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Dr. Howard Mark

After decades of unselfish, devoted service to the Pierre Fauchard Academy, to the dental profession, and to his community—in fact to every group he has ever touched—Howard I. Mark, DMD, FACD, FICD, FPFA, has become President of one of the world’s greatest dental honor service organizations. If it is an honor to become a Fellow in PFA, how much greater the honor than to be asked by its leaders of such an organization to become their President?

As Fellows in PFA, we ought to know about our leader and why he is held in such high regard.

There is a saying that your reputation precedes you. Before your Editor even met Dr. Mark, so much was said of his activities that he seemed to be unbelievable. And in meeting this gracious, humble person of great charm at the ADA Meeting in Hawaii one year, it all seemed to be true.

Howard Mark began his life to fame in Connecticut as the 1946 Salutatorian of Ansonia High School. He then trekked to Washington, D.C. to earn his undergraduate degree at Georgetown University. From there, it was on to Tufts University School of Dental Medicine (Boston) for his DMD degree. Dr. Mark and his new bride Sheila took up residence in New York to work on his postgraduate degree in Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery at the New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center as an intern and assistant resident.

Enough of New England and the Mid-Atlantic States, they left for Birmingham, Alabama, for a Teaching Fellowship and residency in Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery until 1955, when he was commissioned a Captain in the U.S. Army at Ft. Lee, Virginia.

After returning to Connecticut, Dr. Mark opened a practice in most of the State—Hartford, Middletown, Avon, and Glastonbury—from 1957 until his retirement in 1996.

But those years were filled with activity. He became a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Connecticut School of Dentistry in 1964, rising to Clinical Professor and Director of their Mentoring Program (1999) there, to this very day. Still serving his profession in many capacities, Dr. Mark became the Director of the Division of Dentistry and Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery for Mt. Sinai Hospital in Hartford in 1976 for the next 18 years. He also was Director for the General Practice Residency Program in Dentistry at Mt. Sinai.

Dr. Mark was selected to serve on many Connecticut State Dental Association, hospital, and community projects for some 20 to 30 years, including the Council on Hospital Service, Friends of the University of Connecticut School of Dental Medicine, the Connecticut Hospital Planning Commission. President of the Greater Hartford Probus Club (1966); President of the Alpha Omega Dental Fraternity Hartford Alumni Chapter (1967), Regent (1967-70) for Regency 13 for Alpha Omega, President (1969-70) of the Connecticut Society of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons and Chair (1967-1999) for their Annual Symposium, Delegate for 17 years to CSDA House of Delegates, President of the Hartford Dental Society (1972-73), Vice Chair for the Special Gifts and Dental Division of the Hartford Jewish Federation (1970-1984), 20 years serving on the Long Rivers Council for the Boy Scouts of America, President (1973-74) for the New England Society of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons, Executive Committee Member for Mt. Sinai Hospital (1973-1975), Trustee for Beth El Temple in West Hartford (1974-1979), President of the Medical Staff for Mt. Sinai(1983-85), and the list is endless.

In 1985 to 2002, Dr. Mark became the Editor of the Connecticut State Dental Association’s Journal. In 1989-1997, he served as Membership Chair for the American Association of Dental Editors, through their Chairs until his Presidency in 1995.

He has been a Connecticut Delegate or Alternate to the ADA since 1985 to 2003.

In the ensuing years, Dr. Mark has served in some capacity at the hospitals of Mt. Sinai, Hartford, Middlesex, the Newington Children’s Hospital, St. Francis Hospital, the Capital Area Hospital, the Veterans Home and Hospital, the John Dempsey Hospital, the Connecticut Valley Hospital, the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center while serving on CSDA’s Council on Hospital Service, Director on the Board of the Connecticut Hospital Planning Commission, Chairman of the Committee on Hospital Dental Service for the American Association of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons, member on the Council on Professional Services for the Connecticut Hospital Association, Consultant to the ADA’s Council on Hospitals and Institutional Services, the Hillside Home Nursing Center, the Queens Nursing Home, the Brookview Nursing Home, and more.

From 2000 to the present day, he has been President of the Connecticut Oral Health Initiative, Inc.

Dr. Mark is a member of the International Order of Foresters, Jonathan Lodge #166; the Indian Guide Movement; the Boy Scouts of America; a Founding Member of the American Trauma Society; the Horace Wells Club; the Hartford Association for Retarded Children; the Pan American Medical Society; the American Dental Society of Anesthesiology; OKU, ACD, ICD, the Maimonides Society, and all the PFA International Chairs to the Presidency (2005-2006).

His list of honors and awards is as long as his service record—the 1951 Robert R. Andrews Honor Research Society (Tufts); 1952 Diplomat for the National Board of Dental Examiners; 1959 Diplomat for the American Board of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons; 1962 Distinguished Service Award, Hartford Alumni Chapter for Alpha Omega; the 1973 Award of Merit of the Hartford Dental Society; the 1979 Maimonides Award from the State of Israel; the 1980 Distinguished Service Award of the Connecticut State Dental Association; the 1984 Shalom Award; the 1985 Distinguished Service Award of the Mt. Sinai Hospital Medical Staff; the 1988 and 1997 Gies Foundation Editorial Award; the 1990 Horace Hayden Award of CSDA; the 1990 Golden Pen honorable Mention Award of ICD; the Distinguished Service Award in 1994 from the Connecticut PFA Section; the 1994 Distinguished Service Award from the Division of Dentistry Attending Staff for Mt. Sinai; the 1995 Distinguished Service Award for CSDA; the 1995 and 1996 Golden Pen Award of ICD; the 1997 Daniel Lynch Award of the Greater Waterbury Dental Society; the first Presidential Achievement Award (1997) from the American Association of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons; the 1998 Distinguished Service Award from the American Association of Dental Editors; the 1998 Distinguished Service Award from the Connecticut Society of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons; the 1999 Special Citation of the Connecticut State Dental Association; and the 2002 Diplomat of the National Board of Dental Anesthesia.

Dr. Howard Mark and Sheila have four children, two of whom are dentists, and 12 grandchildren.

And Dr. Howard Mark is always smiling.

Mary Higue, it is with a heavy heart that we note your passing. You were a great supporter of PFA and of your husband, George, a past PFA President and the Foundation’s Treasurer-emeritus. Behind every strong man, a leader in his world, stands a wonderful woman who supports all his endeavors, and puts up with all his joys and sorrows. Mary Higue was such a great woman. Age has prevented them both from attending recent PFA activities, but in visiting their California home a couple of years ago, Mary was still full of life and energy, still strong in her support of George’s activities. We miss even the thought that she has quietly left us one sunny morn.

From the Desk of
Foundation President
M. David Campbell

It is an honor and a privilege to serve as President of the Foundation of the Pierre Fauchard Academy. It is also intimidating to follow the leadership of Drs. Robert Shira and Carl Lundgren as Presidents, George Higue as Treasurer, and Shig Kishi as Executive Director. They established such a firm basis for our Foundation that the Board of Trustees has been able to operate effectively from the beginning. The foundation would not be in our present position without their leadership and devotion.

I would like to share with you some of the actions of the Foundation Board during the October Meeting in Philadelphia. The Board was concerned about our Fellows all over the world who have suffered great losses from the 2005 disasters. When we heard that some of our Fellows had their livelihood, their homes, their offices, and even their family members hurt, the Board was deeply concerned.

We know there are many organizations that help everyone—the Salvation Army, for example. The ADA can help all dentists. The Board felt, as you probably do, that we must do what we can to help our Fellows within the PFA. However, we did not want to vote to simply dispense money and not know where or how it helped our Fellows. We do not have the funds available to give large amounts of money. However, when a Fellow has lost everything, anything helps. After lengthy debate, exploring the ways this could be accomplished legally within the Foundation By-Laws, the Board took a bold step and voted to establish an Emergency Disaster Relief Fund. The Board is to be commended for their forward thinking.

Japan Chair Dr. Kuwahata and the delegation from Japan present a Relief check to President Campbell and Academy President Michael Perpich

The total results of the Board’s combined information and ideas were referred to the Executive Committee, which will now set the criteria to operate such a program. What the Foundation does best is to partially fund one grant at a time. The Foundation can make an effective difference one step at a time. We know we cannot consider every need out there for our profession. But the PFAF can make a difference for a few Fellows who have lost much. The action that the Board took was so appreciated that in a matter of a few hours we received our first donation from the Section Chair of Japan, Dr. Tsuneaki Kuwahata.

As you know, money is a major concern. You may have experienced changes in your own financial planning and accounts receivable. I am sure we all have found more requests in our mail for donations from worthy groups. We are looking to help in future disasters as well. The Foundation Board offers direct help for a Fellow dentist. There are many opportunities to give assistance. Our Board has formulated a series of ways by using property, wills, and estate gifts. Please check at our PFA Web site at www.Fauchard.org for further information as it becomes available on ways to help our Fellows.

I would like to take this opportunity to introduce our new Foundation Board Officers. Our new Vice President is Dr. C. F. Larry Barrett. Dr. William Kort will continue as Treasurer. And we welcome Dr. Michael Perpich on the Foundation Board as Trustee. All members of the Foundation have served, or are serving, as President of the Pierre Fauchard Academy, or in some major role in the Academy.

Thank you all for the unselfish dedication you provide our profession.

Our Foundation Executive Director Fred Halik has been working on revising the Foundation’s Web site presence to make it more friendly, and accurate. The links are simple: Home/Scholarships/ Grants/Applications/ Contact us.

The “home” page explains what the Foundation is, how it was formed and who are its officers.

The “Scholarships” page is about the Dental Student Scholarship Program run by the Foundation since its inception. The thinking follows that if the Foundation is “to promote all aspects of oral health,” then in accordance with this directive, the promotion of oral health begins with the education of dental practitioners, the men and women responsible for delivering dental health care, and to develop their leadership skills for the profession and for their communities.

The dental student scholarships are apportioned on the basis of a Section’s membership. Accordingly, each of the 54 dental schools in the United States and the 28 selected other schools worldwide are provided a dental scholarship (currently about $1500 each) to be presented to a student that meets the Foundation requirements. At the beginning of the calendar year, the dental schools are invited to select a qualified dental student from the Junior Class who has demonstrated high leadership characteristics, is above the academic average, and has a need for financial support. Once the dental school informs the Foundation of their selection, a check and certificate are sent to the school for presentation at their annual Spring Awards Ceremony, and/or in conjunction with the local PFA Section Chair. A photograph of the presentation and any copy they would like to send is requested so that this honor may be shared with our Fellows through Dental World.

The “Grants Program” page is for those seeking monetary support for projects that will benefit the dental profession and the public that it serves. The grant applications are online and able to be downloaded, but to be considered the grant requested for must be consistent with the Foundation’s goals, objectives, and restrictions. Although the Foundation Board remains flexible to consider innovative projects in all areas of dentistry, including practice and education, it does place special emphasis on programs that increase access to dental care and provide the deserving but inadequately served public. The forms may also be downloaded or requested by mail.

First, the applicant is asked to pay attention to the requirements, to add the necessary inclusions and documentation asked for, and for six copies to be submitted in English. Faxed or E-mailed applications are not accepted. And all applications must be in by June 1st.

The applications are then reviewed by the Grants Committees of the Foundation for their recommendations. All this is then submitted to the entire Board of Trustees at their annual Autumn Meeting where the final discussions and decisions are made by the entire Board. Those grants approved will be notified and asked to sign a contract. Upon receipt of their contract, the funds will be issued. A final report of their funded project and the use of the funds is required by December of the contract year.

The maximum dollar amounts for grants are (1) $5000 for the PFA Section programs under that Section’s control and in which a significant number of Fellows participate; (2) $10,000 for Service Projects that provide increased access to dental care for the public in need; (3) $5000 for educational programs, including continuing education; and (4) $5000 for miscellaneous programs that the Board deems worthy of funding.

The Foundation’s restrictions are often overlooked and result in a majority of the rejections. These need to be adhered to in order to continue the path toward approval. There are 21. The Foundation will not fund (1) the purchase of major equipment costing $2000 or more; (2) no university or institutional overhead costs; (3) no salaries; (4) no replacement of funds already available for personnel costs; (5) no questionnaires or survey projects; (6) no capital project costs; (7) no endowments; (8) no land and/or building acquisitions; (9) no social services of a non-dental nature; (10) no programs that are supported by tax revenues or are the responsibility of the government; (11) no development, maintenance, or revision of temporary or permanent museum-type dental exhibits; (12) no religion-based activities; (13) no funding of political candidates’ activities or lobbying efforts; (14) no funding of schools below the college level; (15) no funding of dinners, tables, or tickets to fund-raising events; (16) no advertising in charitable publications; (17) no promotional activities such as trophies, prizes, or trips; (18) no endowed chairs; (19) no funding to the general funds of other functions or organizations (however, specific projects or programs conducted by other foundations or organizations may be considered for grants); (20) no funding of essays or essay prizes; and (21) no funding of research.

Only non-profit, tax-exempt organizations and individuals employed by such organizations (with the exception of student scholarship awards) are eligible to receive Foundation grants. In the United States and its protectorates, a proposal submitted by other than a tax-exempt organization will be rejected. Tax–exempt organizations outside of the United States shall abide by the same governing rules as those adhered to by organizations within the country in which the tax-exempt status applies and is recognized by the appropriate governing body. Each organization shall agree to take all legal, fiscal, and administrative responsibility for their projects.

While all this information may seem unnecessary to an individual Fellow not making a grant, knowing the general tenets of what the Foundation can and cannot do will be very useful when a Fellow is discussing a grant project or selling the Foundation’s programs. Much of this information may even be new to our readers. Understanding what the Foundation is all about and its functions will help a great deal in hurt feelings of rejections, embarrassment in encouraging some program that cannot be funded, or considering one that can be.

Before acting in any manner, contact Executive Director Fred Halik to discuss any possible proposal. Fred is “user-friendly” and will save time and effort in fabricating a Foundation grant.