Dr. Earl W. Renfroe. (Photo courtesy UIC College of Dentistry.)

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. 1907 (MCMVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... This article is about the year 2000. ... Orthodontics (or orthodontia) is a specialty of dentistry that is concerned with the study and treatment of malocclusions, which may be a result of tooth irregularity, disproportionate jaw relationships, or both. ... An African-American man drinks out of the colored only water cooler at a racially segregated street car terminal in the United States in 1939. ...

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. 1933 (MCMXXXIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ...

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. 1957 (MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

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. 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1966 calendar). ... An African American (also Afro-American, Black American, or simply black) is a member of an ethnic group in the United States whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Africa. ...

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. Nickname: The Windy City, The Second City, Chi Town Motto: Urbs In Horto (Latin: City in a Garden), I Will Location in Chicagoland and Illinois Coordinates: Country United States State Illinois Counties Cook, DuPage Incorporated March 4, 1837 Mayor Richard M. Daley (D) Area    - City 606. ... Official language(s) English Capital Springfield Largest city Chicago Area  Ranked 25th  - Total 57,918 sq mi (149,998 km²)  - Width 210 miles (340 km)  - Length 390 miles (629 km)  - % water 4. ... An aviator is a person who flies aircraft for pleasure or as a profession. ...

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. 1921 (MCMXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... 1925 (MCMXXV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) is a training program of the United States armed forces present on college campuses to recruit and educate commissioned officers. ...

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. The University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) is a public, state-supported research university. ... The Doctor of Dental Surgery (D.D.S.) suffix denotes one of two common doctorates in the United States for dentists, the other being Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD). ... 1931 (MCMXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link is to a full 1931 calendar). ...

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. 1932 (MCMXXXII) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link will take you to a full 1932 calendar). ... 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1933 (MCMXXXIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1934 (MCMXXXIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ...

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. 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1942 calendar). ... A masters degree is an academic degree usually awarded for completion of a postgraduate (or graduate) course of one to three years in duration. ...

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. The United States Army is the largest branch of the United States armed forces and has primary responsibility for land-based military operations. ... This article is becoming very long. ... The United States Army Reserve is the federal reserve force of the United States Army. ... 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ...

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. 1950 (MCML) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Dr. Renfroe was promoted to associate professor at the UIC College of Dentistry in 1953, and to full professor in 1957. 1953 (MCMLIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link is to a full 1953 calendar). ...

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. The American Dental Association (ADA) is an American advocacy group that promotes Oral Health Care and the field of dentistry. ...

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 Brzil, 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.

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. 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1960 calendar). ... 1964 (MCMLXIV) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1964 calendar). ...

Edgewise, his second textbook, was published by Lea & Febiger, Philadelphia, in English in 1975, and in Japanese in 1977. 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ... For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ...

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. 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

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. Amateur radio, often called ham radio, is a hobby and public service enjoyed by about 3 million people[1] throughout the world. ... 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ... Chicago Urban League - founded in 1916 in Chicago,_Illinois is currently being run by James Compton. ... Flag of the National Geographic Society The National Geographic Society, is a not-for-profit scientific organization based in the United States. ...

He also was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, Sigma Pi Phi fraternity, Beta Boule, and the Druids societal group. Alpha Phi Alpha (ΑΦΑ) is an intercollegiate service fraternity generally recognized as the first established by African Americans. ...

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. The Tomb of the Unknowns Arlington National Cemetery, in Arlington, Virginia, is an American military cemetery established during the American Civil War on the grounds of Arlington House, formerly the estate of the family of Robert E. Lees wife Mary. ...

External links

• University of Illinois at Chicago College of Dentistry

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.