Dental School’s Reunion Weekend draws large turnout of alumni who return to demonstrate their Maize and Blue Pride!11 min read
Fifty years of dental excellence is an immense achievement, and deserves to be celebrated across the U-M community. Our Class of 1974 spent Reunion Weekend (Thursday, September 26, through Saturday, September 28) reminiscing with their colleagues in a series of events that convened 50-plus years of School of Dentistry alumni. Reunion Weekend is more than just an event; it’s a cherished tradition where we invite alumni to return to Michigan to celebrate milestones, revisit familiar places, and deepen connections.
The weekend opened with dentists, dental hygienists and master’s degree recipients in the dental specialties who graduated in 1974 being celebrated during a program on Thursday. The 50-year graduates were presented with a personalized School of Dentistry emeritus medallion and a University of Michigan pin signifying they have joined the university’s emeritus alumni status.
The emeritus presentation was followed by the school’s annual Awards Luncheon, attended by about 110 people, including alumni, award recipients, family and guests who celebrated the school’s Hall of Honor recipient, Distinguished Service Award and the Outstanding Dental Hygiene Alumni award.
In his welcoming remarks, Dean Jacques Nör said Reunion Weekend and the annual awards presentations acknowledge the many significant ways alumni have contributed to the school during its 149-year history, both during their time at the school and after they graduated and entered the profession of dentistry. Alumni have “helped define excellence” that has marked the school from its beginning, he said.
The program was followed by tours of the school to see the results of the major Blue Renew renovation completed two years ago. Groups of alumni toured with faculty and staff guides to see the new state-of-the-art clinics, labs and other facilities.
Friday’s events kicked off with an optional Continuing Education (CE) course focusing on safe and harm-free oral healthcare. Dean Nör delivered opening remarks at the CE course, and Dr. Marie Fluent (DDS 1989) was one of several speakers. Topics included various risks and safety initiatives to protect patients, dental teams and the public.
Friday evening brought alumni together from the past 55 years, with graduates from the classes of 1964 to 2019, all reveling in the night’s festivities. We made memories and shared stories during a night to remember! The weekend’s events concluded on Saturday with many of the alumni and their guests attending the Michigan football game vs. Minnesota at Michigan Stadium. Go Blue! The spirit and camaraderie of being among fellow Wolverines filled the air, making it a memorable and joyous celebration of Maize and Blue pride.
• Hall of Honor Award: The Hall of Honor Award is presented posthumously by the school’s Alumni Society Board of Governors to recognize and honor individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the profession of dentistry. Since the Hall of Honor was created in 2003, 55 people have been honored with a plaque on the ground floor of the Kellogg Building at the school. This year’s recipient is the late Dr. Lee Jones, a faculty member who was also a 1961 alumnus. Jones is remembered as a dedicated leader who worked tirelessly to make diversity, equity and inclusion a fundamental value for the School of Dentistry. After graduating from the dental school, Jones served in the U.S. Air Force for two years before returning to Ann Arbor to become the city’s first Black dentist. After several years, while still maintaining his practice, Jones joined the dental school to become an instructor and, in 1973, was named director of what was then called the Office of Minority Affairs. Under his leadership over the next 20-plus years, the school developed programs that established the school as a leader in increasing diversity in dentistry. The school has previously honored Lee Jones’ leadership and service with the Lee Jones Dentistry Diversity Program and the Lee W. Jones Scholarship Fund, which provides need-based financial aid for students. In 2014, Dr. Jones received the dental school’s Distinguished Service Award, and in 2008, he received the Civil Rights Award from the National Dental Association. A new conference room, part of the recent Blue Renew renovation project, is also named for Dr. Jones.
• Distinguished Service Award: The award was created to give appropriate recognition and honor to individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the profession of dentistry. Nominees must be graduates of the school’s DDS, Dental Hygiene, Master’s or PhD programs; a faculty member; or a research staff member. The 2024 recipient is Dr. Marilyn Woolfolk (DDS 1978), Professor Emerita of Dentistry and Assistant Dean Emerita of Student Services. Her career is a success story of resiliency and determination as she navigated a path from microbiology researcher to dental student to professor to administrator. She helped advance numerous important initiatives. They included strengthening community outreach by students; continually reassessing admissions and student support; advocating for increased diversity, equity and inclusion throughout the school and the profession; and using her scholarship and teaching to emphasize the importance of public health and reducing oral health disparities in underserved populations. Woolfolk earned two “firsts” during her time at the dental school – the first Black female full professor and the first Black female assistant dean.
• Outstanding Dental Hygiene Alumni Award: This award was created to give appropriate recognition and honor to a graduate of the U-M Dental Hygiene program who has contributed outstanding service to the profession of dental hygiene. This year’s recipient is Ellen Fivenson, who earned her BSDH at the dental school in 1969. She helped thousands of patients improve their oral health and overall health while practicing as a clinical Registered Dental Hygienist for 47 years at dental offices in Traverse City, Michigan. Her dedication to the profession started in the practice of U-M alumnus Dr. Richard Graham (DDS 1952) for 17 years and finished in the office of two other U-M alumni, Drs. Wes Schulz (DDS 1972) and his daughter Brooke Chapman (DDS 2007), also a tenure of 17 years. She was a founding member of the Grand Traverse Area Dental Hygiene Society and participated in many hygiene educational programs in schools, malls and other locations over the years. She has been a member of Sigma Phi Alpha, the honorary hygiene organization since she graduated in 1969. Fivenson also compiled an extensive and impressive resume of tireless community service over her many decades of living in Traverse City. Schulz described his former employee as “a double-diamond, platinum, super-duper community volunteer. With her professional demeanor and community connections, she has been atypical in her constant cadence of volunteerism.”
For alumni who would like to tour the School of Dentistry can contact the Alumni and Development Office by email at [email protected] or call 734-763-3315.
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The University of Michigan School of Dentistry is one of the nation’s leading dental schools engaged in oral healthcare education, research, patient care and community service. General dental care clinics and specialty clinics providing advanced treatment enable the school to offer dental services and programs to patients throughout Michigan. Classroom and clinic instruction prepare future dentists, dental specialists and dental hygienists for practice in private offices, hospitals, academia and public agencies. Research seeks to discover and apply new knowledge that can help patients worldwide. For more information, email [email protected] or call 734-763-3315.