Development
Remembering Professor Larry Anderson “He was engaging and energetic. The more you got to know him and the more he knew you, the more enthusiastic he was about anatomy,” said Pete Keller, D.D.S. ’75, M.S. ’79. “A very nice man, wonderful and effective teacher.”
Professor Larry Anderson Ph.D.
The late professor of anatomy, Larry Anderson, Ph.D., undoubtedly became a staple at Detroit Mercy Dental after serving students for more than 40 years. Even after his retirement, students, faculty, staff and administrators would often see him sitting in a chair across from the anatomy lab, seemingly in his own world.
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT Gabriel Holdwick, D.D.S. ’14 received the 2020 Michigan Denal Association’s Matt Uday New Dentist Leadership Award which recognizes a new dentist who has demonstrated leadership qualities of such a substantial nature that they serve as a model for other new dentists. The recipient must be a member of the Michigan Dental Association and received their DDS or DMD degree less than ten (10) years before the time of selection. Holdwick also received an ADA 10 Under 10 award. This award celebrates 10 dentists who graduated from a dental school within the past 10 years who demonstrate excellence and inspire others in science, research, and education, practice excellence, philanthropy, leadership and advocacy.
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Professor Anderson was married for 50 years to adjunct professor Vivian Anderson, Ph.D. who teaches in the anatomy lab, just as her husband once did. “While Larry was a man constantly working on diverse projects, from car repair to woodworking to landscaping, by far, his three greatest passions were family, distance running and fishing” said Vivian. Anderson ran 309 marathons in his lifetime. Larry and Vivian raised two daughters, Janeece and Leah. Anderson taught in the anatomy lab of the School of Dentistry from 1970 - 2016.
Professor Anderson passed away from complications of dementia in August 2018. His family has created an enduring legacy in his memory by establishing an endowed fund at University of Detroit Mercy School of Dentistry to help students in need of emergency financial support. Recipients of funding from Anderson’s endowment are not required to pay back the assistance but are encouraged to make a contribution to the fund, when they are fiscally able. “University of Detroit Mercy School of Dentistry is deeply grateful for the lifelong, dedicated service of Larry Anderson and for the endowment his family has chosen to establish in his memory,” said Mert Aksu, Dean.
How to establish an endowed fund at University of Detroit Mercy School of Dentistry Creating an endowment is an investment in the future of Detroit Mercy Dental. Many alumni and friends have chosen to set up endowed funds to memorialize friends and loved ones. Current endowments at Detroit Mercy Dental range from $25,000 to well over $1 million. Endowments are designed to use a portion of the interest they generate to support an aspect of the dental school agreed upon by the donor and the school, in perpetuity. $25,000 is the minimum amount required to officially establish an endowed fund at University of Detroit Mercy. Over time, that amount will generate $1,000 or more each year. For more information about setting up an endowed fund at Detroit Mercy Dental, please contact Director of Development Thomas Sklut: 313-4946624 or skluttw@udmercy.edu.
