Dr. Wendell Postle: Dentistry’s Renowned Dean
- Question Where was Dean Wendell Postle born and raised?
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Answer
He was born in Toboso, Ohio, and grew up in Newark, Ohio, a town that was just a few miles from his birth place.
- Question Was Dean Postle from a family of dentists?
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Answer
He did not come from a family of dental professionals, but his father, Dr. Harry Herbert Postle, was a physician who graduated in 1898 from the educational institution that preceded Ohio State’s College of Medicine.
- Question When did Dean Postle graduate from dental school?
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Answer
He graduated from Ohio State’s College of Dentistry in 1923 and then opened his own private practice in Columbus. He also served as an instructor in the college.
- Question When was he installed as dean?
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Answer
He became the “acting dean” of the College of Dentistry in 1938, and in 1939 he was officially installed as dean. It was a position he held until his retirement in 1964.
- Question What is Dean Postle known for?
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Answer
He is renowned for ushering in an unprecedented phase of advancement and success for the college. During his tenure, he elevated the college’s stature as an educational institution by creating a dental hygiene program; expanding graduate and post-graduate education programs; and initiating a continuing dental education program that included Post College Assembly, the highly respected annual event that became a college tradition. Perhaps his ultimate achievement was garnering the support and funding for the college’s first-ever building of its own which was constructed on its current site in 1951.
- Question What were Dean Postle’s interests outside the College of Dentistry?
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Answer
He was a passionate supporter of Ohio State and an avid football fan. In 1947, he was appointed as Ohio State’s representative to the Big Ten athletic conference. He was also a member of the group that hired Woody Hayes as the head coach for Ohio State’s football program.
- Question Was Dean Postle popular with the college’s students and alums?
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Answer
He was admired and respected within and outside of the College of Dentistry. In the various publications that tell the story of his deanship, there are many quotes from students and alumni whose lives were influenced by him. They include the following:
- “Dean Postle was like the infrastructure of the building we called ‘home’ for at least four years of our education.” Louis P. DiOrio, DDS ‘64
- “Dean Postle never made me feel like an underling. He made me feel like I was a younger, but important, member of his fraternity – dentistry.” Donald F. Bowers, DDS ‘59
- “He stuck to his word and became my hero. He was a wonderful man.”
Morris Goldberg, DDS ‘52