It is with a heavy heart that we have received word Dr. Charles Dunlap, Professor Emeritus, and former Chair of the Department of Oral Pathology, Radiology, and Medicine, comfortably passed away this past Saturday with daughter, Dr. Shara Dunlap, at his side.

Dr. Dunlap was from Stigler, a small, very modest town in Oklahoma. He often mentioned how shocked and proud he was to be admitted and then graduate from UMKC School of Dentistry in 1960. He went on to pursue and was awarded a certificate in Oral & Maxillofacial Pathology in 1967 and awarded Diplomate of the American Board of Oral Pathology in 1970. Later in his career he served as President of the American Board of Oral Pathology in 1980 and in 1980-81 as President of the American Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology. Interestingly, his first juried publication was with former Dean Hamilton BG Robinson, also a renowned Oral Pathologist, one of many publications, books and chapters, theses, audio visuals, and presentations to his credit.

Dr. Dunlap, Charlie to his colleagues and friends, returned to UMKC to join the faculty, beginning a long and distinguished career, a highly respected and beloved faculty member for over 40 years. He garnered numerous awards for his excellence in teaching and patient care, including Outstanding Teacher Awards numerous years, Elmer Pierson Good Teaching Award, Distinguished Teaching Award many years, Outstanding Teacher awards from students at UMKC as well as KU Med, Governor’s Teaching Award, Faculty Fellowship Award, the annual UMKC Alumni Achievement award, and was named Endowed Rinehart Professor of Dentistry in 1997.

With a regional and national reputation as a clinical pathologist, Dunlap formed a close partnership and friendship with longtime colleague, Dr. Bruce Barker. Together, they built the school’s Oral Pathology Biopsy service into one of national renown, serving as the referral center of choice for many, many alums and physicians. And at the requisite time, found commendable funding from a very grateful (oral cancer) patient to remodel and re-equip the Biopsy Processing Laboratory. Then, long after the time when student study of oral pathology was done through microscopes and only used projected photos of microscopy, Dunlap secured funding from the same donor for construction of two state of the art multi-head, microscope facilities. The microscope teaching facilities allowed Dunlap and Barker to help students better visualize the pathology at a microscopic level, as a pathologist does, creating a stronger foundational understanding. Dunlap, and partner Barker, worked to provide clinical education in pathology that would benefit dentists and dental hygienists in a practical way and be of best service to their patients. They authored the small reference guide “30 Most Common Lesions” championing the core understanding that all oral health clinicians needed for foundational practice, which has a special place on the reference shelf of most alum’s offices.

The number of students taught is in the thousands, many of whom are themselves now renowned clinicians and educators, including among our faculty colleagues. With a command of oral pathology second to none, Dr. Dunlap loved diagnosing and discussing a case with a student or colleague. The door was always open and he was just a phone call away to come to the patient to consult. Many of you have your favorite stories of how comfortable he could make a patient feel, no matter the circumstance, and how quite amazingly no bill for professional services ever appeared. And his generosity did not end there, generously donating to many community causes, scholarship funds and, then in retirement, to fund full case restorative care for patients with no other means to pay.

The latter still stands today with many cases overseen by Dr. Shara Dunlap, his daughter and of course our faculty colleague, of whom he was very proud. Always searching for opportunities to be of service and so believing in the educational process and future of the profession, Dr. Dunlap ever so generously provided key funding for the construction of the Dr. Charles Dunlap Center for Research and Education in Technology (the school’s “Innovation Clinic”) which was formally dedicated in September 2013. The naming of the clinic was fitting recognition to such a distinguished alumni and faculty. And the alums and school extended their appreciation further by bestowing him with the Dr. John Haynes Leadership Through Service Award in 2016; yet another honor to a most selfless person after a long and distinguished career.

There is no doubt that Dr. Dunlap will be missed. Particularly by his family and very close lifelong friends who have been there to share triumphs and joy as well as help burden the sadness life sometimes presents. Please keep his family, particularly Shara, in your thoughts during this difficult time of loss, all of whom were the most important parts of his existence. Dr. Dunlap also took great pleasure in activities as mundane as meeting for coffee, walking the dog, redoing a sailboat or the annual family ski trips to Colorado. By all means take a moment to share your favorite Dr. Dunlap, favorite Charlie, stories. They will make your heart lighter and no doubt bring a smile and allow you to realize what an honor it has been to experience his gifts, kindness and friendship.