In Memoriam

Our dental community lost a giant with the passing of Dr. Melvin Robert Lund on October 3, 2024, just two weeks shy of his 102nd birthday. Known affectionately as “Pug,” Mel had prominent dental education careers at two universities and held memberships or leadership positions in more than thirteen national dental organizations including the Academy of Operative Dentistry and the American Academy of Gold Foil Operators. He was a founding member of the American Board of Operative Dentistry and one of the board’s long-time examiners. He was also one of the longest serving reviewers for the journal Operative Dentistry. At the time of his passing, he was the oldest active member of the professional academies and dental associations where he held membership. His influence extended around the dental education world as co-author of three of the four textbook editions of Operative Dentistry and three editions of Textbook of Operative Dentistry. An edition of both titles has been translated into Spanish, further expanding their reach.Mel Lund was born on October 17, 1922, in Siren, Wisconsin. He was the last of four children. His mother passed away when he was 12 years old, and he then moved with his father to Oregon. Mel attended a one-room schoolhouse through eighth grade and graduated at the top of his class at Auburn Academy, working in a furniture factory to pay for boarding school. He completed two years of pre-dental training at Walla Walla College, and although he had been accepted into dental school, he was drafted into the US Army in 1943. He had nearly completed basic training in the medical corps when the army, needing dentists, assigned him to the Army Specialized Training Program beginning dental school at the North Pacific College of Dentistry which became part of the University of Oregon. With WWII winding down, Mel was discharged from the service after his first year of dental school and was able to continue his studies using the GI Bill.Following graduation from dental school, Melvin and Margaret were married. Mel rejoined the Army Dental Corps serving first in San Francisco, California, then transferring to Korea without his new wife for another year. In his memoirs, Lund describes being the only dentist at his assigned base, using only belt-drive slow speed equipment. When the electricity went down, his Korean assistant would power another portable drill using a foot treadle like on an old sewing machine. After separating from the army and reuniting with Marg, Mel began a private practice and growing family in Camas, Washington, which afforded a view of the Columbia River. After practicing for five years, he was approached by a good friend to be among the founding faculty members of Loma Linda University School of Dentistry. To obtain academic credentials, Lund earned a master’s degree in restorative dentistry at the University of Michigan then moved his family to Loma Linda, California. One of his primary colleagues at Loma Linda was Dr. Lloyd Baum, a Walla Walla classmate, and they worked closely together at the school over the next sixteen years. For thirteen of those years Mel was the chair of the restorative dentistry department. During that time, they collaborated on the development and promotion of powdered gold, which was a big change at that time in the process of placing direct gold restorations.Dr. Lund was recruited by the Indiana University School of Dentistry in 1971 to be department chair of Operative Dentistry and director of the Graduate Program in Operative Dentistry. While at Indiana he was co-author of a textbook with William Gilmore, later adding Dave Bales and Jim Vernetti, and co-authored a second textbook with Ralph Phillips and Lloyd Baum. He wrote chapters in five additional books and was coauthor or primary author on dozens of publications and made more than 150 invited presentations. He chaired the department from 1971 to 1988 and, at least in theory, retired in 1993 with the title of Professor Emeritus of Operative Dentistry. In actuality, he continued to teach dental and postdoctoral students two days per week for an additional twenty years until the age of 91 years. He was highly regarded as an educator and was known for his kind but clear expectation of excellence in restorative dentistry. A strong advocate of sharp hand instruments, one of his famous sayings was “no self-respecting dentist has a smooth thumb nail!”In addition to co-developing, researching, and promoting powdered gold as a restorative material, Dr. Lund’s arguably greatest contribution to the dental community is found in the generations of dentists he taught and influenced on all academic levels. While at Indiana, he directed or assisted in the education of more than 200 postdoctoral Operative Dentistry students who practice and hold academic appointments worldwide, becoming Operative Dentistry program directors, department chairs, dental school deans, and directors in military medical/dental units; they in turn influencing further generations of dentists. His graduate students are in addition to the thousands of dental students he has taught over an academic career spanning an amazing sixty years.His commitment to dentistry was matched by his dedication to continuing education, as he ardently participated in various professional gatherings, including nearly every Academy of Operative Dentistry meeting in Chicago, Illinois. His unwavering presence at the Indianapolis District Dental Society general membership meetings was often met with a standing ovation, honoring him as the oldest American Dental Association member in attendance.Pug Lund was a true gentleman and consummate professional. He modeled excellence, integrity, and grace to his students, colleagues, family, and friends. He loved life … in his Lund-dignified way. He enjoyed playing baseball and tennis and loved snow skiing well into his 80s. He tended his garden, mowed his lawn with his tractor, golfed with friends, and attended church services until he was over 100 years old. He kept a sharp wit and dry humor up to his last days.Dr. Lund was married to the love of his life, Marg, for an impressive seventy years until she passed away in 2017. Their family includes three children, nine grandchildren, and nine (almost ten) great-grandchildren who in addition to countless students, friends, and colleagues will carry his legacy forward. For those interested, memorial donations may be made to the Founders’ Fund of the Academy of Operative Dentistry c/o the Secretary/Treasurer, 607 Timber Mill Ln, Indianapolis, IN 46260, or to the Glendale SDA Church Pathfinder Youth Club, 2900 E 62nd St, Indianapolis, IN 46220.I would like to thank Dr. Lund’s family, Pug’s own comprehensive and entertaining “My Story” memoirs, the Indiana University School of Dentistry, and Traci Cumbay who authored the article “Dr. Melvin Lund at 100” in the IUSD Alumni Bulletin Vol 33, No 1, for information contained in this In Memoriam. Submitted by Timothy Carlson