Faculty emeritus Dr. Melvin Lund (center) was honored Oct. 22, 2022, at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Gold Foil Operators, in Indianapolis. His peers, students, and family members celebrated his 100th birthday and his lifetime achievements. The IUSD alumni pictured here, many of whom are former faculty members, each had Dr. Lund as their professor. From left, Drs. Bob Modrowski (DDS’78), Christianne Guba Cochran (DDS’80, Operative Dent’90); Michael Cochran (Operative Dent’75), Melvin Lund, Clyde Roggenkamp (Operative Dent’83), Mark Lund (DDS’77, Prosth’90); and Timothy Carlson (DDS’78, Operative Dent’86).
Faculty emeritus Dr. Carlson shared this tribute to his teacher and mentor.
“Dr. Melvin Lund was recruited to IUSD from Loma Linda in approximately 1971 to chair the Operative Dentistry Department and also to direct the Operative Dentistry MSD graduate program. He held these positions until he reached university retirement age, at which he passed the torch to Dr. Michael Cochran.
"Although retired from his full-time faculty position, Dr. Lund continued to be active in academic life, teaching two days a week at IUSD until his early 90s. He continued to provide one or two lectures for D3 students as well as clinical supervision in Grad Operative for many years as part-time volunteer faculty.
"He had a profoundly positive impact on several generations of dentists at Loma Linda and Indiana University and oversaw and influenced over 200 IUSD MSD students who practice and hold academic appointments around the world. He is one of the most kind, generous, and gracious individuals I know. He has been my primary dental mentor since I began my clinical training under him as a dental student, starting clinical activities in the mid-1970s, and continuing my graduate training in operative dentistry under his guidance in the early 1980s. Through his mentorship and example, Dr. Lund is in large part responsible for my dental education career of 38 years full time and now almost five years emeritus.
"Dr. Lund recruited a strong group of IUSD faculty from among his former grad students, including Dr. Mike Cochran, Dr. Ron Harris, and several others. I believe nearly all of the current faculty in Operative Dentistry had Dr. Lund as an instructor at some time during their undergrad or grad years at IUSD.
"Dr. Lund continues to be a vibrant and engaging individual. He likes to golf, tend his garden, attend church, and mow his lawn with his tractor. He has attended almost every Academy of Operative Dentistry meeting in Chicago during the Midwinter meeting. He regularly attends Indiana District Dental Society general membership meetings, where he always receives a standing ovation for being the oldest ADA member in attendance.
“Dr. Melvin Lund was recruited to IUSD from Loma Linda in approximately 1971 to chair the Operative Dentistry Department and also to direct the Operative Dentistry MSD graduate program. He held these positions until he reached university retirement age, at which he passed the torch to Dr. Michael Cochran.
"Although retired from his full-time faculty position, Dr. Lund continued to be active in academic life, teaching two days a week at IUSD until his early 90s. He continued to provide one or two lectures for D3 students as well as clinical supervision in Grad Operative for many years as part-time volunteer faculty.
"He had a profoundly positive impact on several generations of dentists at Loma Linda and Indiana University and oversaw and influenced over 200 IUSD MSD students who practice and hold academic appointments around the world. He is one of the most kind, generous, and gracious individuals I know. He has been my primary dental mentor since I began my clinical training under him as a dental student, starting clinical activities in the mid-1970s, and continuing my graduate training in operative dentistry under his guidance in the early 1980s. Through his mentorship and example, Dr. Lund is in large part responsible for my dental education career of 38 years full time and now almost five years emeritus.
"Dr. Lund recruited a strong group of IUSD faculty from among his former grad students, including Dr. Mike Cochran, Dr. Ron Harris, and several others. I believe nearly all of the current faculty in Operative Dentistry had Dr. Lund as an instructor at some time during their undergrad or grad years at IUSD.
"Dr. Lund continues to be a vibrant and engaging individual. He likes to golf, tend his garden, attend church, and mow his lawn with his tractor. He has attended almost every Academy of Operative Dentistry meeting in Chicago during the Midwinter meeting. He regularly attends Indiana District Dental Society general membership meetings, where he always receives a standing ovation for being the oldest ADA member in attendance.