Jim Redfield retires after 40 years of service to LLUSD
by Christy K. Robinson
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| As Charles J. Goodacre, SD'71, MSD, dean of the School of Dentistry, congratulates him, Jim Redfield delightedly receives a retirement gift. |
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| Dental maintenance workers, past and present, honored Jim Redfield at his retirement. From left, Richard Cross, Marian Wood, Jim Redfield, Robert Johnson, Chuck Yetter, and Paul Chambers. |
Imagine this: While the parents of current dental students were still in college themselves, Jim and Gloria Redfield were embarking upon a lifetime of service to Loma Linda University School of Dentistry.
In 1960, a young x-ray technician from Lansing, Michigan, moved to Loma Linda with his bride Gloria, a nurse. He was hired by the first dean of the School of Dentistry, Dr. Webster Prince, and began work at $1.87 per hour. After learning dental radiology from Dr. Glenn Curtis, a member of LLUSD"s founding faculty, Jim Redfield taught that subject to generations of dental and dental hygiene students, for 32 years.
During those years, Jim maintained and repaired dental equipment, ordered and bought equipment, was responsible for fire and safety, planned the designs and remodeling projects throughout the School of Dentistry and its associated campus buildings, worked as superintendent of construction, and even sub-contracted some of it. In 1974, when the south addition to Prince Hall was added, including Dental Supply, the amphitheater, labs, and five-story tower, Jim was there.
He also supervised construction and remodeling projects in the Center for Dental Research and those projects connected with the new pediatric dental clinic and the Dental Surgery Center.
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| Gene Brooks, Loma Linda Fire Department division chief, Jim Redfield, Peter Hills, Chief of San Bernardino County Fire Department, and Rolland Crawford, MPH, Director of Public Safety and Fire Chief for the City of Loma Linda, enjoyed the opportunity to swap firefighting tales. |
Jim is happy with his career in dental maintenance, and can"t think of a better place to suit his needs to work with students, and the opportunity to work with power tools all day.
"I like tools. I spend a lot of time in the garage," says Jim. "When I was a little kid, I made myself a pull toy. I like woodworking."
Somewhere along the way, Jim and his wife bought land in Reche Canyon, and over the course of three years, built their home from the ground up. "We spent three years, after work, at night with fluorescent lights, building the house," he recalls. The only work he had done professionally was the masonry and plastering. The roof was the hardest work, he says, cutting and stacking the boards to bear the weight of roof tiles.
The house and land became home to Jim's family, two daughters and a son, plus assorted livestock and pets. He and Gloria are grandparents to seven children.
When remembering highlights of his career, he mentions first that he enjoyed working directly with the students. An award plaque that was presented to him reads, James Redfield / As a token of the esteem and affection in which he is held by graduates, students, staff and teachers / For his unhesitating and resourceful helpfulness and for his commendable personal attributes / A warm and sunny disposition, unfailing courtesy and consideration toward all with whom he associates / Loma Linda University School of Dentistry Alumni Association 1970.
Another cherished memory is his trip to Bangkok, Thailand, to refugee camp dental clinics, where he took inventory and repaired dental equipment.
For 25 years, from 1968 to 1993, Jim was assistant chief of the Loma Linda Fire Department.
As much as Jim enjoys his jobs, he and his family have enjoyed tandem biking at Newport Beach, and also canoeing on the Russian and Kern Rivers. He and Gloria have a cabin at Moon Ridge, near Big Bear City, and completed a canoe exploration of the entire Big Bear Lake shore.
Nobody really thinks Jim is going away with his retirement. Paul Richardson, SD"72, associate dean for clinic administration, who spoke at Jim"s retirement celebration on April 20, said that Jim was the only person who knew where pipes or conduits were buried or secreted away in walls or ceilings. As Special Projects Manager, Jim will be called upon for his construction expertise. Also, Jim can't stay away from the Prince Hall halls, and will return to teaching dental radiology.
At the retirement celebration, held in the Wong Kerlee International Conference Center, scores of friends and co-workers honored Jim and Gloria with a social gathering and a banquet. Dr. Richardson, on behalf of the School of Dentistry, gave a tribute which was interrupted several times by laughter and applause. He presented Jim with gifts from the School and individuals. The gold watch sparkled in the spotlight, and Jim also enjoyed the carved wooden pen from Dr. Goodacre, a corded "electric screwdriver" from Chuck Yetter, and the memory book written by people whose lives he touched during his tenure here.
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