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Dr. Thomas K. Barber, died Thursday, July 24

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A distinguished alumnus and former faculty member of the UIC College of Dentistry
Posted: July 28, 2008
Barber (WinCE).jpgDr. Thomas K. Barber, Renowned Dental Educator and Former Head of the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Dentistry Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Dead at 84

Dr. Thomas K. Barber, a distinguished alumnus and former faculty member of the UIC College of Dentistry, died Thursday, July 24, after complications from open heart surgery two weeks ago. He was 84.

Dr. Barber earned both his DDS and MS in Pediatric Dentistry degrees from the College in 1949. After serving as a Research Assistant at the College in 1950-51, he joined the faculty in 1951, became head of the Department of Pediatric Dentistry in 1965, and left in 1969 to launch the postgraduate program in pediatric dentistry at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA).
He began at UCLA’s dental school as Head of the Department of Pedodontics, became Chairman of the Division of Pediatric Dentistry, then Associate Dean, and served as Acting Dean in 1993.

Dr. Barber was a pacesetter in research and was one of the first pediatric dentistry researchers and teachers to address preventive orthodontics. He and the late Dr. Earl Renfroe, an orthodontics faculty member at the UIC College of Dentistry, wrote the seminal article in 1957 on preventive and interceptive orthodontics for the general practitioner that changed the profession’s focus from correction to prevention of malocclusion in youngsters. The article, “Interceptive orthodontics for the general practitioner,” Journal of the American Dental Association, 54(3): 328-347, 19547, was re-published in many languages and dental/medical journals worldwide.

Dr. Barber’s research also showed that drinking fluoridated water can reduce malocclusion in children, which he reported to the American Dental Association in 1964.

He considered the great UIC College of Dentistry faculty Dr. Allan G. Brodie, Dr. Maury Massler, and Dr. Isaac Schour as his mentors, and noted “I have always felt a deep obligation to those men in that they made opportunities for me and led me to a career that turned out so fruitful,” Dr. Barber said. “So I always felt the obligation to them to pass the opportunities on to other young students if it was in my power to do so.”

“Tom Barber was one of the UIC College of Dentistry’s all-time great faculty,” said Dean Bruce Graham. “And although he moved to California nearly 40 years ago, he was an incredibly active and engaged alumnus and former faculty member, frequently coming back for reunions, educational events, and fundraising for the College. His care for pediatric dentistry patients was extraordinary. I recall he once said that drying a child’s tears by eliminating their oral pain was one of his greatest joys in life. He was an incredible human being.”

 “Tom was a dear friend and an historic figure in the history of the UIC College of Dentistry, because he was one of the founding fathers of pediatric dentistry,” said Dr. Indru Punwani, Head of the Department of Pediatric Dentistry. “He was a compassionate and caring person and a mentor who touched the lives of many students, alumni, and faculty at UIC. He was a regular e-mail correspondent and a frequent visitor to the College, and I will miss him. May he rest in peace.”

“He will be remembered, and sorely missed, as a friend, mentor, and as an icon of our specialty,” said Dr. Ray E. Stewart, Executive Director of the California Society of Pediatric Dentistry. “Many of our lives were directly touched by Tom's presence on this Earth and will feel forever indebted for the positive influence he had on our careers.”

Dr. Barber received the University of Illinois Distinguished Service Award from the University of Illinois Alumni Association at UIC commencement ceremonies May 11, 2003. The honor is second in rank only to the Alumni Achievement Award among all awards bestowed by the University, and is given annually to only one person from each campus. The award was given to Dr. Barber for consistently demonstrating extraordinary commitment, dedication, and service to the advancement of the University.

He also had received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the UIC College of Dentistry in 1977.
Despite leaving the UIC College of Dentistry in 1969, Dr. Barber kept in close contact with it, and two of the College’s funds to which alumni and friends can donate to support the Department of Pediatric Dentistry have been named for Dr. Barber for many years. He contributed a chapter to the book Essays on Earl Renfroe: A Man of Firsts, published by the UIC College of Dentistry in 2001.
Dr. Barber was a Fellow of the American College of Dentists; member of the American Academy Pedodontics (Editorial Board member 1974-85, Chairman 1977-79, Associate Editor 1978-81), American Association of Dental Editors, American Society of Dentistry for Children (member, Research and Review Board 1974-93; Dentist of the Year 1980), American Dental Association (Chairman of the Pedodontics Scientific Session 1973-74), International Association of Dental Research, American Association of Dental Schools (member, Curricular Guidelines for Dental Care of the Handicapped Committee 1978-79), California Society of Pediatric Dentists (Executive Board 1974-80, President 1979-80, Executive Director 1990), Illinois Society of Dentistry for Children (President 1950-51), Southern California Society of Dentistry for Children, California Dental Association (member, Council on Dental Education 1979-82), Dental Foundation of California (member, Board of Directors 1983-93; Vice President 1987-90; President 1990), Associacion Odontiologica Del Peru, Sociedad Peruana Odontopediatria, Societe Francaise de Pedodontic, Sigma Xi, and Omicron Kappa Upsilon (recipient, Wolcott Teaching Award 1990).

Dr. Barber resided in Arroyo Grande, CA. He was preceded in death by his wife, Margot, and is survived by their children Margaret, Thomas, and Robert.
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