McCallum Society History

The Alumni Society According To Dr. Peter Waite.....

The UAB OMS training program is second to none with a unique intriguing history.  The history of the Charles A McCallum (CAM) alumni society begins with Dr Joseph Volker, the first Dean of the Alabama School of Dentistry (SOD) and a nontraditional perspective on dental education. He saw the opportunity to establish a school of dentistry in Alabama where the faculty would be fully integrated into the fabric of a new medical center. He was supportive of basic science, PHD, and medical degrees. Dr James Jones DMD the twin brother of Thomas Jones DMD and the first resident in the OMS program had a strong interest in anesthesia. Jim was actually a member of the anesthesia department and interim chair while a medical student. He was appointed as faculty in both Anesthesia and OMS where he continued to teach general anesthesia for the dentist. Dr Leonard Robinson DMD Oral pathologist, the 3rd Dean of the SOD, also went on to receive his Medical Degree with the support of Dr Volker.  In 1948, Dr Thomas Ward Jones began his residency in Oral Surgery. Dr Volker invited Dr Russell Stutts a local Oral surgeon, and Dr Sam Upchurch Professor and chair of the Division of Plastic surgery to assist in the training of Dr Tom Jones. Dr Jones was given a one unit oral surgery clinic on the second floor of the Old Hillman Building. Tom remembers Dr Volker strong support and a good delegator. Dr Upchurch was most impressed with Dr Jones, and integrated him into the department of surgery. From the beginning, OMS was highly respected in the medical center, and department of surgery.It is important to note that the Dental school building was built with federal Hill-Burton funds, which were primarily intended for medical schools, hospitals, and clinics. Dr Volker was able to secure funding by designing a 6-bed overnight oral surgery clinic, which opened in 1951. Therefore, the oral surgery clinic was always unique and sort part of the hospital as an outpatient surgery center with excellent anesthesia support.The first chair of the SOD depart of Oral surgery was Dr. Joseph Peter Lazansky DMD MD in 1950. He was educated in Prague, Czechoslovakia where he first obtained a MD, and then Dental degree. After immigration to the USA, he needed a US dental degree so was enrolled at Tufts University. Dr Volker’s vision saw the potential in DR Volker and recruited him to serve as the first full-time Chairman of the Department of Oral Surgery. With his international perspective and both degrees in medicine and dentistry oral surgery in Alabama flourished. Dr Lazansky was well respected in the hospital and operating room.  Dr Charles A McCallum by any measure is the greatest Oral and Maxillofacial surgeon to emerge from the UAB program. Dr Volker must have seen the “diamond in the rough” when he recruited Dr McCallum from Tufts to Alabama in 1951. McCallum recalls the training program changing from two to 3 yrs. and it was difficult to get all 3 years at the same place. He joined Dr Elmore Hill who had already completed 2 yrs. in another program and needed only one more at Birmingham. They became lifelong friends. Dr Bill Ashley was in the first dental school graduating class in in 1952, and went on to oral surgery. He too became good friend, and colorful fellow. As a hospital resident, he was paid $25.00 per month and given a bed. Dr McCallum recalls complaining about the salary but Dr Stitt a senior resident at the time said, “do not worry you will not have time to spend it.”   Dr McCallum always encouraged advanced education and basic sciences. He received his MD after oral surgery training in 1957 but knew the MD education could be better integrated into the training program. He strongly supported the dual degree-training tract in oral surgery and felt if the scope required 4 years then a 5 year double degree program was well worth the time. UAB was one of the first fully integrated MD oral surgery programs.    In 1958 Dr Volker appointed Dr McCallum as chair, and in only 4 years later in 1962 he was appointed Dean of the School of Dentistry. Joseph Volker became the first chancellor of the University of Alabama System. Dr McCallum was a tremendous administrator and leader. He had great people skills, and inspired the best in everyone. He rose to become president of just about every organization; UAB, AAOMS, ABOMS, ADA, JCAHA, Vestavia Mayor Etc. He is responsible for the growth and premier status UAB now enjoys. He appointed Dr David Hall, who completed his UAB training in 1961 as chair, Dr Charles Alling in 1970, and Dr Victor Matukas in 1981.  Dr Alling was a brilliant author and surgeon. He was well respected, knew the literature well and gave excellent lectures. He wrote the book on third molar surgery, and I learned a great deal from him. He often said, Dr Matukas was the smartest man I ever knew. His lectures were always “chalk talks” and he could make the most complicated topics seem simple. He would draw out the Krebs cycle or Henderson Hasselbach equation in the SICU on rounds. He loved to push residents to the limit of their knowledge, which would motivate us to study for the medical boards. He was gentle and kind but often viewed as intimidating. He was a brave surgeon and raised our program to new heights. He performed the first lefort osteotomy in Alabama, and pursued cranio-facial surgery with confidence. In fact, we did all the cranial surgery in the 1990s before plastic surgery was a division at UAB. Dr Matukas became Dean of the SOD and appointed Dr Peter Waite MPH DDS MD as Chair of the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery in 1988.  Under the direction of Dr Waite, the department steadily grew in faculty and relevance in the medical center. OMS became a department in the hospital and the University of Alabama Health Service Foundation, with academic appointments in the SOD. These strategic moves helped recruit and retain high quality faculty, with specific clinical niche’ in our specialty. By 2015 there were 15 full time diverse OMS faculty: Peter Waite chair, Patrick Louis Vice chair/program director, Somsak Sittitavornwong, Warren Arrasmith under graduate director, Anthony Morlandt Division Chief Oral Head/Neck oncology, Yedeh Ying Oral Head/Neck oncology, Kathlyn Powell Pediatric OMS, Terry Whatley, Shaunda Kelly VA, Brian Kinard, Michael Kase Maxillofacial Prosthetics, Mary MacDougall research, Amjad Javed research, M Hassan research, Hope Amm research, and 3 Physician assistants. In addition to the full time faculty the department enjoyed the teaching benefit of many part time faculty, John Ballard VA, Jerald Clanton VA, George Mathews, Lisa Miller, John Holmes, Mark McIlwain, Jim Link, Skip Wilson, and others.
The program’s clinical caseload supports the training of four residents per year in a 6-year program. Year 1 clinical OMS; year 2 medical school; year 3; medical school/OMS; year 4 general surgery; year 5 OMS; year 6 chief resident OMS. This schedule allows for a total of 40 months of on service OMS. Residents work together and assigned to different faculty services throughout the year to create a variable experience with continuity of patient care. Since inception, over 200 OMS residents have completed the program and are board certified practicing surgeons. Many have remained in academics following the UAB training model. The UAB training model is truly a unique experience that we hold special. UAB OMS residents share a close bond due to the heritage of a similar vigorous sojourn. We wanted alumni to stay in touch with the program but also meet the stellar quality of current residents and seek compatible associates. It is out of a realization that the CAM Alumni Society was developed.  In 1986, Dr Charles Crago, Dr John Harrison and I discussed the idea of resident alumni society. We believed that other training programs had a good idea in forming similar organizations like the William F Harrigan, RV Walker, and Chalmers Lyons society. We wanted to honor Dr McCallum and enthusiastically enrich our relationships in scholarly scientific exchange. The initial name of our group was the UAB OMS alumni society and our first unofficial meeting was at the San Destin Resort. We had no structure, no bylaws, no president and no executive committee but we had a very positive interest. The resident alumni group generated many letters, and calls from surgeons eager to know when we would meet again.
June 12, 1988, we met at the Grand Hotel in Point Clear Al.to honor Dr McCallum with a glass etched rendering of his profile. We also had an amusing roast with a clinic enactment featuring Dr Burton as Lura Guin, Buzy Mathews as Dr McCallum and other amateur alumni actors. A business meeting electing Peter Waite President, John Harrison VP, and Bill Ashley secretary treasure. A 2-year term of office was approved for the benefit of continuity. Kitty Robinson (secretary to Dr McCallum) provided most of the infrastructure support. She obtained the William Harrigan by laws and I modified them to fit our organization. It soon became obvious we could not use the “UAB” name and needed tax-exempt status. Dr Tom Jones moved that the name be changed to “Charles A McCallum alumni Society” in his honor. As resident program director, I strongly wanted the alumni to support the program and specifically the residents in training during their financially stressed medical school years.
1990, President John Harrison motioned and approved 20% of the revenue go to support a resident loan fund. This was eagerly approved by the society. The residents in training appreciated the resident loan fund and the alumni later raised additional large sum of money. This fund was in addition to government student loans, managed by UAB and the interest was 1% over prime to be paid back after graduation. The resident loan fund has continued to grow and no one has defaulted.  In 1991, there was a strong desire for camaraderie so Dr Grant Cannon helped organize Utah ski meetings. The ski meetings attracted a little different crowd and were full of excitement with Dr Tom Jones in a bright red snow suit. Over time, alumni meetings became a regular and predictable event at the gulf coast. In 1995 and 2005, meetings were cancelled due to hurricanes. Perdido Beach Resort was convenient but did not have an adequate conference room. We would squeeze into a hotel room sit on the beds, stand in the back and listen to exciting topics. In 1997, Dr Grant Cannon was president and we invited Dr Robert Ord as our speaker on Oral Cancer. That year we also had a tropical storm in the gulf so most of our time was hunkered down in a conference room. Bob had been a UAB fellow 1980, during his training in Canniesburn England with Ian Jackson. In those days, we had a resident exchange program, which brought international contacts and new ideas. Bob was extensively trained in craniofacial surgery and trauma. He went on to establish a cancer program in Baltimore Maryland and eventually trained Dr Rui Fernandes. Dr Ord is credited for expanding our scope and opening the door of oral and head neck surgery in the USA.In 2006, the beach meeting moved to the Caribe at Orange Beach, which was a very family friendly facility and actually had a conference room. In recent years, the renovated Gulf State park resort has proved to be a more accommodating location for the alumni. The success of the CAMAS is mainly due to the membership and volunteers that give so much of their time to organize meetings, and maintain membership. The officers have always been an integral part of the alumni society but there are some that deserve honorable mention such as secretaries and treasures who served for several years and brought consistency to our group. Joe Gunter, secretary/treasurer 1990-2002 maintained excellent detailed records, letters of communication and personal history. Rick Kinsey secretary/treasurer 2003-2012 was also very dedicated with great organization skills. He always encouraged us to consistently hold the same date and niche’ so that members would become creatures of habit. Dr Scott Robson is our current secretary and guardian of our records, Dr Andrew Martin has accurately monitored our financial records with the accounting expertise of his wife. Our alumni society would not exist today if not for the volunteers of our members.

Our Roots.

The Charles A. McCallum (CAM) Alumni Society has its roots in the pioneering vision of Dr. Joseph Volker, the first Dean of the Alabama School of Dentistry (SOD). Dr. Volker recognized the potential for a dental school in Alabama, where faculty would be fully integrated into a new medical center. He supported basic science, PhD, and medical degrees, and played a crucial role in the establishment of the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (OMS) program.
Dr. Thomas Ward Jones was the first resident in the OMS program and went on to have a distinguished career. The program grew rapidly, and by 2015, there were 15 full-time OMS faculty members. The program currently trains four residents per year in a six-year program, with a total of over 200 OMS residents having completed the program and become board-certified practicing surgeons.
In 1986, Dr. Charles Crago, Dr. John Harrison, and Dr. Peter Waite discussed the idea of a resident alumni society and formed the UAB OMS Alumni Society, which later became the Charles A. McCallum Alumni Society. The society aimed to strengthen relationships among alumni and support current residents during their financially-stressed medical school years.
Over the years, the alumni society has contributed significantly to the success of the OMS program through various initiatives, including a resident loan fund, international exchange programs, and organizing regular meetings. The society's success is mainly due to the dedicated membership and volunteers who contribute their time and resources to maintain and grow the organization.
The UAB OMS training program has a rich history and stands as a testament to the vision and dedication of its founders, faculty, and alumni. Today, it remains a premier institution for dental education and a source of pride for those who have been a part of its unique and intriguing journey.

Our Namesake.

In 1986, the UAB McCallum Alumni Society was unofficially founded in honor of Charles A. "Scotty" McCallum, M.D., DMD. A gifted academic and athlete, Scotty became a full professor of dentistry, Dean of the Dental School, Chair of the Oral Surgery Department, and ultimately President of UAB in 1987. He was known for his compassionate care and leadership in dentistry and oral surgery, and was inducted into the Alabama Academy of Honor and Alabama Healthcare Hall of Fame. Scotty's legacy lives on through the society that bears his name.

Photo of Scotty from his days as a Senior Resident. This historical memento, kindly provided by Dr. Leon Pappanastos, dates back to the period of 1954-56

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