Dr. Patricia Blanton has led a distinguished career in academic dentistry dating back to her first faculty appointment in 1967. She has taught for 51 years and there is no indication that this trend is abating. She received the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Anatomy from Baylor University, Waco, Texas; the D.D.S. degree from Baylor College of Dentistry, Dallas, Texas; and her certificate in Periodontics at Baylor College of Dentistry/Dallas Veterans Administration Hospital. She is an intellectual of the highest order of magnitude and she is a beloved educator to her more than 11,000 academic progeny. Pat is a classically trained anatomist and for more than fifty years she has advocated aggressively for a robust basic science background for those pursing advanced medical and dental degrees. She has always insisted that her students need know more than the “what” and she is masterful at igniting the intellectual curiosity in her students to question the “why”. Pat lectures internationally and has produced over one hundred publications, including a textbook. Dr. Blanton is unique among lecturers today with her educational background and experience in anatomy as well as clinical dentistry