| Dentalgram |
February 2002
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The School family remembers Dr. Robert Clement
 |
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Robert and Mary Lou Clement
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A memorial service for Dr. Robert J. Clement,
associate professor, director of clinic services, was held Sunday, January
27, in the University Church of Seventh-day Adventists.
As family, colleagues, staff, and students entered the Church to remember
their mentor and friend they signed in using beautiful, hand-lathed pens
crafted by Dr. Clement from exotic woods. An Air Force dress uniform worn
by Dr. Clement during his distinguished military career, decorated with
colorful ribbons and a crisp, starched lab coat embroidered with Dr. Clement’s
name, a familiar sight to many as he worked with colleagues and students
in the School of Dentistry, were on display.
Dr. Clement received his DDS degree from University of Tennessee Medical
Units College of Dentistry at Memphis, in 1956. He married the love of
his life, Mary Lou, a nurse, on December 20, 1953. After graduation from
dental school Dr. Clement worked in private practice in Memphis, Tennessee,
for three years. He then began military service in the Air Force.
During his military career he served as dental officer, General Kessler
AFB, Missouri; assistant director, dental services, Yokota Air Force Base,
Japan; chief, dental professional services, Homestead AFB, Florida; and
director, dental services, Iraklion, Crete. He attained the rank of Colonel
and his service was recognized through numerous military honors, including
USAF Chief Dental Award; Air Force Commendation Medal; Legion of Merit;
Meritorious Service Medal (Second Oak Leaf Cluster), and Outstanding Unit
Citation.
After serving 30 years in the Air Force Dr. Clement faced something many
people would look forward to—retirement. He could now enjoy the activities
that had previously occupied his weekends—including helping Mary
Lou more at home and perusing local hardware stores. But he couldn’t
forget the talents and skills he had used to make a difference in dental
facilities throughout his career, and though he didn’t know anyone
at LLU it wasn’t long before he wrote a letter to the School of Dentistry.
He mentioned that throughout his career he had worked with new dental
graduates and that he had a strong desire “to make a difference…
[helping train] efficient and productive dentists while maintaining a
high quality of patient care.”
The letter was referred to Lane Thomsen, SD’65, MS’74, associate
professor, ODRP. “We received many letters from individuals hoping
to join our faculty—so many that we had to file most of them,”
recalls Dr. Thomsen. “But something about Dr. Clement’s letter
stood out.” The correspondence led to a breakfast meeting, and Dr.
Thomsen invited Dr. Clement to serve as a part-time faculty member volunteering
two days a week. In 1988, he was appointed assistant professor, oral diagnosis,
radiology, and pathology. A note in Dr. Clement’s file, written by
Thor Bakland, SD’62, describes Dr. Clement as demonstrating “Fine
example of Christian commitment to dental education and a worthy role
model for our students and younger faculty members.” In a letter
dated May 21, 1992, Dr. Judson Klooster describes him as being a “valuable
strength to the department…I know your colleagues are counting on
you for years to come.”
Dr. Clement was named chief, oral diagnosis section, ODRP, on January
1, 1996. In 1999, eleven years after he began teaching at LLU, Dr. Clement
was asked to serve as director of clinical services, a position he held
until his death January 24, 2002.
In their spare time, Drs. Clement and Thomsen enjoyed crafting wood into
beautiful pens. Many in the School family have a pen, keychain, or card
holder, gifts that were crafted by Dr. Clement.
According to Paul Richardson, SD’72, associate dean, clinic administration,
two projects that were important to Dr. Clement included the new chart
system, and the informed consent form. Dr. Richardson recalls that developing
an informed consent procedure was especially important to Dr. Clement,
whose commitment to providing thorough information to the patient came
about in part as a result of experiences he had while receiving cancer
treatment at UCLA School of Medicine. The documents he developed were
sent to LLU legal counsel and were returned, four months ago, with full
endorsement.
David Brodeur, SD’71, shared an office with Dr. Clement. “Students
came first to Dr. Clement,” he recalls. “Whenever a student
came to the door Dr. Clement would drop everything to help.” And
Dr. Clement wouldn’t sugar-coat his messages. “He had the ability
to cut to the bottom line—to point out flaws and yet make the person
leave feeling good about themself,” says Dr. Brodeur. “Mentoring
students was one of the things he enjoyed most, and he was good at it.”
“The School has a mission and exists to make a difference in people’s
lives,” Dr. Clement would say. “When I work here, I have the
opportunity to make a difference in the student’s lives.” He
genuinely enjoyed working at Loma Linda—he felt that he truly could
make an impact and be part of the solution.
“During my military career I accomplished many things. Yet that means
nothing to me compared to this School. I’ve enjoyed working here
more than any place I worked during my career,” he told Dr. Brodeur.
Dr. Clement was a member of LLUSD Century Club and the Dean’s Circle,
and National Association of Seventh-day Adventist Dentists. In 1990 he
was named Teacher of the Year for the School. He will be greatly missed.
Dr. Clement is survived by his wife, Mary Lou; son, Dr. Robert J. Clement
Jr., daughter-in-law Linda, their children, Jason and Christina (Winter
Springs, Florida); son, Douglas S. Clement, his wife, Susan, their children,
Deanna and Melanie (Phoenix, AZ); sister Barbara Ann White (Memphis, TN),
and two nephews, William White (Dallas, TX) and Joe M. Gallimore of Camden,
TN.
During the memorial service students performed musical numbers that were
favorites of Dr. Clement. The musicians included Glenn De Laroca, D3,
Byron Diehl,D4, Jessica Buenjemia, D2, and Adrian Dumitrescu, SD’01.
Special thanks to Drs. Richardson and Brodeur, Mary Hartwell, dental clinics
manager; Robin Fierro, Jennifer Osborne, and Carrie Lopez, department
assistants, dental clinics; Jody Staff, supervisor, patient relations;
and William Loveless, EdD, professor, department of educational services.
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All rights reserved. Revised February 14, 2001
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