Russel Alexander Dixon (February 24, 1898 – January 3, 1976) was the first African-American to earn an advanced degree in dentistry from

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

and the first African American dean of

Howard University College of Dentistry Howard University College of Dentistry is a school of dentistry located in the United States city of Washington, D.C. It is the only dental school in Washington, D.C.. History Howard University College of Dentistry is a part of Howard University ...

. He was the longest serving dean in dental education, with a 35 year tenure from 1931 to 1966.

Early life and education

Russel A. Dixon was born on February 24, 1898, in Kansas City, Missouri to father, William James Dixon, and mother Lillie Belle Tribue Dixon. He attended

Hampton Institute Hampton University is a private, historically black, research university in Hampton, Virginia. Founded in 1868 as Hampton Agricultural and Industrial School, it was established by Black and White leaders of the American Missionary Association af ...

from 1919 to 1920, but switched to Ferris Institute, where he completed an undergraduate degree from 1920 to 1924. In 1929 he received his Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) degree from

Northwestern University Dental School The Northwestern University Dental School closed in 2001, 110 years after opening in 1891. Its first dean was Edgar Swain. According to the trustees, the mentioned financial stresses and reputation as reasons for the closure of the program. Histo ...

. Furthermore, in 1933 he became the first African American to earn a Masters of Science in Dentistry from

. In 1965, Dixon received an Honorary Doctorate from Ferris State University.

Howard University School of Dentistry

Dixon became part of the Howard Dental School faculty in 1929 and was appointed Acting Dean of Howard Dental School in 1931. He was later appointed and remained dean until his retirement in 1966. During his tenure he contributed greatly to the curriculum, enrolment requirements, academic preparation of the dental faculty, and planning of a new dental building. He was committed to racial integration and gender equality in dental education. By 1960, more than half of the US's 1,681 African American dentists were graduates of the Howard University College of Dentistry.

Professional organizations and contributions

Dixon served many administrative and academic positions throughout his career. In 1949 he was appointed president of the PanAmerican Odontological Society and the

National Dental Association The National Dental Association (NDA) is a professional association of minority dentists based in Washington, D.C., and operating in the United States, Canada and Latin America. Formed in 1913, it is the largest such association in the world. Amo ...

. He served on the Executive Council of the

American Association of Dental Schools American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

from 1953 to 1967. In 1963,

President John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until assassination of Joh ...

appointed him to a four-year term as a member of the Board of Regents of the

National Library of Medicine The United States National Library of Medicine (NLM), operated by the United States federal government, is the world's largest medical library. Located in Bethesda, Maryland, the NLM is an institute within the National Institutes of Health. Its ...

. He was a member of the Board of Overseers Visiting Committee of

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

for the Schools of Medicine and Dental Medicine and of the Special Advisory Group of the Veterans Administration. He was a founding member and former president of the Pi Pi Chapter of

Omicron Kappa Upsilon Omicron Kappa Upsilon () is a national honorary society serving the field of dentistry. History The Society originated with the 1914 graduating class of the dental school at Northwestern University in Chicago. The idea for the fraternity came from ...

. Dixon was a member of the Lincoln Memorial Congregational Temple of the United Church of Christ. He held a number of positions with the national organization, including chairman of the Missions Council of the Congregational Christian Churches of America.

Personal life and death

Dixon was married to Carolyn Dixon (née Kealing). The couple had two sons, one of whom attended both Howard University College of Dentistry and Northwestern University. Dixon died after suffering a heart attack on January 3, 1976, at the age of 77 in

Silver Spring, Maryland Silver Spring is a census-designated place (CDP) in southeastern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, near Washington, D.C. Although officially unincorporated, in practice it is an edge city, with a population of 81,015 at the 2020 censu ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dixon, Russel Alexander 1898 births 1976 deaths Harvard University people Scientists from Kansas City, Missouri Dental academics African-American dentists American university and college faculty deans Ferris State University alumni Northwestern University Dental School alumni Hampton University alumni African-American academic administrators 20th-century American academics