Earl W. Renfroe
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Earl Wiley Renfroe (Jan. 9, 1907-Nov. 14, 2000) was a history-maker in the field of orthodontics and in breaking down the barriers of racism.
Dr. Renfroe taught at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Dentistry from 1933 through the 1980s. For many years, he was acknowledged as one of the best hands-on clinical orthodontics instructors in the world.
With fellow faculty member Dr. Thomas K. Barber of the College's Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Dr. Renfroe in 1957 wrote a seminal article on the concepts of preventive and interceptive orthodontics. Dr. Renfroe also is considered one of the "fathers of orthodontics" in Brazil.
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[edit] Breaking Down Barriers for African Americans
In 1966, his being named head of the Department of Orthodontics made him the first African American to lead a department at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Dentistry.
Dr. Renfroe often broke down barriers for African Americans. He was the first African American orthodontist to open an office in the Chicago downtown Loop area, and the first African American in Illinois to be licensed as a commercial aviator.
[edit] Early Years
Born in Chicago Jan. 9, 1907, Earl Renfroe graduated from Austin O. Sexton Grammar School in 1921 and from James H. Bowen High School in 1925. At Bowen, be became the first African American in the school's history to attain the rank of Cadet Commander in the Reserve Officers Training Corps.
After attending Crane Junior College, Earl Renfroe became the first student at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Dentistry to work outside the College full-time while carrying a full course load. Despite this burden, he graduated first in his class of 127 Doctor of Dental Surgery degree-earning students in 1931.
In 1932, he joined the Illinois National Guard, and eventually was awarded the rank of general in 1984. In 1933, he joined the faculty of the UIC College of Dentistry, and in 1934, he became the first African American in Illinois, and only the third in the nation, to obtain a commercial pilot's license. He later served as an inspector for the Illinois Aeronautics Commission.
[edit] Breakthroughs in Dentistry
Once on the UIC College of Dentistry faculty, he ended the practice of students being allowed to provide dental care only for the patients of the same race as themselves.
In 1942, when he earned his Master's Degree in orthodontics from the UIC College of Dentistry, he became the first African American in Chicago to become an orthodontist.
Dr. Renfroe served as chief of the United States Army Dental Service in Fort Huachuca, AZ, during World War II, and he remained in the United States Army Reserve thereafter, retiring as a colonel in 1968.
In 1950, Dr. Renfroe opened an office downtown in Chicago's "Loop" (downtown area), becoming not only the first African American orthodontist in the Loop, but the only African American professional in any field to have an office in Chicago's downtown at that time.
Dr. Renfroe was promoted to associate professor at the UIC College of Dentistry in 1953, and to full professor in 1957.
That same year, Dr. Renfroe and Dr. Barber, another UIC College of Dentistry faculty member, collaborated on their seminal article on the concepts of preventive and interceptive orthodontics, "Interceptive Orthodontics for the General Practitioner," Journal of the American Dental Association, 54(3): 328-347, 1957), which was republished in many languages in several journals worldwide. A year later, Dr. Renfroe was elected president of the Chicago Association of Orthodontists.
[edit] International Impact
In the late 1950s, Dr. Renfroe began traveling abroad to lecture on orthodontics. He eventually taught in nine countries including Brazil, and was the first U.S. dentist to be invited back to Brazil, where he is considered one of "the fathers of orthodontics," seven times. Upon being invited to Brazil the first time, he learned Portuguese so he could teach the course in the Brazilian dentists' native language.
Dr. Renfroe also made 30 trips to Barbados, where a dental facility now is named for him.
[edit] Important Textbooks
In 1960, his landmark textbook, Technique Training in Orthodontics, was published By Edwards Bros. Inc., Ann Armor, MI. The Brazilian army made the book required reading for its dentists in 1964.
Edgewise, his second textbook, was published by Lea & Febiger, Philadelphia, in English in 1975, and in Japanese in 1977.
[edit] Honors and Interests
In 1988, he was honored with the Distinguished Alumnus Award by the UIC Dental Alumni Association, and two years later was inducted into the Chicago Senior Citizens Hall of Fame.
His wide range of interests--particularly his hobbies of flying, amateur radio operation, pistol and rifle marksmanship, model locomotives, and SCUBA diving--saw him active in over a dozen civic organizations. The eclectic mix included the Chicago Council on Foreign Relations (which he served as vice president in 1968); the Chicago Urban League; the Chicago Natural History (now Field) Museum; the International Oceanographic Foundation; the National Conference of Christians and Jews; the National Geographic Society; the 20 Fathom (SCUBA) Club; and many more.
He also was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, Sigma Pi Phi fraternity, Beta Boule, and the Druids societal group.
Dr. Renfroe was married to the former Hilda Forte, who died Sept. 13, 2000. His sons are Earl Renfroe Jr. and Stephen Renfroe, and his daughter is Diane Renfroe.
Dr. Renfroe is buried at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, VA.
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- Bike, William S. Essays on Earl Renfroe: A Man of Firsts. Chicago: UIC College of Dentistry Press, 2001.
- Alumni Report, UIC College of Dentistry, Fall/Winter 2000-01, p 24-25.
