Imagine this Scene.
You're a specialist attending your first district dental society meeting. Forty or fifty members are standing, conversing, and enjoying cocktails. You know only two persons, but they have not yet arrived.
That was Gil Small's introduction to Ann Arbor.
"As I stood counting peanuts in my hand, James Hayward came over to greet me. That was a signal to others in the room that I belonged," Small said. "That gesture of kindness was something I never forgot. And it's one of the reasons for making a gift to the James Hayward Endowed Professorship in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery."
Small came to Michigan after teaching at the University of Iowa and private practice in South Bend because he saw potential for part-time teaching and running a private practice. He discussed this with Hayward and Jerry Bonnette before making a final decision. Both encouraged him.
Small began his career at the University of Michigan in 1964 as a researcher investigating bone induction. A few years later, at Hayward's urging, he began clinical teaching in the oral and maxillofacial clinic. He also practiced in Ann Arbor and operated at St. Joseph Mercy and Beyer Hospitals until he retired in 1992.
"Jim trained 88 residents in the oral and maxillofacial surgery program at Michigan and did it with the zeal, compassion, and discipline that was in the tradition of Chalmers J. Lyons. There were times of professional competitiveness that would have thwarted a lesser person, but his consistency became what we in academia referred to as 'the tradition of Michigan'," Small said.
"There were few in his specialty that possessed the breadth or depth of knowledge that Jim did. He was an extraordinarily gifted surgeon who demanded excellence and developed an international reputation as a result."
"I don't know a better way to honor Dr. Hayward that to endow a professorship for him at the School of Dentistry where he spent his professional career. I believe it's very important that people who have contributed are thanked and honored for their excellence," Small said. "With my gift of $100,000, I will urge others to also participate and contribute.