| Dentalgram |
February 2002
|
In memoriam: Dr. William C. Barnett
by Judson Klooster
Dr. William C. (Bill) Barnett passed to his
rest Thursday, January 24, at his home. Dr. Barnett was an esteemed faculty
member in the School of Dentistry from 1960 through 1967; he was a clinical
assistant professor in the departments of prosthodontics and oral surgery.
He was invited to faculty service by our former dean, Dr. Charles T. Smith.
Greatly loved by his students, he really enjoyed his role as a faculty
member—he saw his purpose as a helper to them in learning the skills
on which their lifetime of dental practice would be based. He particularly
cherished the one-to-one teaching opportunities where he could work with
a student at a lab bench or in a clinic operatory, to demonstrate clinically-related
procedures. Students often came to his house in the evening to seek help
with laboratory projects, or sometimes just to “hang out.” His
ready sense of humor made him a delightful teacher to work with, and eased
tensions where students had encountered difficulties.
Dr. Barnett had a continuing interest in providing clinical care for underserved
people; he spent a month with Dr. George Gamboa where they served as visiting
dentists on the Amazon River on the mission launch, Luziero, providing
dental care for many people who had never seen a dentist before. He made
several trips with the LIGA organization, a group of physicians and dentists,
many of whom are pilots, who fly private planes to various clinic service
opportunities in Mexico.
Dr. Barnett had experienced some heart problems in recent months. He died
peacefully in his sleep, apparently of heart failure. He is survived by
his wife, Lillian; his daughter, Kathyrine, 47, a clinical nurse specialist
with Loma Linda University Medical Center; his son, William II, 42, in
the hotel business in Phuket, Thailand; and one granddaughter, Kaitlin,
7.
Funeral services were held at the Loma Linda Mortuary, with interment
in Montecito Memorial Park. For those who may want to make contributions
in lieu of floral tributes, Mrs. Barnett suggests any of the Adventist
media ministries or student scholarship funds at the School of Dentistry.
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All rights reserved. Revised February 14, 2001
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