Above (L-R): Dean Dr. Ben Davis; OAA winners Krysti Campbell and Dr. Linda Blakey; and Denise Zwicker, Chair of the Dentistry Alumni Committee. Photos by Nick Pearce
Reconnecting with old classmates and faculty members is what DentDays is all about! This is exactly what happened in the Dalhousie Dentistry Building on October 25 and 26 as classmates met up, shared stories and memories, and celebrated.
This year’s event contained many of the hallmark activities from last year’s inaugural DentDays: special lunches for our Golden Grads (the 50th anniversary classes) with the Dean or Director of the School of Dental Hygiene, a CE Day, Outstanding Alumni Award presentations, and a Maritime kitchen party.
Something old, something new
Of course, there were new events, too. This year, for the first time, the 25th anniversary classes — the Silver Grads — also enjoyed special lunches with the Dean or Director of the School of Dental Hygiene, and the Friday night Live@5 event, hosted by the Faculty of Dentistry Student Society, attracted a crowd of more than 140 people eager to relive their student days. Also popular was the Reunion Hub, where alumni could look through archival photos and books.
A celebration event for Dr. Frank Lovely (DDS‘59), this year’s recipient of the Dalhousie Golden Eagle Lifetime Achievement Award, presented on October 24, also attracted alumni back to campus this year.
Impressive OAA recipients
At the Outstanding Alumni Award ceremony, classmates and supporters were on hand to celebrate with Dr. Linda Blakey (DDS’89) and Krysti Campbell (DDH’13), this year’s recipients. This recognition was important to them both.
“It means a lot to me,” says Dr. Blakey, who was also celebrating the 35th anniversary of her class.
“Thirty-five years ago, I thought I would work as dentist only,” she says, “but then I joined a NLDA Committee with colleagues in St. John’s and found it was a good way to give back.”
This would be the first of many committees and leadership roles Dr. Blakey would take on during her career. Volunteering as a dentist in Honduras and helping to set up and manage a dental clinic at The Gathering Place, a community health centre in St. John’s, soon followed. These activities, Dr. Blakey says, have been “an important piece” of her dental career.
Krysti Campbell lives and works in The Bahamas and enjoys an extraordinary career that blends clinical practice with teaching and an extensive range of volunteering activities.
“This award means more to me than words can say,” she says. “I am deeply humbled.”
Campbell says her time at Dalhousie played a “pivotal role” in her undergraduate and professional journey, and she gives a lot of credit to the calibre of the training she received.
“I gained a sense of purpose and responsibility,” she says of her time at the school, adding that, working on a small island, it was deeply significant to her that her “work was meaningful for this award.”
A Kitchen Party in The Grawood after the OAA ceremony brought the official events of the evening — and the DentDays weekend — to a close.
Looking ahead to 2025
Please mark your calendars for DentDays 2025, which will take place on October 17 to 18! The Dental School encourages all milestone classes (every five years) to celebrate and has other changes to the agenda planned.
