Guest editorial: Looking forward to the future
James Crawford

"Loma Linda University School of Dentistry exists today because a few Adventist dentists were persistent in their conviction that dentistry deserved a place in the healing ministry of the Seventh-day Adventist Church."

As we stand at the top of the little knoll of our era in time and look forward to the future that may be ours, let us not forget that many years ago the foundation was laid for our current place in dental school history.

In this issue of Dentistry is an article about the cutting edge teaching technology that is available at "our School". We are justifiably pleased with the modern facilities (crowded though they may be) of "our School." It is great to be connected in some way with success, and to recognize that growth and advancement is always ahead.

James Crawford, SD'60, MPH (far right), chairs the 50th Anniversary Committee for the School of Dentistry. Seated with him are (from left) Willis Schlenker, SD'57, MS'80; Dr. Judson Klooster, dean emeritus; and Sandy Webb, international dental affairs office.

At the turn of the century before the last—1909 to be exact—our founders had the foresight to include the teaching of dentistry in the charter of the College of Medical Evangelists. In the 1930s there was a stirring of the water regarding the building of a School of Dentistry led by Dr. Herbert Childs. In the 1940s Adventist dentists got together and formed the National Association of Seventh-day Adventist Dentists (NASDAD) in answer to the compelling need to activate the charter of 1909 and build a School of Dentistry. By 1951, the leaders at the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists were convinced and as they say, "the rest is history." But the hours, days, and months of agonizing over details, the planning, the discouragement and sometimes lack of support that was felt by those pioneers are seldom recognized. It took great people with strong belief and faith to keep going.

To people like Drs. J.R. Mitchell, Gerald Mitchell, M.W. Prince, Al Koppel, and many others whose work lives on, we owe allegiance, respect, and honor. When we walk the halls of our School, when we read about the successes of our alumni, when we see or hear of the service of our many dental mission clinics, be they at home or abroad, how grateful we are to remember from whence we have come. This is what those "wise men of the '40s" were envisioning as they stood on their little hill and looked forward to their future.

It is fun to stand on the knoll of time and look ahead, but let us look back for a moment and appreciate the great people who dreamed the dreams, who moved the stones, and paved the road for us to enjoy.

This coming year is the School of Dentistry's 50th Anniversary—an opportunity for us to experience some of what our leaders of the past did for us. This is an invitation for you to join in the celebration, which will be highlighted during the Alumni Student Convention February 6 to 10, 2003.

Celebrating 50 Years of Service!