Dentistry Class of 1957

Forty-eight member class surpasses gift-giving goal

The School of Dentistry Class of ’57 was a small one — only 48 strong. A quarter of the alumni had passed away before their 50th reunion in April 2007.

With so few living classmates, it was an ambitious goal when class leader Dr. Harold P. Heafner Jr. (D.D.S. ’57/D) came up with the idea of raising $50,000 to commemorate the class’s 50th reunion. The class surpassed that goal, however, at the reunion banquet, topping out at $59,000.

How did the class pull off such a feat? “It just happened,” Heafner said.

The 50th reunion donation began as an idea Heafner threw around after he heard about another class’s reunion donation. He thought it would be a good idea for his class to band together after 50 years to raise some money to present to their alma mater at their reunion banquet.

“We had all done some things [to give back to the school] individually, but we had never done anything as a group,” Heafner said.

When classmates Dr. Joe M. Adair (D.D.S. ’57/D) and Dr. William H. Allison (D.D.S. ’57/D) each agreed to pledge $5,000, Heafner knew this was an idea worth pursuing. He pledged another $5,000, and a generous $15,000 contribution came from classmate Dr. Dick S. Ajalat (D.D.S. ’57/D). They had raised $30,000 between the four of them, and then Heafner was off, sending letters and making phone calls to the rest of his classmates. Others stepped up to fill in the remaining $20,000.

At the reunion banquet, someone suggested the class set a $57,000 goal, and, Heafner said, “everyone just started giving.” The class reached its new goal that night.

After the reunion, classmates who couldn’t attend the banquet sent in their contributions, pushing the class over its second goal. Heafner and classmate Dr. Hubert E. Kiser (D.D.S. ’57/D) then contributed a little more to make the final gift an even number.

In the end, the class donated $59,000 to their alma mater. The money went to the school’s Campaign for Clinical Simulation, which funded renovations in the school and installation of DentSim Virtual Reality Simulator System training equipment, said Ed Kardos, senior director of advancement in the School of Dentistry.

The Class of ’57 Conference Room in the School of Dentistry was named in recognition of the reunion gift.

For the School of Dentistry Class of ’57, giving back to VCU was a matter of gratitude.

“We all owe everything to the school,” Heafner said. “We all admit that.”

For more information about making a donation to the School of Dentistry, contact Ed Kardos, senior director of advancement in the School of Dentistry, at (804) 828-0324 or egkardos@vcu.edu.