Donald E. Bentley, D.D.S.
1920-2005

Dr. Donald E. Bentley of Hawley, Minnesota, passed away Saturday, November 5, 2005. Dr. Bentley was the first Minnesota dentist to be elected president of the American Dental Association, and his list of accomplishments in and out of dentistry made him a familiar and respected figure in organized dentistry and his community and state.

Don Bentley was born June 21, 1920 in Twin Valley, Minnesota, the youngest of four children. He graduated from high school in 1938 and went on to Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota, graduating in 1942 with a triple major in economics, history, and business. In the fall of 1942, Don was drafted into the U.S. Army, where he was assigned to the Medical Administrative Corps and then the Headquarters Section, Middle Pacific Area, where he was an administrative assistant to the Chief Dental Surgeon. They served together at Tripler ArmyHospital, Honolulu, Hawaii, for three and a half years.  

In 1946, Don was discharged from the Army and went to work for Lutheran Brotherhood and Kraft Foods. He married Dorothy Hoyne in June of 1948. In 1949, Don enrolled in the University of North Dakota to complete science classes to qualify him for application to the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry, where he received his D.D.S. in 1954. Later that year the Bentley family moved to Hawley, Minnesota, where Don set up his dental practice. In 1977, son Geoff joined his father in the dental practice, where he continues today.  

Don quickly became an active member of Hawley Lutheran Church, the community of Hawley, and organized dentistry. He was a member of Hawley's City Council for 10 years and served as mayor in the early 70s. He received the Hawley Jaycees' Outstanding Businessman Award, was a member of the Chamber of Commerce, and also dealt in real estate, opening lots in the north end of town which became know as the Bentley Addition. He was on the board of the First National Bank, McIntosh, for more than 30 years.  

Don held positions in both the Minnesota and American Dental Associations, reaching his ultimate goal in 1982 when he was elected president of the ADA, the first dentist from Minnesota ever to hold that office. Don and Dorothy traveled the world representing the dental profession.Don received the Outstanding Alumni Award from Concoridia College in 1980, and spent three years as its first alumnus to serve as national chair of the C400 Club. He was, as well, president of the Century Club at the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry. He received the Outstanding Alumni Achievement Award from its Board of Regents in 1985.

An active member of the Republican Party, Don was a delegate to many conventions, and served as Gov. Harold LeVander's appointed spokesperson for dentistry on the Comprehennsive Health Planning Council for the state.  

Singing was a lifelong passion of Don's. He was a soloist and a choir and quartet member for more than 70 years.  

One of Don's greatest joys was spending time with his family. He enjoyed being at their lake home on Little Pine Lake near Perham.  Grandpa Don cherished special times with his 12 grandchildren. He was so proud of all of them, and always took time to listen to and talk with them.  

The Minnesota Dental Association extends its sympathy to Don's family, and will remember the contributions and the character of Dr. Donald Bentley whenever its members gather to do the work and share the challenge of dentistry.

Minnesota Dentist Wellness Program Extends a Hand
   The Minnesota Dentist Wellness Program of the Minnesota Dental Association is unique from anything in its category that exists elsewhere in the country. The member service was developed and is operated by the Sand Creek Group. Sand Creek brought with it a national presence, providing services to the federal government, including the office of the President of the United States and the Department of Agriculture.  

While the Minnesota Dental Association continues to provide Sand Creek's service to the dentists of Minnesota, it also has an interest in addressing the needs of the dental community who have been so devastated in Louisiana and Mississippi as a result of the Gulf Coast hurricanes.  

As a result, the MDA has begun the process of combining the two objectives by working with the Louisiana and Mississippi Dental Associations to make its Dentist Wellness Service available to the dentists in those states. This will be done, said MDA Executive Director Dick Diercks, out of the charitable funds the Association has for those services. The funds have come from the Minnesota Dental Association House of Delegates ($20,000 from the MDA Relief Fund), the Minnesota Dental Foundation, and all of the MDA's districts have contributed. There are, as well, contributions to the Minnesota Dental Foundation from individual dentists earmarked specifically for this purpose.

This initiative began with some conversations MDA Executive Director Dick Diercks had with the Executive Directors in Louisiana and Mississippi, who identified that one of the things often not thought of as a major problem after a hurricane (or any large-scale emergency) is stress, but not only dentists but dental association staff are under considerable stress dealing with an array of problems allied to the major losses, including the fact that the economy has been devastated. Large numbers of people have been displaced, so while you may still have your dental practice, you may not have patients who can afford to pay or who are paying any attention to their oral health.

The Minnesota Dental Association, on behalf of all its members, wants to offer assistance at that personal stress recovery level, and is in the position to provide a service that currently no else can mobilize to do so.