The generous support that the School of Dentistry alumni regularly provides its alma mater was made evident once again during the recent (February 10-13) Alumni Student Convention.
Homecoming members of the class of 1961 were honored at this year’s Alumni Student banquet. Dean Charles Goodacre, SD’71, MSD, cited some of the "incredible contributions the 52 members of the class of 1961 have made to the School of Dentistry, to the profession, to their communities, and to their churches. Seventeen of the 1961 graduates have given nearly 200 years of faculty service to the School of Dentistry
—including an associate dean, department chair, two presidents of the Alumni Association, five Century Club presidents, and two members of the Loma Linda University Board of Trustees."
Dr. Goodacre noted that the class of 1961 caught the vision 50 years ago "that learning can be enhanced by actually seeing and visualizing clinical procedures" and funded the School’s first portable closed circuit television system so many decades ago.
"Your class helped lay the foundation for the future of dental education," Dr. Goodacre continued, "and that tradition has been continued today with the development of sophisticated computer programs that substantially enhance the learning of our students."
Bob Darby, SD’61, spearheaded the effort by his class to raise money for the School. As a result, on behalf of the class of 1961, Dr. Darby was able to present Dean Goodacre with a check $415,676.46. The majority of that check was accounted for by gifts from two members of the class: more than $280,000 from the late Hugh Love, SD’61, and his wife, Dollie, who had established a charitable remainder trust that was fulfilled when Mrs. Love passed away in 2010, and a gift of property valued at $100,000 from Erland Hendrickson, SD’61.
Dean Goodacre elicited a chuckle when he touted "the great Class of 1971," for "the incredible generosity of my classmates who have made a real difference in the learning of our students." A decade ago, the class of 1971, funded the refurbishing of both first-floor amphitheaters—tables that stretched the length of the entire row of seats, electric plugs and data ports for every seat, and state-of-the-art audiovisual equipment. Ten years later, the audiovisual equipment was no longer state of the art and some of it even obsolete. The class of 1971 raised funds to update their amphitheaters with equipment that will open up new options for learning.
The move from analog to digital systems provides clearer sound and sharper images. The state-of-the-art components enable the faculty to manage the audiovisual equipment from a console that operates the lights, the sound, and images.
The generous donations from the Class of 1971 have enabled the upgrade from analog to digital systems in the amphitheaters; students and faculty alike now experience the benefits (and occasional challenges) of these systems.
Substantial gifts from the anniversary classes totaling $645,244.85 were presented to Dean Goodacre in the form of oversized checks.
Class of 1961 $ 415,676.46
Class of 1971 $ 160,000.00
Class of 1981 $ 13,180.00
Class of 1986 $ 19,495.00
Class of 1991 $ 5,750.00
Class of 2001 $ 12,390.00
Class of 2006 $ 18,753.39