News

Dr. Ben Davis, dean of the Faculty of Dentistry, and Dr. Frank Lovely (Bruce Bottomley photos)

There were words of praise, hearty congratulations, fond memories, many laughs, and a few teary eyes on the evening of October 24 as around 140 former colleagues, students, and friends gathered in the Dentistry Building to celebrate Dr. Frank Lovely (DDS’59), professor emeritus, creator of the oral and maxillofacial surgery program at Dalhousie University, and the 2024 recipient of the Dalhousie Golden Eagle Lifetime Achievement Award.
 
The presence of the enthusiastic crowd was, as dean of the Faculty of Dentistry Dr. Ben Davis told Dr. Lovely in his opening remarks, "a testament to the impact you have had throughout your career and to the admiration and respect that so many have for you."
 
His passion project
Dr. Davis and Dr. Chad Robertson, chair of the OMFS Department, spoke admiringly of Dr. Lovely’s many achievements and contributions to the Faculty of Dentistry over his 60-year career at Dalhousie University, particularly what Dr. Davis described as his "passion project": creating the oral and maxillofacial surgery program at Dalhousie from scratch. It was the Faculty of Dentistry’s first graduate program and only the second OMFS program in Canada.
 
He did it all by building, said Dr. Davis, "both literally and figuratively." He built the friendships and relationships that would help him assemble the new OMFS program, including strong ties with the medical faculty, and he supervised the construction and equipping of a new OMFS clinic in the Centennial Building at the Victoria General Hospital, in which the program still operates. Even though he retired in 1997, Dr. Lovely continues to be involved with the program he was instrumental in creating, frequently joining the 7:00 AM regular Continuous Quality Improvement rounds.
 

Dr. Frank Lovely with Dr. Chad Robertson, chair of the OMFS Department in the Faculty of Dentistry

A standard of excellence
Dr. Robertson went on to "quantify the impact" Dr. Lovely has had on OMFS in Canada and abroad, saying that he "set a standard of excellence in education, patient care, and community involvement." Not only that, but he spent time learning at other centres in North America and Europe to improve his knowledge and skills. The result, said Dr. Robertson, was "the best training possible for residents of the program and the best care possible for patients."
 
As a result of Dr. Lovely’s focus on education and training, the Dalhousie OMFS program stayed current with the "seismic changes" occurring in OMFS during his tenure. Dalhousie’s OMFS program was the first in Canada to perform segmental Lefort I osteotomies, primary cleft lip and palate surgery, and neck dissections for the management of oral cancer.
 
Dr. Robertson also stressed Dr. Lovely’s great commitment to organized dentistry, which saw him serve as president of both the Royal College of Dentists of Canada and the Canadian Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (CAOMS). In turn, Dr. Lovely encouraged Dalhousie OMFS students to get involved, too, with many becoming examiners for the Royal College, and several serving as chief examiners and 10 becoming presidents of the CAOMS.
 
Since the creation of the Dalhousie OMFS program in 1969, 51 residents and 25 fellows have graduated from it, with many becoming department chairs, program directors, and faculty members at OMFS training programs across North America and internationally. Dr. Lovely’s "network of influence" extends to hundreds of OMFS surgeons around the world, said Dr. Robertson.
 

Dental assistant Trudi Cole worked with Dr. Frank Lovely for 26 years in the OMFS Department at the VG Hospital

Transforming lives
Trudy Cole, who has been a dental assistant in the OMFS Department at the VG Hospital for 26 years, spoke of her first encounter with Dr. Lovely when she was 15. He performed orthagnathic surgery on her, changing her class III malocclusion to a class I bite. "You transformed that teenager," she said, "from someone who always hid their smile to someone who no longer hesitates to smile."
 
That experience also sparked Cole’s interest in dentistry and ultimately a career in the OMFS Department at the VG Hospital where she said Dr. Lovely "transformed the lives of everyone who walked through the doors."
 
Cole said Dr. Lovely made oral surgery look "effortless" and she appreciated the many conversations she had with him as they worked together on patients "forehead to forehead."  Coles said she was impressed by the long list of surgical patients he treated each day and the way he worked through that list with "confidence and efficiency," all the while offering the utmost in patient care. She also appreciated his tradition of mid-afternoon tea. "We would make the tea, and you would supply the treats," she said.
 
When Dr. Lovely went to the podium, he spoke fondly of the people he had worked with along the way, some of whom were in the room, including Dr. Doug Eisner and his wife Jackie, and Dr. Don Pelkey. He talked about the early beginnings of the dental student scholarship fund, the Alumni Anchor magazine, and the student emergency fund, all of which he was instrumental in creating. He also spoke about his wider involvement at Dalhousie and in organized dentistry and his proud moment of conferring an honorary doctorate on former dean of the Faculty of Dentistry, Dr. J. D. McLean, in 1987.
 
Support for the profession
An important moment of the evening was when Dr. Robertson announced the establishment of a Dalhousie University endowment fund called the Dr. Frank Lovely OMFS Education Fund. It is being spearheaded by the OMFS team at Dalhousie – University OMF Surgery Associates – which is contributing $320,000 over five years.

Those who know him invariably describe Dr. Lovely as a "gentleman" a word that sums up his unfailing courteousness, respectfulness, and professionalism. 

The fund will support an annual award to a graduating dentistry student who demonstrates an aptitude for OMFS, the establishment of an annual lecture on a topic of interest to the OMFS community, support for OMFS research activities, and resources to help OMFS members participate in organized dentistry. It is a fitting tribute to Dr. Lovely, who committed so much of his life to the OMFS profession. 
 
The Dr. Frank Lovely OMFS Education Fund is already growing. If you would like to add your support, please go to giving.dal.ca/franklovely.