Anne Hall Establishes Bequest to Benefit Oral Surgery Residents

Ms. Anne Kendrick Hall recently set up a bequest with the Dental Foundation of North Carolina (DFNC) to establish the Vaiden Blankenship Kendrick Fellowship in Oral Surgery. The fellowship will honor the memory of her late father and will benefit a student enrolled in the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Residency Program.

“We’re truly grateful for Anne’s generous commitment,” said Paul Gardner, executive director of the DFNC. “She is a wonderful supporter of our school and we’re pleased that we were able to help her find a way to remember her father while helping to further the dental discipline he loved.”

Kendrick, who received his undergraduate education from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, earned his dental degree at the University of Maryland School of Dentistry, magna cum laude, in 1932. Following his graduation, he entered private practice with his brother, Vance, before pursuing his specialty training in oral surgery. Kendrick opened his oral surgery practice in 1938 in Charlotte, N.C.

“I knew early on how much my dad loved oral surgery,” Hall said. “In fact, one of my first memories is of him studying for his boards. He became the second board certified oral surgeon in North Carolina in 1950.”

Kendrick is remembered as a dedicated member of the Charlotte community, serving on the original staff at Charlotte Memorial Hospital (now Carolinas Medical Center) and was instrumental in the formation of that hospital’s dental clinic, all while working in his private practice. During his career, Dr. Vaiden Kendrick served as president of the Charlotte Dental Society and was an active member of the North Carolina Dental Society. He was active with national and regional organized dentistry groups, was a diplomate of the American Board of Oral Surgery and a charter member of the Southeastern Society of Oral Surgeons. At the time of his death in September 1974, Kendrick was still caring for patients in his office and was chief dental officer at Charlotte Memorial.

“I wanted to do something to honor my dad and his generous spirit, and also reflect his love of oral surgery. The fellowship will be in his name and will benefit someone who shares a passion for oral surgery as he did,” Hall said. “Dental education continues to become more and more expensive, and I am aware today’s students often need financial help – like my father and Uncle Vance did when they were in school – especially when they’re pursuing advanced training beyond their DDS.”

She said that understanding, coupled with her admiration and love for her father, and the excellence of the UNC School of Dentistry are what lead her to consider establishing the fellowship.

“At the end of the day, this fund is set up to honor my father and the way he lived his life,” said Hall. “I feel that he gave me so much, and this is something, in a way, that I can give to him. He would be both humbled and thrilled to have a fellowship in oral surgery named in his honor at the University of North Carolina School of Dentistry. He was ‘Tar Heel born and Tar Heel bred.’ He loved dentistry and he loved Carolina. The fellowship seems like a perfect match.”