Volume 8 • 2021 • Issue 1

Remembering Dentistry Leaders Dr.WesleyDunn Dr. Wesley (Wes) John Dunn of London, ON, passed away on November 15, 2020. He was 96 years old. D r. Dunn studied dentistry at the University of Toronto (U of T) and obtained his DDS in 1947. He practised in Toronto from1947 to1955. Involved in student government from his undergraduate days, he founded the Canadian Society of Dentistry for Children in 1951 and was its Organizing Secretary until 1953. Dr. Dunn also held various editorial positions in three of Canada’s major dentistry journals. After becoming the assistant editor of the Journal of the Ontario Dental Association , he took on the role of editor of Oral Health between 1950 and 1953. In 1953, he became the editor of the Journal of the Canadian Dental Association (JCDA) at a time when CDA was located on St. George Street in Toronto. Until 1958, JCDA greatly benefited from Dr. Dunn’s eloquent writing and his passionate interest in the advancement and well-being of the profession. Between 1956 and 1965, Dr. Dunn served as registrar, secretary and treasurer of the Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario (RCDSO). During this time, he decided to primarily focus on the administrative and academic aspects of dentistry. In 1989, Dr. Dunn was appointed RCDSO president for a two- year term. In 1965, Dr. Dunn became the founding dean of the Faculty of Dentistry of the University of Western Ontario (UWO). At UWO, Dr. Dunn taught Ethics and Dental Jurisprudence up until 1989. Dr. Dunn held his deanship until 1982. He became professor emeritus in 1989 and remained active in this role. He was awarded the UWO Alumni of Distinction Award in 2004 and the Alumni Association Award of Merit in 2009. The same year, UWO conferred an honorary degree of Doctor of Laws to Dr. Dunn in recognition of his remarkable contributions to UWO and to dentistry. Dr. Dunn was the first dentist appointed to the Ontario Council on Health. He was also a strong supporter of public water fluoridation. As chairman of the fluoridation committee for the Health League of Canada, he took part in debates after the City of Toronto approved fluoridation in 1955, arguing in favour of its benefits for the oral health of the population. Dr. Dunn was also a founding director of CDSPI. He truly was a pillar of organized dentistry in Canada. Dr. Dunn received the Barnabas W. Day Award from ODA in 1988 in recognition of his extraordinary contributions to the profession. In 2006, he received Honorary Life Membership from the Toronto Academy of Dentistry. He was also granted Honorary Memberships from both CDA and ODA. Dr. Dunn’s community engagement was not limited to dentistry. He sat on the Boards of organizations such as the London Health Sciences Centre, the Children’s Health Foundation, United Community Services, the Ontario Commission on Interuniversity Athletics and the London YWCA/YMCA. Dr. Dunn is survived by his sons, Steven and Brian; his grandchildren, Geneviève, Jean-Michel, Sarah and Michael; and a great-grandson, Théodore. He is predeceased by his wife of 62 years, Jean (2011), and his son, Bruce (2020). O bituaries 42 | 2021 | Issue 1