Brantley, Cooper, Offenbacher and Roberts Name to Endowed Professorships.

Four endowed professorships were announced at the April 11 Best of Dentistry dinner.

• Charles "Frank" Brantley, DDS-the Harrell Distinguished Professorship in Family Dentistry
• Lyndon Cooper, DDS, MS, PhD-the Stallings Distinguished Professorship in Dentistry
• Steven Offenbacher, DDS, MS, PhD-the OraPharma Distinguished Professorship of Periodontal Medicine
• Michael Roberts, DDS, MS Henson-the Distinguished Professorship of Pediatric Dentistry

Unprecedented in the School's 53 year history, these professorships represent a significant increase in the number of endowed positions in the school and bring the total number to ten.

The Harrell Distinguished Professorship in Family Dentistry
Held by Charles "Frank" Brantley, DDS

Dr. James A. Harrell and his wife, Isabel, longtime Carolina friends and benefactors, endowed the $500,000 Jim and Isabel Harrell Distinguished Professorship in Family Dentistry at the UNC-CH School of Dentistry in 1999. Their $333,000 gift was supplemented with $167,000 from North Carolina's Distinguished Professors Endowment Trust Fund.  

Harrell graduated from Carolina in 1944 and enrolled at the Medical College of Virginia where he finished first in his dental class. Following in his father's footsteps, Harrell came back to Elkin to open his own practice. He's been practicing dentistry for more than 50 years.

Since there wasn't a dental school in-state until 1950, approximately 150 North Carolinians went to out-of-state dental schools annually. After World War II, dental schools were saturated with soldiers returning from the war, and as a result the numbers of North Carolinians attending dental school plummeted. In 1949, the state of North Carolina took measures to solve the problem by chartering a dental school. The School of Dentistry at UNC-CH opened its doors the following year.

Harrell and his wife have been committed to Carolina since the School opened. He has served as the president of the University's General Alumni Association and director of the Educational Foundation.  He is chairman of the School of Dentistry's Carolina First campaign.

Jim and Isabel make their home in Elkin, N.C.

Stallings Distinguished Professorship in Dentistry
Held by Lyndon Cooper, DDS, MS, PhD

A. Donald Stallings and his wife, Billie, created a $500,000 professorship at the UNC-CH School of Dentistry in 1999. The $333,000 gift made by Stallings and his wife was supplemented with $167,000 from the state's Distinguished Professors Endowment Trust Fund.

Stallings, a member of the class of 1960, first learned of North Carolina's only dental school while a UNC-CH football player in the late 1950's. Over the years, Stallings developed a strong bond with the School and the University.

Stallings and his wife have continued to be ardent Carolina fans and longtime benefactors. He served as director of the University's Educational Foundation, the Athletic Board and the General Alumni Association and is currently a member of the UNC Board of Trustees.  Following his graduation from Carolina, Stallings went on to play professional football with the Washington Redskins. After his athletic career, he built the Stallings Oil Co., a highly successful business that operates gas and convenience stores throughout North Carolina and Virginia.

Stallings also is the chairman of Eagle Transport Corp., a trucking company that transports oil in the southeast. He has served as director of the Rocky Mount YMCA and Chamber of Commerce, the N.C. Motor Carriers Association and the National Association of Truck Stop Operators.

Don and Billie make their home in Rocky Mount, N.C.

OraPharma Distinguished Professorship of Periodontal Medicine
Held by Steven Offenbacher, DDS, MS, PhD

The OraPharma Distinguished Professorship of Periodontal Medicine was established for the benefit of the Department of Periodontology at the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Dentistry.  The total endowment of the professorship will be $500,000; $333,000 from OraPharma, Inc. and $167,000 from a state matching grant.

OraPharma, Inc., of Warminster , PA, has been a generous supporter of the Department of Periodontology for several years.  David Scheer, president and CEO of Scheer and Company, and Michael Kishbauch, president and CEO of OraPharma, founded the company in 1996.  Mr. Scheer and Mr. Kishbauch have been pro-active in reaching out to and collaborating with leading scientists in the nation's academic health centers, including those at the UNC School of Dentistry.  This has produced a strong and synergistic industry-university partnership. 

OraPharma, Inc., a pharmaceutical company specializing in oral health care, discovers, develops and commercializes therapeutics for oral health care, oncology and orthopedics. Its initial product, Arestin^TM, represents a promising therapeutic advance for the adjunct treatment of periodontal disease. Arestin^TM received FDA approval for marketing in February 2001 and was launched two months later.  Other new product programs include a compound for the treatment of mucositis, an agent for bone and tissue regeneration, as well as a new technology platform directed at an advanced system for the delivery of large-molecule drugs.

OraPharma, Inc. was purchased by Johnson & Johnson in 2003

Henson Distinguished Professorship of Pediatric Dentistry
Held by Michael Roberts, DDS, MS

The Dr. Donald Henson and Mrs. Alexandra Henson Distinguished Professorship of Pediatric Dentistry was established by the Henson family in 2000 to help ensure that children in North Carolina receive dental care from well-trained practitioners. The professorship honors a distinguished member of the School's faculty or attracts such a  teacher and scholar to the School. The Hensons hope that welcoming new faculty members or elevating others in the School will improve the learning environment for future pediatric dentists.

The total endowment of the professorship is $500,000; $333,000 from the Hensons and $167,000 from the North Carolina Distinguished Professors Endowment Trust Fund.

A senior partner and owner in Affordable Dentures and Affordable Care, Inc. in Kinston, N.C., Dr. Henson is a longtime and generous supporter of the School's pediatric dentistry department. Dr. Henson attended summer pediatric courses at the UNC School of Dentistry after graduating from the University of Pennsylvania dental program in 1951.

The Hensons contributed for many years to the William Demeritt Professorship Fund that honors Dr. Demeritt, former head of UNC's Department of Pediactric Dentistry. They also give to the UNC-CH Educational Foundation, and Dr. Henson served as its president in 1991-1992. He also is a member of the Academy of Dentistry International. Mrs. Henson is a member of the North Carolina Symphony Board of Trustees and served as chairman of the Building Committee at Christ United Methodist Church in Southern Village, near Chapel Hill .   The Henson's serve on the School of Dentistry's Carolina First campaign Honorary Advisory Committee.

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