Classes of the 1960s
Robert Griffin (D.D.S. '62) retired in 1995. His son, Doug (D.D.S. '92), took over the practice. Robert has traveled all around the world. The only place left on his bucket list is Antarctica.
Jon Harrison (D.D.S. '62) retired from dentistry and retired from much travel because of COVID. He is still on a couple of bank boards and active in church outreach ministries at 85.
James Ruble (D.D.S. '62) and his wife, Shirley, enjoy traveling, fishing, raising cattle and visiting their children and grandchildren.
William Rubright (D.D.S. '62) is now Professor Emeritus of Periodontics at the University of Iowa College of Dentistry after being a part of the school's faculty for 30 years.
Peter Spence (D.D.S. '62) retired after 50 years of general dentistry in 2008. He's been keeping busy ever since with traveling, Broncos games and enjoying the grandchildren.
Terry Williams's (D.D.S. '62) wife, Nancy, passed away in June 2014. He still has a home at the Lake of the Ozarks - Sunrise Beach.
Rodney Dubois (D.D.S. '67) keeps a current dental license, is on staff at Seattle Children's Hospital and is also a consultant for the Washington Health Care Authority. He sold his lifetime home on Lake Washington, and will spend more time at his Tucson house, but still calls Bellevue, Washington, home.
Jerry Nossaman (D.D.S. '67) finished his fourth screenplay - all are still unsold.
Ralph Younger (D.D.S. '67) retired in 2009, after 39 good years in Warrensburg, Missouri. He was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease in 2018.
Classes of the 1970s
Ron Wright (D.D.S. '71) is retired and still flying WWII aircraft as a hobby.
Marc Abrams (D.D.S. '72) has been retired from Oral Surgery in St. Louis for five years. He has three children and six grandchildren spread out over Denver, Seattle and Idaho. Marc and his wife, Marilyn, spend the summers at their house in Breckenridge, Colorado, and the rest of the year at their home in St. Louis.
Gary Britton (D.D.S. '72) and Fran Kempster Britton (B.S.D.H. '71) have been together 51 years, after meeting in the X-ray darkroom. Gary and Fran celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in July 2021. Gary is retired from private practice in Yukon, Oklahoma. He and Fran have three daughters, five grandsons and two granddaughters, plus lots of pets.
William Brown (D.D.S. '72) celebrated his 40th wedding anniversary to his wife, Claudia, in May 2021 and retired from practice December 15, 2021.
Peter Loomis (D.D.S. '72) is past president of the American Board of Forensic Odontology. He's semi-retired, but still teaching as a clinical assistant professor at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine departments of pathology and pediatrics, along with consulting as the chief forensic odontologist for the State of New Mexico. Peter is married to his wonderful wife, Lu. Together, they have five children and eight grandchildren.
James R. Nelson (D.D.S. '72) retired as an endodontist. He now farms 750 acres in Iowa. He enjoys hunting, fishing and native prairie restoration.
Edward Schanda (D.D.S. '72) has been retired for seven years. He and his wife, Bonnie, still live in Forsyth, Missouri. They have two daughters, four grandkids and one great grandkid. Edward practiced more than 40 years.
James Schuette (D.D.S. '72) retired in May 2021. James has 20 grandchildren and 13 great grandchildren. His hobbies are gardening and fishing. He will be going back to missionary field soon, likely to Africa.
Jim Cocklin (D.D.S. '77) is enjoying retirement and his six grandchildren.
Tomas Duran (D.D.S. '77) officially retired in February 2022. His eldest grandson graduated from high school. Thomas is working part-time at a low-income clinic for seniors and is also still running and cycling.
Merlin Eaton (D.D.S. '77) retired in 2017.
Randall Hestir (D.D.S. '77) is still working with his son as one of the four other dentists in the practice. He jokes that he's now short, fat, ugly, old and bald!
Mark Milde (D.D.S. '77) retired with his lovely wife, Cheryl (married 50 years). He enjoys golf, travel, family, friends and the grandchildren. He says dentistry has allowed his family to travel the world. Most of all, he says, it has afforded them the opportunity to help, and ultimately, befriend wonderful patients.
Paul Miller (D.D.S. '77, ORTHO '80) is past president of COABO, received the Samir Bishara Award of Merit in 2019, is a Board Certified Orthodontist and was named UMKC Orthodontic Alumni Orthodontist of the Year in 2018. Paul is married to Kristy with two children, Solomon and Micah Miller.
Classes of the 1980s
Jeri Ross Bills (D.D.S. '82) and her husband, Chris, are retired to their beach house in coastal North Carolina. She sold her Endo practice after 35 years at the beginning of COVID.
Steven Cross (D.D.S. '82) retired from private practice in April of 2020.
Kevin Cummings (D.D.S. '82) has been retired for four years. His son, Matthew, is in practice in Lee's Summit. Kevin has 12 grandchildren and another on the way - 10 of those grandkids are boys! Cummings has also been an ordained member of clergy for the archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas since 2010. He's very involved with two non-profits: Gabriel Project KC and St. Mary's Home for Mothers.
Jonathan Majers (D.D.S. '82) is now retired.
Elwood Rice (D.D.S. '82) has been involved in organized dentistry for 40 years on local, state and national levels. He's been married for 45 years to his wife, Liz. They have four children and 12 grandchildren (10 girls and 2 boys). His son, Elliott, graduated from UMKC School of Dentistry in May 2022 and will be joining Elwood in his practice in Mexico, Missouri.
Jeff Rickabaugh (D.D.S. '82) was named North Carolina Association of Orthodontists President in 2013, North Carolina delegate to AAO House of Delegates from 2013- 2017, Speaker of the House of Delegates from 2018-2021 and SAO winner of the Oren Oliver Distinguished Service Award in October 2021.
Richard Stein (D.D.S. '82) and wife, Peggy, are helping take care of their grandchildren in Davis, California. Richard is involved with Rotary (past president), serves as president of Sunflower Rail-Trails Conservancy and helps with grade school and gardening work in Davis' city park.
John Wildgen (D.D.S. '82) sold his practice to Forum Dental in October 2015. He worked two days a week until he retired in September 2019.
Greg Kelley (D.D.S. '87) retired from solo practice in August 2020. He has two grandsons, ages 4 and 1.
Edward McAllister's (D.D.S. '87) son will be graduating from UMKC School of Dentistry in 2023. This will be the third generation of dentists in the McAllister family.
Mark Scantlan (D.D.S. '87) was president of the Greater St. Louis Dental Society in 2020. He is a fellow of the American College of Dentists and International College of Dentists.
Randal Scott (D.D.S. '87) retired in 2017, celebrated his eighth anniversary in 2021, and his son, Griffin, graduated from UW Seattle in Biomedical Engineering.
Mary Jane Suppasansathorn (D.D.S. '87) has been married 46 years and has eight grandchildren.
Classes of the 1990s
Pamela Richardson (D.D.S. '92) completed a GPR at the naval Medical Center in San Diego in 1993. She then served three years with the Marines, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force at 29 Palms California. Pamela is in group practice now in the Kansas City area. She has a husband, Jeff, and three daughters.
Conrad Journée (D.D.S. '97) sold his practice in Kansas in 2021 and is currently a partner in a Missouri office. He's now working three days a week!
Roger Lee (D.D.S. '97) has a son (age 5) and a daughter (age 3). He and his family are moving to the suburbs of San Francisco.
Daniel Sanchez (D.D.S. '97) sold his practice in 2020 and is now the dental director of the public health clinic in El Rito, New Mexico.
Classes of the 2000s
Guy Gross (D.D.S. '02) opened a youth baseball/softball practice facility called The Yard, which houses both indoor practice areas for pitching and batting, and a covered regulation-sized infield turf field. His passion for coaching and the sport of baseball led him to develop this facility in November 2020. He worked with the city of Salina, Kansas, to develop a section of downtown into a thriving non-profit that connects children with excellent baseball/softball facilities, coaches and space for practices when weather is less than ideal.
Kate Gross (D.D.S. '02) was selected to be the Kansas dentist for Smiles for America, a charitable program that paired 50 dentists in each 50 states, with 50 American Heroes (first responders, police/fire/EMS). Each "hero" was selected by the dentist and received a new smile in appreciation for their service to their community.
Molly Frew Hodges (D.D.S. '02) is retired and happily married to Chester Frew.
Jessica Quint (D.D.S. '02) and her husband, Billy, live in Fayette, Missouri and are raising three kids: Murphy (age 19), Hannah (age 16) and Thaddeus (age 13).
Joy Brauer (D.D.S. '03) has earned the Accredited Member credential in the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (AACD). Joy has been living in Arizona for the last 18 years. Since 2006, she's worked in a dental practice that she opened with her husband, Howie.
Justin Ebersole (D.D.S. '07) shifted from a partnership to a solo practice in July of 2020. He continues to own and operate Parsons Dental Care with his wife, Sadie Ebersole (D.H. '05). Justin continues to be an avid outdoorsman, spending as much time as possible outside with his two sons, Ace (age 12) and Asher (age 9).
Damon Jensen (D.D.S. '07) is still in the Navy and moved to Guam this summer. The family enjoys snorkeling, but is still adjusting to all the rain.
Jacob Krehbiel (D.D.S. '07) has three kids: Koen (age 12), Winston (age 9) and Isla (age 7). Jacob owns Hickman Family Dental in Urbandale, Iowa.
Rita Diana Philip (D.D.S. '07) has a 10-year-old son, has been married 25 years and enjoys helping children and adults move from hopeless teeth to beautiful ones. She loves to help people come out of poverty and hopelessness.
Classes of the 2010s
Emily Carter (D.D.S. '12) had her first daughter, Liv, shortly after graduating. She went on to have two sons, Rowan and Finn, and then a second daughter, Lael. Emily started her orthodontic practice in 2015, brought in a partner in 2018 and recently brought in a new associate.
Brianna Ganson (D.D.S '12) and her husband, Troy, have two children - Knox (age 9) and Brinkley (age 7). Brianna owns Happy Teeth Dentistry in Leawood, Kansas and works at KC Children's Surgery Center twice a month.
Amy Gensweider (D.D.S. '12) was married in 2016. Her first child, Leo, was born in 2019 and her little girl, Ada, was born in 2021.
Chelsea (Reutenauer) Fohey (D.D.S. '17) welcomed her son Owen to the world in February 2021. She also celebrated three years as owner of Fohey Dental. Chelsea married her high school sweetheart, Jordan, in 2017.
Erik Grant (D.D.S. '17) has four kids: Caris (age 5), Emma (age 4), Ezra (age 2) and Cooper (age 1). Erik's wife, Callie, is doing well and is busy with the kiddos. Erik works with the same dentist he had as a child.
Michael Greaves (D.D.S. '17) married Kori Page Rienbolt (D.D.S. '17) in September 2021.
Scuyler Kurlbaum (D.D.S. '17) and Nicole Kurlbaum (D.D.S. '22) had a baby girl, Ruthie, in 2021.
Joshua Prather (DDS '17) has three children and owns a private practice in Fulton, Missouri.
Justin Weststeyn (D.D.S. '17) married Edith (Wimsatt) Weststeyn (D.D.S. '17) in June 2018. Their son Bennett was born in September of 2019 and began his big brother duties in March 2022. They currently are living in Cincinnati, Ohio. Justin works for DSO and Edie is in Pedo Residency.
Benco Dental recognizes women in dentistry through its Lucy Hobbs Project in honor of the first female dentist. Jessica Sliger (D.D.S. '18) was the recipient of the Woman to Watch Award. She works for Rock Dental Brands at My Village Pediatric Dentistry out of Bentonville, Arkansas, where she spends much of her time creating instructional content in English and Spanish to inform families on oral hygiene and nutrition. Sliger also participates in Diversity in Dentistry and in UMKC's Explorer Post Program.