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Honoring Our Alumni

At Alumni Day 2015 on September 25, over 300 alumni and students gathered to celebrate the school's progress after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. During the morning remarks, Dr. Trey Carlton, president of the LSUSD Alumni Association, welcomed attendees and Dean Henry Gremillion reviewed the numerous accomplishments in the ten years since the storm. Speakers included Markus Blatz, DMD, PhD, who presented a full-day course on ceramics in esthetic dentistry, and Lisa Marie Spradley, who spoke on the keys for a successful dental team. A reception capped the day's events. Net proceeds from the day benefited the Alumni Association, whose aim is to advance the LSUSD mission.

As is tradition, three alumni were recognized for their achievements in the dental profession, and for their service to the community and the school. Dr. Robert Barsley received the Alumnus of the Year Award and Dr. John Hendry, the Distinguished Alumnus Award. A special Alumnus of the Year Award was also presented in memoriam to Dr. Raymond Unland.

  Robert E. Barsley, Jr., DDS, JD

Alumnus of the Year
Robert E. Barsley, Jr., DDS, JD

Robert E. Barsley, Jr., DDS, JD, a 1977 graduate of the LSUHSC School of Dentistry (LSUSD), is currently a professor in the LSUSD Department of Diagnostic Sciences and the director of Oral Health Resources and Community Dentistry. He attended Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee, and LSU in Baton Rouge before attending LSUSD. While at LSU he served as manager of the varsity basketball team during Coach Press Maravich's final season, and the next year, as the manager of Coach Dale Brown's inaugural team. Upon receiving his DDS, Dr. Barsley established a general dentistry private practice in Ponchatoula. Within a year, he joined LSUSD as a part-time clinical instructor in the Department of General Dentistry. Leaving private practice in 1982, he joined the LSUSD faculty full-time and has since advanced to the rank of full professor.

While teaching at LSUSD, he began the Masters of Education program offered through the University of New Orleans, completing 30 of the 33 required hours before entering Loyola University School of Law in New Orleans, where he earned his JD degree in 1987. He was admitted to the Louisiana bar in 1987. He is a fellow of the American College of Dentists, the International College of Dentists, the Pierre Fauchard Academy, and the Odontology Section of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences. In 1987 he was named the third Harry W. Bruce, Jr., Legislative Fellow by the American Association of Dental Schools (now ADEA). In 1998 he was selected as a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Congressional Health Policy Fellow in the office of Senator John Breaux. He currently serves as a delegate to the American Dental Association (ADA) House of Delegates; he is a former chairman of the ADA Council on Access, Prevention, and Interprofessional Relations; and he is a former general chairman for local arrangements of the ADA Council on the Annual Session. A past speaker of the Louisiana Dental Association (LDA) House of Delegates and LDA Secretary/Treasurer, he is currently president-elect of the LDA. He is a former general chairman of the New Orleans Dental Conference and former member of the NODA Board of Governors.

Dr. Barsley has served as a consultant to numerous coroners' offices in southern Louisiana and is on staff at the coroner's office in both Orleans Parish and Jefferson Parish. As a member of Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team Region VI (US Public Health Service), he served an extended tour of duty in the dental section of the Hurricane Katrina and Rita morgues in St. Gabriel and Carville, Louisiana. Dr. Barsley was recently asked to chair the Odontology Subcommittee for the newly commissioned Forensic Sciences Standards Board of the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

Dr. Barsley has also served as acting state dental director of the Louisiana Office of Public Health and as the chief compliance office for the LSU Health Sciences Center. He has held numerous offices in various forensic organizations, including president of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences. He has served as treasurer of the Forensic Science Foundation, and president of the American Board of Forensic Odontology, as well as president of the American Society of Forensic Odontology. In 2012 he was elected treasurer of the Council of Scientific Society Presidents, a position he still holds.

Dr. Barsley continues to reside in Ponchatoula, where he is a member of the Rotary Club. He recently completed a nine-year appointment as the magistrate judge for the Ponchatoula City Court. He is married to the former Gwen Ballard, a retired teacher and school principal. Their daughter, Emily, is currently in her first year of medical study at LSU Medical School in Shreveport.

Alumnus of the Year—In Memoriam
Raymond Unland, Jr., DDS

Raymond Unland, Jr., DDS

With appreciation and respect, the LSUSD Alumni Association Board of Directors posthumously honored Raymond Unland, Jr., DDS, with the Alumnus of the Year award. A friend to so many in the dental community, he was highly respected by his patients and colleagues. In addition to operating a successful private dental practice in Metairie, Dr. Unland was dedicated to educating and mentoring dental students. He joined LSUSD as part-time clinical assistant professor in prosthodontics in 2007, but his teaching career started while he was in dental school. At his graduation in 1982, he received the Advanced Education Award in General Dentistry to recognize his teaching efforts in preclinical fixed prosthodontics. From 1983 to 1984, during his general dentistry residency at LSUSD, he served as instructor in the general dentistry clinic. He also taught second-year residents at Charity Hospital and Touro Infirmary from 1987 to 1990. In 1997 he began presenting a series of lectures, "Starting Your Dental Practice", to fourth-year dental students.

A natural leader, Dr. Unland was committed to organized dentistry and the community-at-large. He was budget chairman of the New Orleans Dental Conference Board of Directors, chair of the New Orleans Dental Association (NODA) Governmental Affairs Committee, and a member of the Louisiana Dental Association Council of Governmental Affairs. He also served as treasurer, first vice-president, and president-elect of NODA; he was installed as the 95th president on December 18th, 2013. Dr. Unland also was a member of the LSUSD Alumni Association Board of Directors and generously contributed to school fundraising initiatives.

A champion for the disabled for over two decades, since 1987 he had served as president of the Dental Lifeline Network, which provides donated dental services to New Orleans area disabled, elderly and medically at-risk patients. In 1998 he received recognition for his service from the National Foundation of Dentistry for the Handicapped. His extensive service to civic and community groups also led to a fellowship in the American College of Dentists and membership in the Pierre Fauchard Academy.

Dr. Unland devoted himself to physical fitness, becoming a triathlete and participating in numerous marathons, triathlons and Ironman events. He is survived by his wife, Janice Bertucci Unland, his children, Lindsay Sellers and Rebecca Klaskala, and his brother, Mark Unland.

Classmates Drs. Ruth Morgan and Cindy Miciotto nominated Dr. Unland to receive the Alumnus of the Year award. "He was the most adamant supporter of all things LSU and all things human I have ever known," wrote Dr. Morgan. "I miss him so much," wrote Dr. Miciotto. "He was the best friend anyone could ever have…no finer man has ever walked this earth."

Mark Unland beautifully expressed his brother's essence in a Facebook post following his death. "I lost my brother, but we all lost a hero, a builder, a leader, a teacher, an athlete, a friend and a Super Dad. He was truly an Ironman."

Distinguished Alumnus Award
John A. Hendry, DDS

John A. Hendry, DDS

John A. Hendry, DDS, received his dental degree in 1977 and completed his pediatric dentistry residency in 1979 at LSUSD. Originally from Florida, he moved to Lafayette, Louisiana, after his residency to begin a private practice. His wife Dr. Cheryl Woodson, a general dentist, is also an LSUSD graduate. Since 1980 Dr. Hendry has served as an adjunct gratis lecturer at the school for both dental students and pediatric residents. He has hospital affiliations with Lafayette General Medical Center, Women's and Children's Hospital, Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Hospital, and the Surgery Center.

Dr. Hendry achieved certification by the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) in 1986 and has been a member of the organization for nearly 35 years. He has served on multiple AAPD committees and has been a national spokesperson for the organization since 1988. He is a diplomate and fellow of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry and a fellow of the American College of Dentists, International College of Dentists, and the Academy of Dentistry for Persons with Disabilities. He currently serves on the AAPD Board of Trustees and on its executive board. He also serves as an examiner for the AAPD Oral Clinical Examination.

Dr. Hendry has an evident commitment to children and persons with special needs. He is a presidential level member of the Foundation of the AAPD, Healthy Smiles Healthy Children, and has served as president of the American Academy of Persons with Disabilities, American Academy of Dentistry for the Handicapped, and the Louisiana Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. Dr. Hendry was also president and a founding board member of both the Federation of Special Care Organizations in Dentistry and the Louisiana Foundation of Dentistry for the Handicapped. In 2014 he was awarded the AAPD Manny Album Award for lifetime service to children of special needs.

Over the years, Dr. Hendry has been involved with many other initiatives. He is a founding board member of and served as dental director for the Lafayette Community Health Care Clinic; he is founder and coordinator of "Doctors with a Heart" Donated Dental Services; and he was the dental coordinator for Lafayette Parish School Board Head Start. Since 1980 he has served as the Acadiana chairman for National Children's Dental Health Month and for nearly a decade, he served as the Louisiana coordinator for the National Foundation of Dentistry for Handicapped "Campaign of Concern".

A graduate of Spring Hill College in Mobile, Alabama, Dr. Hendry has been a member of the Board of Trustees and in 2001 he received the "Ignatian Award", the highest alumni honor given by the college. He also serves on the board of directors of Home Bank, the Jewel P. Lowe Foundation, and "The Winning Pitch" Foundation. He is a member of the United Way Hall of Fame. A member of the United States Golf Association Junior Amateur Committee for 16 years, Dr. Hendry was president of the Louisiana Open (PGA's Nationwide Tour) and founded the Louisiana Golf Foundation.

In addition to his current board service, he previously served as a board member of the Child Protection Agency, the American Heart Association, and the National Hemophilia Association. In 2014 Dr. Hendry received the Louisiana Hemophilia Association "Professional of the Year" Award.

"Occasionally one meets that rare person who serves as an inspiration both professionally and personally," said Dr. Kimberly Patterson, Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatric Dentistry. "Dr. Hendry embodies all an LSU School of Dentistry graduate should aspire to be, and with pride as both a colleague and friend I nominate him for the Louisiana State University School of Dentistry Distinguished Alumnus Award. He is a role model, dentist, mentor, and friend to so many." The LSUSD Alumni Association Board of Directors is pleased to honor Dr. John Hendry for his commitment to children, the handicapped, his community, and especially to the dental profession.

Click here to see a list of our Alumni Day sponsors. Thank you for your support.

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Last Update 9/2015