chip advisory board also is supporting the centennial planning efforts.

BCD began in 1905 as State Dental College, a private three-year dental school and is now part of the young and innovative Texas A&M University System Health Science Center. BCD’s faculty is world-renowned and the students are among the top dental graduates in the nation. The dental school’s research, specialized patient care, continuing dental education and oral health sciences education programs are nationally recognized, as is the college’s commitment to institutional effectiveness. BCD also is home to the highly acclaimed Caruth School of Dental Hygiene, which celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2005.

The celebration begins in January 2005 in Dallas during the Southwest Dental Conference and BCD’s Homecoming Weekend 2005. Centennial festivities include the Centennial Gala, Caruth 50th Anniversary Luncheon, guest lectureships, a collegewide picnic, open house and other activities commemorating the first day of classes. Baylor College of Dentistry: The First 100 Years, the complete history of Baylor College of Dentistry and its Caruth School of Dental Hygiene, is available as a coffee-table book.

For more Centennial information and a calendar of events throughout the year, log on to the college’s Centennial Web site at www.bcd.tamhsc.edu/centennial.